Study: The most misspelled word in Ohio and each U.S. state
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A recent study has revealed the word residents struggle to spell the most in Ohio and each state across America.
WordUnscrambler.pro, an online tool intended to assist with spelling games such as Scrabble, analyzed Google Trends to discover the "most misspelled word" in each state. The website considered searches from Jan. 1 to May 19 containing terms such as “how do you spell” and “how to spell.”
The most misspelled word in Ohio was crochet, according to the study. The Buckeye State was alone in its trouble with spelling crochet, as the word was not listed as the most-misspelled in any other state.
The most misspelled word in America was definitely, which saw 33,500 searches seeking the correct spelling. Definitely was followed by separate (30,000), necessary (29,000), believe (28,500), through (28,000), gorgeous (27,000), neighbor (25,000), business (24,200), favorite (23,000) and restaurant (22,500).
“Availability of autocorrect in all devices results in misspelling common words like 'beautiful' or 'necessary,’” a spokesperson with the website said. “Studies suggest heavy reliance on autocorrect weakens spelling skills over time. Some researchers call it digital amnesia. We simply forget things that we delegate to technology.”
The most misspelled words in the country contain silent or double letters, originate from other languages or use “tricky” suffixes, according to the study.