Leaders, Be Aware of English: Silent Letters, Loud Consequences

Full disclosure: This post is simply having fun with a serious topic. It’s a call for us to loosen up and relax. Then add your perspective in the comments of this post. As they say, laughter a day keeps the doctor away! OK. I made that one up, but a happy soul breeds life-and that’s true.

Leaders should take time to have fun. With that in mind, let’s have some fun exploring the quirks of the English language.

First, here’s the serious part. In other posts, we have discussed phrases that can sabotage your leadership as well as sayings that limit your effectiveness. In this conversation on written communication, we address the fact that no matter how great a leader we are, having misspelled words is like a dull spot on our bright, shiny coats. It can be embarrassing.

Now, I love the Physics subject and the intricacies of discovering and understanding why things are the way they are. Most of all, I love that the laws of physics are straightforward. For example: To every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Simple and straightforward.

Similarly, I’m a poet and love the English language, but I must admit, it has too many exceptions and challenging rules to keep straight!

Let me show you what I mean with some amusing examples.

Same Sound Different Matter

Why do the following words sound alike but are so different in spelling?

• Kneed, knead, need

• Not, naught, knot

• Or, oar, ore

• Pair, pare, pear

• Rain, rein, reign

• Rite, right, wright

• To, too, two

• Whey, weigh, way

It’s like someone could not make up their mind! And would someone tell me why there’s a “K” in knead, knee, and knight?

These homophones (that’s what they are called) can be confusing and can be evasive when editing a document.

Same Word Different Meaning

There are these culprits, I mean words, that are spelled alike but have totally different meanings and are called Homographs. Yup. I had to recheck that one. Check out the following:

• Bark (a tree covering) and Bark (the sound dogs make).

• Produce (farmed goods) and Produce (to create something).

• Quail (to cower or flinch) and Quail (bird).

• Tear (crying liquid) and Tear (to rip something).

To add to the chaos, how about words with the same spelling and different meanings like above, but now with a twist – different pronunciation!

• Bow (bend at the hip with respect) and Bow (weapon that shoots arrows).

• Lead (the metal) and Lead (to guide).

• Minute (time) and Minute (tiny).

• Read (present tense – pronounced “reed”) and Read (past tense pronounced “red”).

There’s one particular street in Cincinnati spelled R-e-a-d-i-n-g. I called it “Reeding” Road when I first got there – until I was corrected that it’s pronounced “Redding Road”.  I joked that someone should write “past tense” next to it!

Radical Rule Breakers

By now, you agree that standardization is out the window, so let’s look at some radical English rule breakers.

You may have learned a spelling rule in English 101 that says, “I” comes before “E” except after “C”. So, can you explain why there are so many rebels who decided to break that rule?

• Ancient

• Deficient

• Science

• Species

Let’s not forget the double rebels: “I” is not before “E” even when “C” is not involved!

• Feisty

• Foreign

• Height

• Protein

• Sleigh

• Weigh

No wonder one of the double-rebels is self-described: “Weird.”  

You may have also learned as a spelling rule that English words don’t end in “I”. Well, someone forgot to tell Hi, alumni, and broccoli.

Compound words keep their original spelling. So, room+mate = roommate, house+keeper = housekeeper, so why are some words so frugal with letters? Example past+time = pastime (missing “t”)? And where+ever = wherever (missing an “e”)?

OK. I can confirm the rules are out the window.

Stealth Ninja Qualified

What about the stealth letters? They seem to sneak into a word. See the following list.

• Bhutan (pronounced Boutan) – with a stealth “h.”

• Debt – with a Ninja “b.”

• Island – masquerading with a silent “s.”

• Night – I’d say “g” and “h” snuck in there!

These and many other similar words that contain Ninja letters hide in plain sight, messing with our spelling accuracy.

Fun Fact: Did you know “Queueing” is the only common English word with 5 consecutive vowels?

New to The Family

Of course, we can’t stop after the history book. Let’s look at new words added to the English dictionary. The fun must continue by the English language adopting some crazy words from slang, culture, and the internet.

Words are constantly added to the English language in Merriam-Webster and Oxford English Dictionaries. Here are a few:

• DM – Direct Message.

• Emoji – Small digital icons used in messages.

• Ghosting – Suddenly cutting off communication.

• GOAT – Greatest of all Time.

• Selfie – a self-taken photo.

This reflects how culture – not necessarily rule books – shapes our language.

Nowadays, the spell checker embedded in word processors, browsers, and operating systems identifies and corrects spelling errors, but some mistakes still get through. Can you guess how I know that? I’m occasionally reminded how challenging English spelling is.

While it was fun developing this post, it’s no fun when a document is riddled with spelling errors. The reality is that the English spelling irregularity stems from a chaotic history of inconsistent standardization. 

Therefore, in our world of artificial intelligence, a spell checker is a necessity. But there’s a twist! Did you think it would be straightforward? Oh no. You must watch out for the nationality of your spell checker. It may auto-correct color (American) for colour (British), or behavior (American) for behaviour (British), and Theater (American) for Theatre (British).

Head spinning yet? Here’s a blessing in all these English rule exceptions and complexities: There’s no grammatical gender assigned to English nouns as is done in French and Spanish. Whew!! English is complex enough!

Here’s the big deal: English spelling can be chaotic-but your leadership doesn’t have to be. Take time to learn practical tips to avoid embarrassing errors and communicate with confidence.

Empowered Leader Reflection

How do you have fun or loosen up and relax after a stressful week?

If this resonates with you, please share your thoughts with us below.

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