This month’s issue covers my affinity for handmade signs, and how to handle variant spellings to help you avoid mistakes in your public communications.

Is It a Misspelling, or a Variant Spelling?

I like handmade signs so much. I love the personal touch that anything handwritten conveys. So I take time out to carefully look at and appreciate handmade signs when I come across them.

Like this one:

I saw this over the summer when I was on vacation with my family. We were in a small gold rush town in California.

'ER' or 'RE'?

Look at that ‘ER’ in “accouterment.” It looks like the person writing it thought, “Hold on – is it ‘ER’ or ‘RE’?” Maybe they even wrote it out as ‘RE’ first and then switched it.

And then it could have been time for the store to open and they were rushed and their co-worker said, “Ah, it’s fine — just get it outside!”

I would have said it should be ‘RE.‘ But as it turns out, accouterment — according to Merriam-Webster — is an acceptable variant spelling for accoutrement. Other dictionaries list the ‘ER’ variant first.

Does it matter?

Perhaps the accouterment vendor has always spelled it this way — which, according to some style guides is the American spelling for the word, while ‘RE’ is the British spelling.

For this shop’s purposes, it really doesn’t matter. People were coming and going anyway. Customers were making purchases. It made me stop and pause and talk to my daughter about the spelling, and then talk about what exactly the word means anyway.

That’s what you want a good sign to do, right? Catch someone’s attention, draw them in. It worked in this case.

How to handle variant spellings

In professional writing, when it comes to variant spellings like this, it’s important to follow these best practices:

• Know what the spelling variations are; do a quick search to be sure.
• Be aware of which one is more widely recognized/accepted by your audience.
• Be consistent — choose one version and stick with it.

And if you’ll be using it often, add it to your in-house style guide.

Check It Out: CMOS 18 Out Now

Speaking of editorial style guides, the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style came out last month. If your organization follows Chicago style, it's time to pick up a new copy or renew your online access. This edition contains updates to the prior version last published in 2017.

Something You Might Not Know About Me... I have helped reroof two garages in my lifetime, most recently this past August. Give me a nail gun and stand back!

How are you doing? I'd be happy to hear from you. Some things you might want to share: How you would have spelled accoutrement before reading this A variant spelling you come across regularly A pic of a great handmade sign you've seen recently Reply to this email or comment here. Thanks for reading! Kate Harold Writer | Editor | Proofreader Kate Harold Freelance Writing LLC ​ October 9, 2024 | Issue 1

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