Poll: Does bad spelling on the internet bother you?

[Jordi]

I'm not really that bothered by genuine mistakes. Everybody makes them, especially when they're typos, and it is very possible to miss them even when proofreading. If someone consistently makes mistakes though, I'm going to think that they are either stupid or lazy. I also hold native speakers to a higher standard than foreigners, because I can forgive them for not knowing all of the rules of English.

What I do absolutely detest is stuff like this:

when i type on a forum i usually type as fast as i can and usually use abbreviations and texting lingo, because i want to get my post done as fast as i can. just like online gaming and when people QQ yes QQ about poor spelling and grammar i really dont see the big deal. they obviously got the point of what you were trying to saying get on with the game.
example
game league of legends and heroes of newerth grammer nazi utopia
don't complain about horrible grammer and fast typing mistakes when i just saved your beehind from a humiliating gank

This shows a great contempt for your readers and values your time and comfort above theirs. I can imagine doing something like this in games where there is time pressure to get your message across as fast as possible, but on a forum you should take the time and make the effort to make your post correct and nicely readable. You are only writing it once, but many people will likely read it.

This is not about being a grammar Nazi. I hate those as much as the next guy, because like I said, everybody makes mistakes sometimes and I don't think there is any need to gleefully and judgmentally point them out. Making some mistakes is not a big deal, but making them on purpose because you just don't care makes you a jackass.

It kind of bothers me since most browsers have spell-check right? I mean, Chrome and Firefox do...

I agree that this is true for English speakers, but foreigners are likely to have their computers configured to their own language, and then the spell checking might not help them with English. You can probably change that, but that is an effort that I think most people won't go through. Furthermore, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that IE is still unfortunately the most used browser, and I don't think it has spell checks.

 

[Farther than stars]

When it reeks of laziness, yes, it's annoying. It's ok to spell "squirrel" incorrectly, but it's unacceptable to misspell "apple."

A minor pet peeve of mine is when people type "payed" when they mean "paid." Spell check doesn't pick this up, so I see this mistake everywhere

Kind of like "every where", ey? ;P
But yeah, I see where you're coming from. Admittedly, these kind of mistakes could be contributed to grammar and not to spelling, but it's still in the sense of how the word is written, so I feel it's on topic.

 

[StBishop]

Yes! If you're not your punctuation correctly, I swear I'll...

That pisses me off more than spelling mistakes.

Typo's I can handle (Although firefox and chrome both have a spell check function) but sentence structure and correct word usage is a big concern for me.

Especially in speech.

When it reeks of laziness, yes, it's annoying. It's ok to spell "squirrel" incorrectly, but it's unacceptable to misspell "apple."

A minor pet peeve of mine is when people type "payed" when they mean "paid." Spell check doesn't pick this up, so I see this mistake everywhere

Kind of like "every where", ey? ;P
But yeah, I see where you're coming from. Admittedly, these kind of mistakes could be contributed to grammar and not to spelling, but it's still in the sense of how the word is written, so I feel it's on topic.

That's more of a regional thing.

 

[ChupathingyX]

The only thing that really bothers me is "alot".

That damn animal needs to die!

 

[JezebelinHell]

Anyone using Internet Explorer does not have built in spell check. Go Microsoft. There are two add ons you can download to catch up.

The only time it really bothers me is if it is obvious the person made no attempt to be correct. You could be making the most valid point in the whole topic but if you cannot be bothered to at least try, I cannot be bothered to take you seriously. I may skim your post but will probably pretty much skip it. Your point is rendered pointless.

For punctuation and grammar I am not so picky because mine isn't great, but again, it is obvious when you have made no attempt. I roll my eyes and move on from your train wreck. I really enjoy the ones that make one huge paragraph or the ones that type one sentence per paragraph.

Even the forum rules state:
"We do ask that posters take just a little time to make their posts as readable as possible and keep their responses on topic. We also ask that you take a moment to check your spelling and grammar."

 

[Farther than stars]

Yes! If you're not your punctuation correctly, I swear I'll...

