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All my posts about: ‘spelling’

This tag started out being for posts where I was so enraged by someone’s awful web design, that I felt obliged to point out they couldn’t spell, either. It took on new importance when Google started mucking about with spelling – you can no longer search for stationary in the UK as Google thinks you must mean stationery. Although given the creeping favouring of American spellings by UK searchers, maybe all hope is lost. Read these posts and decide.

UK searchers starting to prefer US spellings 3

January 21, 2010

Searchers in the UK are starting to prefer the US spelling of some words. Although we can still spell centre and theatre, with the following words the US spelling is now searched for more often than the UK version:

* donut vs doughnut
* yogurt vs yoghurt
* fetus vs foetus

Read the full post ...

Google autocomplete now fixes spelling problems 3

January 18, 2010
You type wierd, Google shows suggestions for weird

More evidence that Google has changed how it handles spelling errors. It is now fixing spelling in autocomplete (the list of suggestions it offers as you start to type in the web-based search form).

Unlike yesterday’s example, where Google was just deciding for itself which version of alternative, correct spellings you meant, I approve of this – partly because it’s helpful, and partly because the user retains control (so they can search for wrong spellings if they want to).

Read the full post ...

Search engine optimisation, optimization and SEO 4

January 17, 2010

We’ve all been running round worrying about Google forcing us to search for search engine optimization when we want to search for search engine optimisation.

I think we can relax, as it turns out hardly anyone searches for either …

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Google: We spell it colouring here 0

January 17, 2010
Search for colour, get color

Not content with its various other spelling problems, Google is now trying to make us spell colour the US way.

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Google's spelling problems are worse than we thought 16

January 15, 2010
whether vs weather

There have been various posts about how Google is returning results with the American spelling (search engine optimization) when people search for search engine optimisation.

But it’s got much bigger problems with spelling than just -ise vs ize.

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Gordon Brown letter: Sun misjudges readers' mood 6

November 11, 2009
Is the Sun censoring pro-Brown comments?

The Sun is running a pretty despicable campaign against Gordon Brown – and the majority of its readers don’t agree with the paper’s stance if its website comments are anything to go by.

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