As an editor, I see commonly confused words all the time. There are the super common ones we all know (to/too/two, etc.), but lately I've been spotting a handful of less commonly confused words over and over again while copyediting manuscripts. Whether it's the result of speech-to-text software, typing too quickly, or our brains simply filling in what we expect to see, these mistakes seem to be popping up for me lately. I figured I should highlight them in an episode of The Modern Editor so that you can watch out for them too!
As an editor, I see commonly confused words all the time. There are the super common ones we all know (to/too/two, etc.), but lately I've been spotting a handful of less commonly confused words over and over again while copyediting manuscripts.
Whether it's the result of speech-to-text software, typing too quickly, or our brains simply filling in what we expect to see, these mistakes seem to be popping up for me lately. I figured I should highlight them in an episode of The Modern Editor so that you can watch out for them too!
Hey there, friends. So today's episode is inspired by the last few books that I've copyedited, and for whatever reason, most of them have had the same errors with commonly confused words. And it was enough that I'm like, "What is going on?"
Like, commonly confused words, you know, there, their, they're, to, too, two, things like that, those aren't a new thing by any stretch, and I come across them all the time. But the same exact ones popped up, like, five times in a row, and they're not...some of them are common, but some of them are a little less common, and I'm trying to figure out why.
Maybe it's due to speech-to-text software, but I can't confirm that, and it's just weird that it was the same exact ones, right? So I wanted to record this episode because, one, I wanna see if it's happening to you, too, and two, just so that you know what to look out for because apparently these are pretty common. Maybe they're just common to me, I don't know, but I figured you should all be aware, right?
And this is gonna be super short and sweet, but hopefully it gets your brain a little bit more aware so the next time that you're copyediting, if you're a copyeditor, or a proofreader, or an author, you can have a look for these.
Welcome to The Modern Editor Podcast, where we talk about all things editing and what it's like to run an editorial business in today's world. I'm your host, Tara Whitaker. Let's get to it.
All right, so the first one is stalk and stock. Stalk, S-T-A-L-K, like a corn stalk, and S-T-O-C-K, like you're stocking a grocery shelf. That one is not very common to me, and that one is what made me think that this is speech-to-text. But I think that one, in one book it was in there multiple times, and then in another book it was in there just a couple.
And I actually had to stop and sit for a second like, "Wait, what? That doesn't make sense." And I finally figured it out. But that one, that one I think is the catalyst for all of these other ones that I saw and really this episode. So stalk and stock.
And then we've got breaks. So B-R-E-A-K, as in, "Oh my gosh, I need a break," and B-R-A-K-E, as in, "They slammed on the brakes." That one, I will be honest, I'm good at catching that one. That one just leaps off the page for me for whatever reason. Other ones don't, which you'll see in a second. But that one is pretty common for me and something that I see quite a bit.
But the next one is “phased.” So there's P-H-A-S-E, as in, "Okay, let's move on to the next phase, the next step," and then F-A-Z-E, as in, "Oh, that loud noise didn't phase them at all."
I missed one of these in a copyedit recently and I was like, "Ugh." That one should've popped out at me. I'm not quite sure why it didn't, but that was in the last couple too, and I know I got them in one copyedit but then I missed it in another. So it happens. We all make mistakes. We are all human. The world continues to turn.
All right, next one. This is a very common one, but again, it's popped up a lot, is “peak.” So there's three of these, but I've only actually come across two recently. So there's P-E-A-K, as in, you know, the top of a mountain, and then there's P-E-E-K, which is, like, “She took a peek around the corner.”
Of course, there's also P-I-Q-U-E. That one, I think because, I don't know, is it because there's a Q in there where it's just not as commonly used, I don't come across a lot. But the other two versions for sure. The last one is a little bit of an odd one. It's not common for me at all, but when I find it, I am like, "I am the best copyeditor alive." Just kidding.
Next iss casualty and causality. Casualty, as in, you know, someone passes away, and causality is the relationship between cause and its effect. Now, you know, there's a couple words swapped in there. But if you're reading semi-quickly, it's very easy to skim over and miss, so that's why I say when I do find it, I'm like, "Woo-hoo!" But that one I've found in the last few books too, and that's not common at all for me.
So I don't know what's happening, y'all. But those are just some of the few that I've come across recently in multiple books, and it's kind of bringing me back because when I first started copyediting, I would come across these and I'm like, "Oh, I gotta keep track."
Like, "Oh, that one's tricky," or, you know, the there, they're, their, and to, too, two, I've got that nailed down. But there are some others, like I just mentioned, that are tricky. So I started making a list so that every manuscript that I copyedited, I would check this list to make sure that there were no confused words in there.
That list grew, grew, grew, and I created an ebook out of it actually, and it's now a bonus for Freelance Editors Club members. But you know what? I've gotta make some updates to it because it's been a while, and apparently commonly confused words is coming back with a vengeance in my sphere. Not that it ever went away, but I don't know. Something is happening.
So have you noticed this in your own copyediting and proofreading? Or if you're an author, have you noticed any speech-to-text software confusing these words? Are you finding any words that are not on this particular list? I think I'm gonna share more in future episodes because they just seem to be cropping up everywhere, and they're so tricky, and I don't know what's happening.
So let me know what you think. Are you experiencing this? Do you have some that you're like, "Oh, those are so tricky. I always miss them," or, "Oh, I love finding these. I'm really good at finding these in particular." I wanna know. Shoot me an email, Hello@TaraWhitaker.com.
And until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep those eyes sharp.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. If you enjoy The Modern Editor Podcast, I would be so grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts or wherever you consume podcasts. And don't forget, you can head to TaraWhitaker.com to connect with me and stay in touch. We'll chat again soon.