Who says the list of words  in English that are commonly misused/misspelled is complete ? Here are a few that I have come across and I can guarantee that the list will never stop growing until the demise of the universe !!

A few mechanic shop boards (usually handwritten) claim to help with your deflated tire, which according to them is a “punture”. In my opinion, this one can be quite excused, because most of the shop workers are not very well educated.  But there are a couple of other misspelled words in use by the purportedly well-educated people, which I simply cannot stand.

Cubicle vs. Cubical

An email I received earlier this week wanted me go to meet someone in her “cubical”# 212.  What got me more surprised when I met the person in person is the fact that she was very fluent in the language. This also made conclude that not everyone who is damned good in speaking in English may not necessarily be an expert in writing (the reverse may be true in some cases, too).

Stationery vs. Stationary

Well, either of these words is meaningful in its own context, but what needs more attention here is the fact that the words are often used interchangeably. I wonder why they have to explicitly say it – wouldn’t it be otherwise obvious that the shop that sells “stationery” cannot continue to do so unless it remains  “stationary”? :)

Bypass vs. Byepass and Lay-by vs. Lay-bye

Last and definitely the worst, these terms easily get on my nerves. On a recent trip to Chennai by car, I came across a “Truck Laybye” sign every once in a few kilometers on the national highway (NH4).  So the drivers are supposed to also say goodbye to every other passerby while “laying by” their trucks eh? ;) Funny! My only request to the highway authorities, or whoever is responsible of creating such signboards is to take little more care and get the texts reviewed by someone who is knowledgeable, before the boards are sent for printing/painting.

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