Are Poor Spellers Stupid?? This Is Your Answer !!

Just because I remember the numbers:
I'm terrible at spelling and often write mistakes. It's actually better in english that my native language..
But anyway, having my IQ tested some years ago I ended up with a total IQ of 123 (easy to remember).
I don't know the exact terms and all that, but what I do remember: my verbal iq-part-thing is 106.. while my performance iq (again, don't know the terms) is at 136.. and the big gap in between is what causes my bad spelling.
So bad spelling = stupid? Maybe sometimes but not necessairly

Poor spelling is a pet peeve of mine. Simple words such and you're and your, or weather and whether. There are several of them that get under my skin. However, I don't think it means the person is "stupid". Lazy? Maybe. Disconnected with the perfection and focused on the content? Perhaps. Dyslexic? I know one personally.

Everyone will make a mistake from time to time, but it sure would be nice if people could double check the "gotcha" words. But, I'm not going to stress about that anymore. There are bigger fish to fry.

One thing to remember though, never say "Your a moron". If so, you've lost the argument then and there. Also, if you're going to make a sign about "free speech", don't spell it "free speach".

If people spell bad they will be thought of as stupid, that is all I need.
And even if they are possibly smart, they are most certainly not professional.

I think poor spellers can be extremely bright and extremely stupid. Just like the rest of the population. Foreigners to English are going to have a tougher time. I want to hear what they have to say and I'll make the effort to understand. I had a secretary once who was dyslexic and didn't spell. He was going for double masters at U.C.L.A. at the time. An extremely bright person. I used to think that guys just don't spell and that's why they have secretaries but this thread has made me see the error there. Poor spelling knows no gender. I had thought it was a right brain function but after reading all this I don't know anymore. I think maybe spelling is not a function at all and just some contrived thing to make the occasional brilliant bad speller look bad and the idiot good speller look good.

Mind you even the spelling of the same word with the same meaning can change between English speaking countries so I guess for a person to get on ats and say that he or she is the spelling king or queen is a big claim.

You. Color
Me. Colour

You. Jail.
Me. Gaol.

Who spells is wrong?

Neither.

No it means you have fat fingers.

Originally posted by steveknows
Mind you even the spelling of the same word with the same meaning can change between English speaking countries so I guess for a person to get on ats and say that he or she is the spelling king or queen is a big claim.

You. Color
Me. Colour

You. Jail.
Me. Gaol.

Who spells is wrong?

Neither.

edit on 4-11-2011 by steveknows because: Add

Who spells it wrong?

Originally posted by yaluk

Originally posted by steveknows
Mind you even the spelling of the same word with the same meaning can change between English speaking countries so I guess for a person to get on ats and say that he or she is the spelling king or queen is a big claim.

You. Color
Me. Colour

You. Jail.
Me. Gaol.

Who spells is wrong?

Neither.

edit on 4-11-2011 by steveknows because: Add

Who spells it wrong?

You didn't read the last word in the post?

I'm educated, relatively sharp, and fairly articulate. That said, I frequently misspell common words. However, according to Weschler, I'm smarter than the average. I'm no Einstein, however, I can read well above the high school level.

In my opinion, grammar is important, but there's a fine line between pointing out glaring errors (there/their) and being a grammar Nazi. Furthermore, it is often the grammar Nazi that is insecure as well as being grossly incorrect in THEIR corrections.

I was a chemistry and biology major, but I took a few upper division writing courses, predominately creative writing. What I found most interesting was the pedantic nature of English Majors. They all wanted to be the next Hemingway, Steinbeck, or Stein, yet were incapable of acknowledging that some of the best authors in history paid little attention to erudite rules of grammarians.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the opening paragraph of the posted article. Paraphrasing, "so you're a poor speller, well, you must be dumb or have a learning disability." Arrogant tripe from a thimbleheaded gerkin. Some porcine Ivy Leaguer with an ego larger than their student load debt. It's sad when you get right down to it.


My conclusion, poor spelling nor grammar are indicative of actual 'intelligence' just a lack of 'schooling' in the rules of grammar. Which was likely the fault of some anal retentive academic with no ability to actually teach.


By the way, the FK on this little diatribe was only 9th grade level and Flesch reading ease was 51%. Therefore, it's not the best thing I've ever penned.

reply to post by traderjack


True words

I doubt the person or people from different places on the planet who invented the wheel could read or write.

Oh and just for giggles, I cut and pasted the first two paragraphs of Mr. Adams' column to MSWord. His writing FK score was 9.5 with a reading ease of just 52% (the higher the percentage of ease the better). Moreover, the arrogant sod had 7% of passive sentences in just his first two paragraphs. Passive sentences are a mammoth 'no-no' in article writing and denotes a lack of grasp of the fundamentals of grammar.

So, to summarize, Cecil Adams needs to shut the hell and go back to being an electrician's apprentice.

You know I was thinking about it and the truth is ( in my opinion ) spelling is nothing more than memory. Memory can be exercised like anything else. The word "Stupid'" is not the best word to describe a person who is not the best speller.

reply to post by CherubBaby


In school we're all taught to memorize certain rules that sometimes apply, maybe. Then we're taught that certain combinations of letters make the same sounds as other ones. Maybe the reason no one can spell is because the whole thing makes no sense! The real solution being to just let us memorize everything without confusing rules that do not always apply, or we could just start spelling things the way they sound, and remove the redundancy.

I would also like to add that the notion spelling is linked to intelligence may be related to the fact that readers often study to learn, and at the same time become better spellers.

A lot of great scientists who were intelligent had poor spelling and grammar. Spelling/language is just a way for people to exchange thoughts and ideas, how well you can do that has nothing to do with how intelligent the thoughts or ideas are inside your own head.

I usually watch what I write, and proper grammar has always been important to me for some strange reason. I do feel as though I know more than those who write in an abbreviated form, which is ridiculous. Maybe it has something to do with feeling that I care about 'doing it right' rather than just writing it misspelled because everyone will know what it means anyway.

Any person knows more than another in specific areas. To be calling another stupid is just not true, IMHO.

reply to post by mattime


I think if it can be read and makes sense, it's done right. Communication after all is the idea here. I'll even go as far to say that people using words beyond their audience are in fact, doing it wrong.

I'm not as thumb as you dink I am!

reply to post by Bluesma


Bluesma, I found your reply interesting. I've always been great at spelling, and at the same time, don't care if someone messes up a word here and there, as long as I can tell what their intent is.

Since the internet has come of age, however, I find it more and more annoying to read posts online (though on ATS, it seems most people are intelligent enough to "write legibly.") On most websites where comments are allowed after articles, etc., however, the spelling and grammar are so poor that I don't even want to bother translating them into English anymore. I think if people who speak English natively can't get a clear point across, it might be best if they just stop typing/writing entirely.

I guess what I'm saying is that yes, we adapt and our minds are great at "filling in the blanks", but there comes a point where people prove they care so little to (speak/write/type) clearly that their points aren't worth considering. Butt than aggen, hoo am i too judj?

It may be unfair, but my impression of a poor speller is that they really don't read much. Nothing helps your spelling, grammar, sentence structure and writing ability as much as reading.

There is a big difference between being "stupid" and uneducated.

A person can be very smart and have a high IQ in fields like math and science, but they may lack skills in spelling, or writing and grammar.

Another reason could be that the person who is a bad speller is trying to spell in a language that is not their main dialect. They might be able to spell very good and be very smart. Why don't you try to re-spell something in Chinese, Hebrew or Islamic.

If you can't spell good in those languages does that make you stupid?