Most of us have never been sure how to spell definitely at some point. Or is it for sure? It is one of the most common mistakes made by people who speak English. They tend to write the word the way they say it, which is often wrong.
Definitely or Definately?
Even though the word as definately is used a lot, it is not correct. The correct way to spell it is DEFINITELY. Not with a “a,” but with a I like the word “finite.”
The Urban Dictionary has a separate entry for “definitely,” which it defines as “idiot-speak for “definitely.” It is one of the most common words that people spell wrong on the Internet.
A study shows that many kids, some as old as 14, don’t know how to spell even the most basic words. Because of this, they often keep using the wrong spellings even as adults. They often use words like “definatly,” “definitely,” or, best of all, “defiantly” instead of the word “definitely.”
Definitely comes from the Latin word definitus, which is the past tense of the verb definire, which means “to bind or limit.” In English, the word came into use in the 16th century to mean “in a clear and precise way.”
A survey was done online to find out what mistakes people are making when they use definitely. This is what the poll says should happen.
- definetely – 2.74%
- defintely – 2.37%
- definatley – 1.58%
- deffinitly – 1.53%
- Other – 63.67%
Definitely is still the word that gets misspelled the most in English. So, if you have been spelling it wrong up until now, make sure to use the right one from now on.
Here are the 10 most-misspelled words (wrong spelling in brackets)
- Definitely (Definately)
- Sacrilegious (Sacreligious)
- Indict (Indite) (Indite)
- Manoeuvre (Maneouvre)
- Bureaucracy (Beaurocracy)
- Broccoli (Brocolli)
- Phlegm (Phleghm)
- Prejudice (Predjudice)
- Consensus (Conscensus)
- Unnecessary (Unecessary)
So, if you aren’t sure about the spelling, it would be best to look it up on the internet or in a dictionary before you make the sacrilegious mistake of misspelling a common word.
You will be shocked to find out that you may have been spelling it wrong since you were a child. It will be a big surprise to you.
