Google figured out what word is misspelled most frequently in each state. Some results include leprechaun, diarrhea and one state misspelling its own name.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee came to a thrilling conclusion last night, as it’s wont to do. And in honor of how good those kids are at spelling, Google decided to cast a light how bad we adults are.
Google just figured out the most common misspelling in every state. The method: Analyzing millions of search queries that started with the phrase “how to spell”and ended with some poor, mangled attempt at an English word.
Here are the results, with scattered commentary.
Alabama – tongue
Alaska – Hawaii
I adore how elegantly passive aggressive this is.
Arizona, New Hampshire – diarrhea
But do they spell “relief” as R-o-l-a-i-d-s? Sorry. I need to try harder.
Arkansas, Utah – leprechaun
I’m so disappointed Alabama didn’t wind up with this word. I want the gold!
California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana – desert
Colorado, New York – beautiful
Delaware, New Mexico – neighbor
Florida – tomorrow
Georgia, Illinois – appreciate
Hawaii – boutineer
Totally justified. In fact, right now there’s a red squiggly line underneath the word on my screen because while the people at Google Search Trends think it should be “boutineer,” apparently the people who made the dictionary for Google Chrome think it should be “boutonniere.” And I’m really not sure which is correct.
Iowa, Kentucky – maintenance
Kansas – schedule
Louisiana, Oregon – definitely
Maine, Montana, Wisconsin – vacuum
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia – cancelled
Quite weird that Google went with the double-L spelling, since I think the modern accepted version is with the single-L. No wonder it’s tied for the lead with four states.
Massachusetts – Massachusetts
And in a landslide, Massachusetts wins the award for the funniest misspelling of any state.
Michigan, Oklahoma, South Dakota – gray
I keep gray and grey straight with a quick and dirty mnemonic: American people use the “a” and English people use the “e.” I’m a mnemonics guy. (I had to Google the spelling of mnemonic to double check. Maybe I need a mnemonic for mnemonic.)
Minnesota – broccoli
Mississippi – sergeant
Missouri, North Carolina, Washington – pneumonia
Nebraska – guarantee
Nevada – cousin
How do you even misspell “cousin”? With a “k”? With an “e”? With a “6”?
New Jersey – February
North Dakota – attitude
Ohio – banana
My home state checks in with arguably the easiest word to spell on the list.
South Carolina – convenience
Tennessee – courtesy
Texas – niece
Vermont – possible
Vermont fail English? That’s unpossible.
West Virginia – giraffe
Wyoming – ornery
And one final note. The real estate blog Estately also analyzed Google searches this week, but they figured out what question people in each state Google more than anyone else.
11 highlights! Florida: “Why does everyone hate Florida?” … Georgia: “Why are my nipples so sore?” … Kentucky: “How to make a baby?” … Maryland: “Is Joe Flacco elite?” … West Virginia: “When is Cinco de Mayo?” … South Dakota: “Why is my poop green?” … Colorado: “Where is Waldo?” … Texas: “Where is the Internet?” … Illinois, staying current: “What does O.P.P. mean?” … Tennessee: “What is the clap?” … and finally, Wyoming: “What is Wyoming?”
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Sources: ABC News / Estately. Ralph Wiggum appears courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
