Google’s spelling problems are worse than we thought
Updated with search trend data
There have been various posts about Google returning results with the American spelling (search engine optimization) when people search for optimisation.
But it's got much bigger problems with spelling than just -ise vs ize.
Whether vs weather
I wonder whether the weather will be inclement today? If you're Google, the second definition for a search on "whether" is the BBC Weather site.
whether vs weather
You can maybe see why from this date from Google trends, suggesting no one searches for whether.
When stationery isn't stationary
The way to differentiate stationary from stationery is to note that a car is stationary (both have "ar" in) while a letter is stationery (both have "er" in). So if I search on stationary, I don't expect to see a load of letter and envelope suppliers:
- First up it suggests that funky stationary and office supplies are related searches to stationery. Only among people who can't spell.
- Then it gives office supplies companies Rymans and Staples.
- Then Wikipedia on stationary - the meta description of which ironically says "not to be confused with stationery"
- Before a map of local stationers.
stationary vs stationery
The Google trend data here is interesting as there was recently a switch in the most searched for term, and the two terms have relatively similar search volumes. Maybe showing me stationery results is based on user behavior - people may be more likely to search again after searching on stationary with a letter a?
Licence vs License
With -ce and -se versions it can be hard to work out which is which. The best way to remember is that people advise (verb) by giving advice (noun). This is one of the few -se/-ce examples where it's pronounced differently.
So I don't expect Google to give the Wikipedia definition of license when I search for licence.
Here's the google search volume data:
Deer vs dear
What a dear deer. Do people get this SO wrong that after the first three results for "dear" I have to be shown results for "deer"? Apaprently so.
dear vs deer
And here's the search volume data:
To sum up
I can spell, Google. Please add an option in preferences something like the following:
- Yes, I can spell - show me results for what I actually searched for.
- No, I can't spell - you work it out for me, and reinforce my low literacy standards.
Yes, yes, you've spotted a misspelling somewhere. Don't point it out.
lOL nice find Malcolm heh heh and thanks for linking through - I'll update my post later
Malcolm,
You have expanded on this current issue so well. Although Google do seem to have backtracked on the "ize" by default today, there are two issues that concern me most about all of this.
1. Do the volume of searches on a particular word really have such a high CTR on completely different words (though similar in spelling), so as to make this worthwhile? Are we really that poorly educated?
2. So what if we are? It is not upto Google to circumvent that; or apply any "idiot tuning" to all requests by default. Self appointed cultural ambassadors to the bloody world.
Nichola - I'm sure it's all in the numbers (in practice, there can't be that many people searching on whether and stationary deliberately).
But, like you, I don't like it. It's just reducing the English language to the lowest common denominator.
(Edited as I put weather not whether. Doh!!!)
Licence/license has quirks on different sides of the pond, so be careful jumping to conclusions there. License (se) is a noun and verb in American English, while licence is indeed the noun in British English.
And maybe Google is pandering to an ill-educated public. (If you don't know how to spell "stationery", then we'll give you results in case.) Which is nice. Something the literate can ignore, and the less literate can benefit from.
Dan: sure, I realise / realize that the US uses licence differently. But I'm searching on google.co.uk, so I don't really want American spellings, and Google ought to know that. They'll be taking yoghurt away next.
Pandering to an ill educated public = ruining my search results. That stationary / stationery one is just rubbish. The page is full of people selling paper and envelopes when I search on stationary...
I won't pick you up on your incorrect use of the ellipsis
No space before? Or some other rule? I am an ellipsis overuser, it has to be said ...
No space before is correct. But the ellipsis is a character in its own right, not three full stops/periods…
All is forgiven.
The human mind (mine anyhow)works in a strange way. When I read this I instantly started thinking of that amiable beast the bell-wether.
Having said which, since the overwhelming majority of the public on both sides of the Atlantic is illiterate, I guess Google is indeed giving the customers what they need and will appreciate.
But far more hilarious is the ABC function on Word that alleges to correct my grammar. This has the rare distinction of being wrong not just occasionally but almost invariably.
Drayton: LOL, I checked bellwether. Results in google seem OK, no?
Previous commenters: I've added some search data from google insight for each pair of search terms. Make of it what you will!
[...] Malcolm Coles has done some more research into Google and its desire to change the way we spell and has made some [...]
Malcom,
The butchery of interpreting intent is pathetic. Is $600 (U.S.) per share not enough of a motive to ensure quality? How could this have come about, even if financially motivated in the first place? Dear vs. Deer? Something has gone seriously wrong in that room where the only light comes from the glow of monitors, and the banana skins fly furiously as the code-monkeys hammer away unintelligibly at the keyboard.
[...] Update 7 – Seems this has been resolved, but there’s more google misspelling fun at Malcolm Coles blog… [...]
Haha, I'd love the option of 'I can spell'.
It just seems to be another case of 'Google knows best', and is trying maybe too hard to deliver the 'best' results.
They can't just presume everything though, so surely there would actually have to be an option in the search preferences so you didn't get all this crap. Probably won't happen like.
Hi Malcolm,
I've looked at what you've discovered here as well as on your 'coloring' VS 'colouring' post. And, while I admit the suggestions make you go 'huh?' at first, I think there is some logic behind the suggestions. You can find my response here: http://seo.site-reference.com/optimising-optimization-google-spells-seos-crazy/
Great stuff Malcolm.
We've posted a couple of articles recently concerning spelling and I did one myself today on how Google are rolling out changes to synonym displays in the SERPS yet still showing US based sites even with 'UK only' selected.
http://www.impactmedialtd.co.uk/blog/search-engine-optimisation-seo/google-change-synonyms-display-in-search-results/
One day they'll get it right, Britain will, once again, have a manufacturing sector and talk of a second Empire will be all the rage...
I might add that if you search using double quotes likes "search term" Google search exactly what you typped.
In a related trick you can put a minus sign in front of a search term to remove search results that contained that word.
ex: apple -iphone