How do YOU spell...

[TheKub]

Little back-story:

I work in IT, and recently created a new generic user account for one of the departments I support to be used with an extra laptop. So I create the account, set the password, write it down, and leave it on the manager?s desk. After I get back the office I see I have a voice mail. It?s the manager who is asking if I purposely spelled ?lightning? (the password) wrong. It think WTF was going through my head, I know I spelled it right when I set the password because I had to login several times to set stuff up, so I think maybe I had a brain fart when I was writing it down.

So I ask him how did I write it down and he says ?LIGHTNING? at that moment my brain does a double take and worries that I have spent the past 26 years of my life spelling it like a retard. So as I start the admin tools to reset the password I open Google and type lightning and sure enough millions of hits (including wiki). Puzzled I ask him how he spells it and he says it is spelled ?LIGHTENING?. I quickly type lightening into Google and low and behold ?Did you mean: lightning?. Yes! Vindicated! At this point he quotes Webster as stating the spelling is lightening. So I quickly do a poll of my coworkers 3 for lightening and 1 for lightning.

Now given that there is a reasonable chance that this problem would reoccur when telling users the password we selected a new one to bypass the confusion.

So how do you spell it?

Edit: To clarify it is lightning as in from a storm cloud.

Cliffs:

Set user password to lightning
Manager asked if I meant to spell it wrong (supposed to be lightening)
Google/wiki confirms my spelling
Quick poll of coworkers shows mixed results in spelling

 

[FoBoT]

Lightning is that thing that strikes you dead in a thunder storm

 

[destrekor]

two different words:
lightning represents that little electrical spark you witness in the sky
lightening represents, well, making something lighter

but if he meant the spark, the correct and only spelling is lightning

 

[Steve]

^What he said^

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

They are two different words. Both of you have a correct spelling.

 

[Chryso]

Originally posted by: destrekor
two different words:
lightning represents that little electrical spark you witness in the sky
lightening represents, well, making something lighter

but if he meant the spark, the correct and only spelling is lightning

:thumbsup:

 

[imported_Cameron]

Originally posted by: destrekor
two different words:
lightning represents that little electrical spark you witness in the sky
lightening represents, well, making something lighter

but if he meant the spark, the correct and only spelling is lightning

:thumbsup:

 

[nonameo]

I just call it static

 

[SludgeFactory]

Webster (online anyway) doesn't back him up either. So he's also a LIAR!!! :laugh:

Damping/dampening also comes to mind here. I was taught that a damper is something that reduces oscillations, and that a dampener is a water gun. But the dictionary definitions seem to leave room for confusion on that one.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: SludgeFactory
Webster (online anyway) doesn't back him up either. So he's also a LIAR!!! :laugh:

Damping/dampening also comes to mind here. I was taught that a damper is something that reduces oscillations, and that a dampener is a water gun. But the dictionary definitions seem to leave room for confusion on that one.

Don't forget "moistening" vs "moisturizing"...

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: Kadarin
Don't forget "moistening" vs "moisturizing"...

That's even more subtle, I'm not sure I know the difference. Dream of achieving grammar nazi status = FAIL

My gut feeling is that moisten would denote the wetting of a surface, and moisturize would apply to a penetrating wetness (and 99% of its use is in skin care ads). Am I on the right track?

 

[nakedfrog]

I spell it correctly, like you. So, in short, you work with at least four people who may have a spelling problem?

 

[Bibble]

For years I spelt it "Lightening." I guess it was 2-3 years ago I discovered I had been spelling it incorrectly.

 

[imported_Baloo]

those are two different words, with different meanings. Lightning is what you see during thunderstorms. Lightening is what bleach does to your clothes.

 

[eits]

lightening = making something lighter
lightning = the electrical atmospheric phenomenon that creates thunder

 

[krunchykrome]

Lightning

 

[Engraver]

I got struck by lightening once. Someone poured bleach on my hair.

 

[mugs]

Lightening and lightning are different words. Lightning is the one you want.

Oh, it's Wikipedia and lo and behold.

 

[TheKub]

Originally posted by: mugs

Oh, it's Wikipedia and lo and behold.

I took a gamble on Wiki being an acceptable abbreviation, and as for the other one?

Spelling is not in my top 10 best skills, hence my initial panic when I was told that I spelled it incorrectly.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: TheKub

Originally posted by: mugs

Oh, it's Wikipedia and lo and behold.

I took a gamble on Wiki being an acceptable abbreviation, and as for the other one?

Spelling is not in my top 10 best skills, hence my initial panic when I was told that I spelled it incorrectly.

"Wiki" is accepted by most, but it really seems to put a bug up mugs' arse when people use it

 

[GagHalfrunt]

The stuff that comes from the sky is lightning, period. There is no e and there is no choice in the matter like gray/grey. Only the one spelling is correct.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Why did you Google it? You'll just get loads of hits with it used in different contexts, and half of them will be misspelled. Just hit a dictionary website.

 

[clamum]

Punch the manager in the head (unless of course he's refering to the act of making something brighter, not the thunderstorm stuff).

 

[LTC8K6]

F150 Lightning. Not F150 Lightening.

 

[TheKub]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper
Why did you Google it? You'll just get loads of hits with it used in different contexts, and half of them will be misspelled. Just hit a dictionary website.

Because 9 times out of 10 it will correct it with "did you mean". That and it is pretty easy to spot websites that are not that credible. Besides to get to dictionary.com I had to open my browser that starts at Google.