Is It Accidently or Accidentally? Fun with Words Week 1

We’ve spent the last several weeks working on refreshing our résumés. Now let’s turn our attention to specific word pairs that are commonly confused and misspoken. My goal during the next few weeks is to make sure these words don’t trip you up during a job interview. 

Sometimes we’ve been using a word incorrectly our entire lives without realizing it. [For me, it was home versus hone. I had been saying it incorrectly for four decades—and no one ever corrected me!] So, I’ve collected some of the common culprits and will be sharing them in this blog space. Have fun with these—and you may even be surprised by a few of them. This week we’ll answer if it is correct to say accidently or accidentally. 

So, stop right now. Ask yourself: How do you pronounce it? Say it out loud right now a few times to test yourself.

Lawrence [accidentally, accidently] completed the wrong homework assignment last night.

Her phone number was published incorrectly in the company directory because the editor [accidentally, accidently] transposed the last two numbers.

Is the correct word choice accidently or accidentally?

 

Answer: accidentally

Lesson: Don’t ever write or say accidently. Accidentally is a word that ends with –ally, not –ly.  It’s the adverbial form of accidental. The correct answers are:

Lawrence accidentally completed the wrong homework assignment last night.

Her phone number was published incorrectly in the company directory because the editor accidentally transposed the last two numbers.

And whatever you do, DON’T ever say on accident.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Photo courtesy of Gratisography