That pisses me off more than spelling mistakes.

Typo's I can handle (Although firefox and chrome both have a spell check function) but sentence structure and correct word usage is a big concern for me.

Especially in speech.

When it reeks of laziness, yes, it's annoying. It's ok to spell "squirrel" incorrectly, but it's unacceptable to misspell "apple."

A minor pet peeve of mine is when people type "payed" when they mean "paid." Spell check doesn't pick this up, so I see this mistake everywhere

Kind of like "every where", ey? ;P
But yeah, I see where you're coming from. Admittedly, these kind of mistakes could be contributed to grammar and not to spelling, but it's still in the sense of how the word is written, so I feel it's on topic.

That's more of a regional thing.

This is only my first poll ever and I said I'm sorry.

And you're a bit of a grammarfile, huh? Yeah, I get that. Concerning that though I'd be interested to know which region that is, because I don't believe I've ever been to that Alaskan village.

 

[StormShaun]

If its a bit of bad spelling I dont mind, but do it always and I will KILL you...or well correct you at least.

 

[JezebelinHell]

Furthermore, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that IE is still unfortunately the most used browser, and I don't think it has spell checks.

IE does not have spell check but I am happy as hell to tell you, you are wrong, it is not the most used browser. Consider yourself corrected.

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Spoiler: Edit, because it is true:

 

[Chris646]

Honestly, it only bugs me on The Escapist. Everyone has mostly good grammar, so seeing people who aren't spelling mostly correctly or using mostly proper grammar and/or punctuation is a little bit maddening. But on other forums where the people don't use proper spelling/punctuation/grammar as much bothers me a lot less than it does when I'm on this site.

 

[The Dreamer]

dood, noway,its just teh natral progreshun uv langach, duh, lol u guize r so wierd 4 thicnking taht itsnott good way 2 rite.

Yes, I, along with many, mind because, while occasional mistakes are, by themselves, acceptable, the fact is, repeated errors, even small ones one makes during a text, WILL lead to future errors. As inconvenient as it would be to go look up the spelling of large and complex words like natural, progression, and language, or the appropriate use of you're/your/yore, the fact is that later, when you are writing important stuff that matters, like essays or status reports, your mistakes will subconsciously weave their way into your writing, turning a solid thesis into a pile of unintelligible gibberish... or maybe just a solid thesis with a few irritations, but the point remains.

In summation, mistakes during texts will lead to mistakes during future essays/reports/fanfics/etc., undermining one's message and leading to potential readers not wanting to read it.

P.S. 'Tis my first comment, fellow escapists. Wish me a bright future of arrogant blabbering!

 

[BigDeadMushy]

while I generally follow most grammatical and spelling guidelines,there's a couple that I'm unphased about.I've also been known to play around with language a fair bit,just to shake things up a little.a lot of it depends on whether I'm partaking of a serious thread or a playful one.in non-serious areas I tend to be a lot more liberal,but it's almost always a conscious decision,to set the tone aside from my usual style (though obviously this will be less apparent to those who hang out in different threads than I do).
obviously my main offense is capitalization and proper use of clause with my punctuation,so at best I'd only be in the grammar gulag for a few months.

I am not the type to judge people by how they use English on the interwebs,as I generally don't know the particulars about age,education and whether or not it is their first language.

/mytwocents

 

[Sacul]

It doesn't really annoy me, I just can't take the person using bad spelling seriously. When I read the bad spelling, my brain converts it into a loud, brain damaged voice in my head.

Like that? I do that too, I simply can't take anyone seriously if they have much more than a few typos. If I actually need to reread or slowdown, I just stop reading the post.

I know that Firefox at least redlines everything that is misspelled and even lets you just right-click to choose a correct spelling, so I don't understand how people can't spend the 5 seconds required to do that. What really bugs me though is when people say "It's just the Internet, spelling doesn't matter!" Other people are going to read it and it's how everyone will notice you so you can spend 5 seconds making it presentable.

Basically the worse someone's grammar and spelling, the less I think of them and their opinion. I just don't take you or your post seriously if it's really bad. I personally don't have the best grammar, but I at least double-check all my posts and try to make it look as good as I can.

