This month’s issue includes mnemonic devices and a chance to vote on new words.

Tricks for Spelling Words That Spellcheck Won’t Catch

Spellcheck is embedded into so many computer applications these days that it might feel like you don’t have to worry much about misspelled words. Except for those tricky words: homophones — you know, the words that sound alike but have different spellings and different meanings, like here and hear.

In this month of tricks and treats, I thought I’d bring you some tricks for remembering how to spell words that spellcheck won’t necessarily catch. Here goes…

• capital/capitol
  • With just one exception, you Always spell it capitAl. The Only time you use the o is when you are talking about a building (usually with a dOme on top of it).
• complement/compliment
  • Think of the i in compliment to remind yourself: *I* can give someone else a compliment.
    There are two e’s in complement and two e’s in complete and enhance, and complement means to complete or enhance something.
• dessert/desert
  • Dessert has two s’s in it, and so does strawberry shortcake, a yummy dessert. The one s in desert can mean sandy.
• i.e./e.g.
  • Use the i in i.e. to remember *i*n other words.
    And the e in e.g. can remind you of the e in for *e*xample.
• gray/grey
  • If you’re in America it’s grAy but if you’re in Europe it’s grEy (usually).
• principal/principle
  • Your princiPAL is your PAL (or not), while a ruLE can be called a principLE (both end in –le).
• stationary/stationery
  • Stationery and paper both have “er” in them.

I hope you find some of these useful in the future. If you have any others that you use, I’d love to hear about them! Just reply to this email.

Something You Might Not Know About Me... I love homemade Halloween costumes! I have spent many an October working on various costumes for my kids over the years. Some fun ones include a popsicle, fireworks, and a bowl of pasta.

What's Been On My Plate The celebration of our country’s 250th anniversary kicked off along the banks of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky this past weekend with America’s River Roots festival. I had a great time taking a cruise on one of the riverboats, and enjoying some of the food that was organized by Paul Sturkey, as featured in this Q&A I did with him recently for Soapbox Cincinnati.

What’s up? I'd love to hear from you! Some things you might want to share: What other mnemonic devices do you use to help you with spelling? What are your thoughts on summerween, either the word or the event? What homemade Halloween costumes have you made or worn? Reply to this email or comment here. Thanks for reading! Kate Harold Writer | Editor | Proofreader Kate Harold Freelance Writing LLC ​ October 15, 2025 | Issue 13

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