We all spent years learning spelling, grammar and punctuation at school, however there are very few people that will get it right 100% of the time. (Even as I write this I am trying very carefully not to make any mistakes with the fear of being corrected – I’ll most definitely be getting this proof read multiple times!)

As I read through my Facebook and Twitter timelines, they are filled with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I often wonder if the people making these errors are just carelessly typing away and the mistakes slip through, or whether they genuinely don’t know they are wrong. Some mistakes are so terrible that it actually angers me – when one word is replaced for another with a very different meaning; for example, defiantly often used when I know that they mean definitely.

In the office, we often discuss silly spellings and grammatical errors we have spotted, it usually sparks up quite a heated debate. Below are some of the most common.

Then we have the there, their, they’re issue:
There: referring to the place: ‘You’ll love it there‘
Their: something owned by a group: ‘Their house is lovely’
They’re: abbreviated from ‘they are’. ‘They’re really nice people’

Your vs. you’re:
Your: referring to something that you own: ‘How is your cat?
You’re: abbreviated from ‘you are’: ‘I hope you’re keeping well’

Its or it’s.
Its: belonging to someone: ‘The puppy broke its toy’
It’s: abbreviated from ‘it is’ or ‘it has’: ‘It’s a lovely day today’

Other common mistakes include: too/to/two, than/then, should have/should of, who’s/whose lose/loose, ain’t/isn’t,  and we’re/were/where, I could go on…

Then there are the really careless silly ones.
His instead of he’s: ‘His really cute’
Them instead of those: ‘Them changes will be made for you’

I have received many of these mistakes in formal emails or read them on online news stories or blogs, supposedly written by professionals. Obvious mistakes like these will not give off a great impression of your intelligence, imagine including these errors in your CV or covering letter, I’m not sure you’d be top of the list for the job!

 So maybe more of us should bear these in mind when we post to social media, send an email or write a blog post. Use the spell checkers and get others to proof read your work. Of course you can always Google your questions about spelling and grammar like I did, there are plenty of websites out there ready to help you!

You can go and check our spelling and grammar on:
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