 

[StBishop]

Yes! If you're not your punctuation correctly, I swear I'll...

That pisses me off more than spelling mistakes.

Typo's I can handle (Although firefox and chrome both have a spell check function) but sentence structure and correct word usage is a big concern for me.

Especially in speech.

When it reeks of laziness, yes, it's annoying. It's ok to spell "squirrel" incorrectly, but it's unacceptable to misspell "apple."

A minor pet peeve of mine is when people type "payed" when they mean "paid." Spell check doesn't pick this up, so I see this mistake everywhere

Kind of like "every where", ey? ;P
But yeah, I see where you're coming from. Admittedly, these kind of mistakes could be contributed to grammar and not to spelling, but it's still in the sense of how the word is written, so I feel it's on topic.

That's more of a regional thing.

This is only my first poll ever and I said I'm sorry.

And you're a bit of a grammarfile, huh? Yeah, I get that. Concerning that though I'd be interested to know which region that is, because I don't believe I've ever been to that Alaskan village.

Well for starters, Australia.

Also, the Internet.

Sorry for being a little harsh about your first thread, I was more demonstrating clarity of meaning being more important to me than avoiding typos.

 

[Mr. Gency]

It kind of bothers me since most browsers have spell-check right? I mean, Chrome and Firefox do...

Last I checked IE doesn't.

 

[Biosophilogical]

It annoys the hell out of me. Anything worth typing is worth typing right.

Damn straight. I can understand the occasional typo, like if someone types a large post making proof-reading a huge pain. But more than a couple in a post and I feel almost like a disconnect, like one part of my brain goes "F*** this, I'm going to go watch my shows!" leaving me less attentive to what they are saying.

 

[Falconsgyre]

While I've encountered literate people with nothing worthwhile to say, there's definitely a huge correlation between "good grammar and spelling" and whether or not they're going to be meaningfully contributing. (Non-native speakers get a pass on this.) So I associate poor spelling and grammar with bad opinions. They annoy me by proxy, if nothing else.

 

[Jordi]

Furthermore, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that IE is still unfortunately the most used browser, and I don't think it has spell checks.

IE does not have spell check but I am happy as hell to tell you, you are wrong, it is not the most used browser. Consider yourself corrected.

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Spoiler: Edit, because it is true:

As someone who occasionally makes websites, it would make me exceptionally happy to be wrong about this, but unfortunately w3schools is very biased. They say this themselves below the first batch of tables. Basically their visitors, who are generally web developers, are more likely to use better browsers than the average person. I think Wikipedia's stats [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers] are probably more representative and they show that IE is unfortunately still the market leader worldwide and in most countries separately. But at least things are moving in the right direction.

Edit: that picture is very right by the way. It is basically the only thing I use IE for. (well, that and testing my websites)

 

[ScrubberDucky]

Only when it gets to the point where I can't understand them. There are many reasons why I always try to use perfect grammar and English (Even if I sometimes fail), but it'd be rather stupid of me to try and force it on other people. When it gets to the point where I have to ask them several times to repeat a basic sentence, or when watching a conversation where one party resembles a drunken orangutan, I start to get annoyed. Yes, sometimes I crack jokes at their expense. "What about their crazy?"

I'd like to add as a footnote that unless I'm sure that a person doesn't have an excuse, I don't crack jokes or mention their grammar. I just quietly seethe over it in a disgustingly passive-aggressive manner. I've seen many people shove their legs into their cake holes up to the knee making fun of war vets who're missing half a hand.

 

[DVS Storm]

I don't mind a couple of mistakes here and there but sometimes when the text is just so full of mistakes and no dots...... Seriously it gives me a headache to read that kind of text.

 

[Pat8u]

I don't mind it but I do mind people on the minecraft forums and other forums that attract little kids is when they tell me that the correct acronymn of mother is mom when I type mum arrgh. also I can't use that much punctuation and Im not that good of a everyday speller but I can spell words like chlorophyll without needing to think