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Wordos are related to typos because theyre mistakes in writing, but theyre different because theyre not misspellings or letters out of order. Like typos, theyre committed by everyone, and, in spite of our best efforts, wordos show up everywhere. from class newsletters to the august pages of the New York Times. Generally speaking there are three basic types of wordos. Cleverly, I call them Type A, Type B, and Type C.

Did you ever ask yourself, "Is it site or cite, rite or right, and principle or principal?" and then use the wrong one? And your spell checker didnt help because it doesnt see anything wrong. And theres not, as far as the spelling goes. The problems is that theyre homophones, words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings. I call these Type A Wordos, and theres a lot of em.

When a Type A Wordo falls under the general heading of grammar, it gets to be a Type B Wordo. You know that you want to use a pronoun, but it could be there, their, or theyre. (More homophones). Or you use a pronoun, and you get her and she mixed up. Misplaced apostrophes fall into this type, too. When what should be a plural becomes a possessive, the boys home instead of the boys home, youve got a Type B. These are probably the most common wordos and often the hardest to catch.

For people who try to be really accurate when it comes to choosing just the right word, theres the Type C Wordo to watch out for. This when you make the wrong choice between two words because they get interchanged in casual writing, or theyre words that have related or even overlapping meanings. You write, "Presently, hes sleeping," instead of "currently," Or, you write, "The landscape was primordial," when you really meant "primeval." Some common pairs are between vs. among, less vs. fewer, aggravate vs. annoy and historic vs. historical.

I must admit that I know a lot about wordos because I go looking for them. I hunt them down. They can make for some pretty amusing reading. I especially like the mental pictures they conjure up. In an article about getting published, the writer described meeting an editor who was very negative about his work. He wrote, "I was so crushed that I left with my tale between my legs." Just picture that. He went in with his novel, and after the editor told him how bad it was, he left with the manuscript clamped between his knees. Now, thats a wordo worth its salt. And thats only one of hundreds Ive collected (or committed).

I hope this has grabbed your attention, because this is the first in a series of articles in which Ill tell you about wordos Ive encountered and explain why the choice the writer made was not the best one. It should be fun. A few laughs with an occasional "Gee, I didnt know that!" thrown in. All you have to do is keep looking for the Wordo Alerts! from yours truly, Prof. Wordo (No, thats wordo).

You can ask Prof. Wordo your own wordy question at askprofwordo@WriteRiteRight.com