1. Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
    Dismiss Notice
  4. If you wish to change your username, please ask via conversation to tehelgee instead of asking via my profile. I'd like to not clutter it up with such requests.
    Dismiss Notice
  5. Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
    Dismiss Notice
  6. A note about the current Ukraine situation: Discussion of it is still prohibited as per Rule 8
    Dismiss Notice
  7. The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
    Dismiss Notice
  8. The testbed for the QQ XF2 transition is now publicly available. Please see more information here.
    Dismiss Notice
Mail delivery issues Usernames Rule 4 Clarification Username Change Requests Disposable Email Addresses Ukraine Rule update XF2 testbed available

The dilemna dilemma

Discussion in 'General' started by Selias, May 14, 2017.

?

How do you usually spell it?

  1. Dilemma

    12 vote(s)
    85.7%

  2. Dilemna

    2 vote(s)
    14.3%
  1. Selias

    Selias Well worn.

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2013
    Messages:
    6,202
    Likes Received:
    17,666
    So, "dilemma" is apparently spelled with two ms, rather than an m and an n. This is a bit of a surprise, because I definitely remember being taught that it was spelled "dilemna," when I was in school. This isn't something that's restricted to just me, either. From what I can find on Google, people all over the world have this problem. I mean, some French people apparently spell "dilemme," the French word for "dilemma," as "dilemne," from what I read. No joke. Dilemna isn't even an alternate spelling of dilemma, so nobody really knows where it came from.

    Anyone else get taught to spell it the wrong way?
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2017
    Selias, May 14, 2017
    #1
  2. Splodge

    Splodge Not too sore, are you?

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2015
    Messages:
    460
    Likes Received:
    2,537
    This is the first I've heard of it. Most of my issues come from mispronouncing words I've only ever read.
     
    Splodge, May 14, 2017
    #2
  3. Generic_Generica

    Generic_Generica Verified kōhai

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2016
    Messages:
    7,288
    Likes Received:
    172,332
    Generic_Generica, May 14, 2017
    #3
    Selias likes this.
  4. Selias

    Selias Well worn.

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2013
    Messages:
    6,202
    Likes Received:
    17,666
    That's the site. I found that when I was googling it, but then I couldn't find it again.
    Yeah, I've got that issue, too. Thankfully, you can usually look up a video showing your how it's pronounced.
     
    Selias, May 19, 2017
    #4
  5. january1may

    january1may Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2016
    Messages:
    1,448
    Likes Received:
    3,060
    For what it's worth, I can't recall ever spelling this particular word anything but "dilemma", but I have several other words that my mind is stuck on the wrong spelling for (relevation, recurrest, substract, geniune, diactritic, IIRC a few more - the generally accepted correct spellings are "revelation", "resurrect", "subtract", "genuine', and "diacritic", respectively).

    I recall that the first time I consciously noticed "resurrect" (circa 2010) I thought it was a weird misspelling, actually.
    That said, while the first four words on the list do make sense (contamination by "relevant", "recurrent", "substrate", and "genius", respectively), I can't think of any remotely plausible explanation for the extra letter in "diactritic".
     
    january1may, May 29, 2017
    #5
    Selias likes this.
  6. magic9mushroom

    magic9mushroom BEST END.

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2016
    Messages:
    3,802
    Likes Received:
    16,416
    Never had that problem. Then again, etymology is something of a hobby of mine and I have an eidetic memory, so spelling is atypically easy for me (I usually turn off spell-checkers, because false positives due to technical terms are far more frequent than actual mistakes).

    I do get muscle-memory typos quite often, but they're always spotted instantly.
     
    magic9mushroom, Jun 13, 2017
    #6