An educational campaign group is carrying out an online survey in association with HoldtheFrontPage to find out whether journalists’ spelling has got better or worse over the past decade.

The Spelling Society has compiled a spelling test of ten everyday words and now wants HTFP readers to see how they fare.

There will be a prize draw for entrants with a £50 Amazon voucher on offer to the winner.

To take part in the survey, follow this link.

The Spelling Society is an educational reformist group which campaigns for awareness of the problems inherent in our current spelling system – something which costs businesses millions each year in retraining.

Together with opinion pollster MORI, it has already carried out surveys among the general UK population which showed that people in the North East were the worst spellers in the UK, and that men fared worse than women overall.

Vikki Rimmer from The Spelling Society said: “The Society is keen to test the media on their spelling and survey their views on whether respondents believe spelling is better or worse now than it was ten years ago.

“The Society is particularly interested in whether those who work in the media, writing our news on a daily basis, would support an update of the current system which hasn’t been reformed for over 400 years.”

Overall, 53pc of people in the UK-wide survey had problems with the test and not one person out of the 1,000 surveyed got all ten words right.

Added Vikki: “No one as yet has gained a 100pc pass rate with the spelling test. Is this because our Mother Tongue is a bit of a beast to learn?”

Comments

Boudicca (08/03/2010 10:06:00)
Why is The Spelling Society referred to in the plural when it is a singlar society?

hilary jones (08/03/2010 11:13:05)
Plural or singular for collective nouns is a matter of house style, I believe – but it MUST be consistent. The story above is, but the survey isn’t!

bubbles (09/03/2010 14:33:30)
I got all the words correct!!

‘pedant’s revolt’ (09/03/2010 15:19:03)
That not one person in 1,000 could spell all the words correctly – words which myself and averagely intelligent, fellow baby boomers would have eaten for breakfast in primary school spelling tests (with or without multiple choice) – is a savage indictment of the current lack of standards.

Chris Youett (11/03/2010 17:00:14)
Greast idea – but there is no such thing as a correct way to spell. This is enshrined in the 1888 Interpretation Act – and is also why exam boards can deduct marks from candidates with alleged poor spelling.
I wish there was a single national dictionary as it could easily be programmed into all PCs and would end the tons of hot air generated by “experts” who went to minor fee-paying schools on this subject.
What is very important is for journalists to follow the house style of their employer.