This is a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English. Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago. http://www.etymonline.com/ We all know certain spelling errors are very common, such as miniscule or geneology. But how common exactly, and are they getting more or less common as time goes on? http://keithbriggs.info/spellometer.html Spelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/spelling On the history of spelling. by the Rev. Professor W. W. Skeat, LIT.D., LL.D., D.C.L., PH.D. Published on behalf of the Simplified Spelling Society by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd. London. January 1941. First published December 1908. http://www.spellingsociety.org/journals/pamflets/p1history.php Real Spelling www.realspelling.com WordWorks www.wordworkskingston.com Real Spellers www.realspellers.org This is a past TED conversation. Read throught the comments to see what other people think about spelling. "Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate structure and organisation. Spelling is the action of writing symbols so that these constitute meaningful structure (words) that in turn create longer structures (sentences, paragraphs, etc.) that convey meaning. But in the current world where technology is used more and more for communication purposes, what is the importance of correct spelling and punctuation? Isn't spelling reform a good idea? Do we still need punctuation?" http://www.ted.com/conversations/8529/does_punctuation_and_spelling.html For other language and literature lessons from TED-Ed, check out this YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/course?list=ECF9A468788928A351