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Parent Category: Lower-Intermediate News Lessons

Category: Education Lessons

Written by Chris Cotter

How important is spelling? One British academic thinks it isn't very important. He believes that various spellings of a word should be acceptable if everyone can easily and effectively communicate. Does it matter if "occasion" were incorrectly spelled as "occassion?" Or how "foriegn" for "foreign?" Or "nieghbor" for "neighbor?"

Not everyone agrees, however. According to many other academics, spelling rules exist for a reason. Communication is easier with consistent spelling. Good spelling and good writing means the reader shouldn't have to re-read sentences to understand the meaning of the writer. Most academics agree that spelling is just as important as good grammar.

With the popularity of text messages, it's more important to be careful with spelling. Many words are spelled incorrectly or abbreviated in text messages, but how would you feel if an official letter from the bank or local government had strangely spelled words? Or how would you feel if a company pamphlet had numerous spelling mistakes?

It comes down to communication. In face-to-face conversations, you can explain in more detail, clarify, or ask questions. Written emails and letters have one chance to clearly explain, make a request, etc. As a result, spelling can't be ignored.