Oops! Let’s keep it that way

You only say "OK" because of a joke from the 1800s

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Some words we use daily weren’t born from deliberate invention—they were flukes and accidents. All kinds of typos, mishearings, and bungled translations gave rise to many terms that stuck until today. Find out which 10 words exist only because someone made a mistake—and didn’t fix it.

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In 1791, Richard Daly made a bet that he could create a word in 48 hours. He spread "quiz" through graffiti across town, and soon everyone was talking about the mysterious word.

Initially, it meant an odd fellow or joker before evolving into its modern meaning. Not all etymologists agree with this origin story, but there aren’t many contenders either.

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Nylon’s name came from an attempt to call it "No-Run" (suggesting stockings wouldn’t tear), but DuPont couldn’t trademark common words, so they tweaked the letters.

Today, it’s one of the most common synthetic fibers in the world.

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The canned meat got its name from a random suggestion during a brainstorming session, possibly short for "spiced ham."

While its origins are a bit fuzzy, the name stuck. Ironically, it later became slang for unwanted email, thanks to a Monty Python skit.

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Newspapers in Boston and New York loved jokey abbreviations. "OK" was one of them, perhaps stemming from a joke misspelling of "all correct" as "oll korrect," a humorous fad in the 1830s.

The word became so popular that it entered multiple languages as a global signal of agreement or approval.

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The term "cab" for a taxi came from "cabriolet," a French word for a light horse-drawn carriage, shortened by English speakers who mispronounced it.

By the time motorized taxis arrived, "cab" was already shorthand for a vehicle-for-hire. The name stuck even though the original meaning faded.

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"Dandelion" comes from French **dent de lion**—"lion’s tooth"—but the word was altered in English over time.

As it passed from Old French to Middle English, pronunciation shifted and spelling changed.

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Ironically, "gunk" was originally a brand name for a degreasing product, but people used it generically, and the definition morphed over time.

By the mid-20th century, "gunk" meant any unpleasant mess—one of many cases of a brand losing its name to everyday language.

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"Robot" entered English via a 1920 Czech play, where the word robota meant forced labor.

The play itself was a critique of mechanization and the ways it can dehumanize people, but the word stuck as a shorthand for any kind of mechanical being.

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"Galore" came from the Gaelic expression go leor, meaning "plenty," but was misread as a single English word.

It entered English in the 17th century via Irish immigrants. Rather than translate it, writers took the phrase at face value.

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"Groom" once meant a boy or servant. Its evolution to mean "bridegroom" was a confusion of roles and job titles in Middle English.

While its roots are related to the Old English word guma (meaning "man"), over time, the term narrowed to describe a man who is getting married.

Do you use any of these often?

Do you know how to spell these ridiculously difficult spelling bee words?

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As great as it is, the English language can be tricky. If all of its words were easy to spell, there would be no spelling bee contests. But they do exist. The downside of having words for almost everything is that the level of complexity usually grows as the word becomes more specific. Take a look at the following 12. Do you use any of these?

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This tricky word means "indigenous" or "native" and often trips people up. Its Greek origin, length, and three "th" sounds make it a tough one in spelling bees.

A good idea for children looking to master complicated words is to get familiar with Greek-derived words and their patterns, such as "auto," meaning self.

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A tricky medical term used to define a drug replacement, this word throws spellers off with its double "c" and odd suffix. Remembering the root "succeed" can help with the start.

As not all double letters are pronounced differently from single ones, this is one of the biggest challenges anyone at a spelling bee contest faces.

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"Cymotrichous" is a rare word that means wavy-haired and comes from the Greek language.

The spelling bee aficionado should remember that the first part, "cymo", means wave, and the second part, "trichous," means hair.

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This incredibly complicated word, one of the longest in the English language, means describing something as worthless. It often stumps spellers with its length and complexity.

To tackle it successfully, break it into smaller parts and take it syllable by syllable.

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This long word refers to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Its Greek roots and length make it tough to spell.

A spelling aficionado should break it into parts like "oto," "rhino," "laryngo," and "logist" to make it easier.

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This word describes a musical term. It is a sixty-fourth note and is tough due to its length and structure.

To make it easier on themselves, spelling bee contestants should break it into parts: "hemi," "demi," and "semi."

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Asceticism means avoiding indulgences or temptations, often for religious reasons. It’s about living simply and with discipline.

While not as long as some of the previous examples, this word can be tricky due to the "sc" at the start and the use of "s" and "c" within different syllables of the word.

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Crustaceology is the study of crustaceans like crabs and shrimp. It’s a branch of marine biology.

As with many of the examples above, the spelling difficulty of this word is given by the fact that it is very seldom used, unless you are a specialist in the matter.

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The word hydrophyte refers to a plant that grows in or on water. These plants thrive in aquatic environments.

The complexity of its spelling lies in the two "y" and two "h" letters, which should be placed correctly by the spellers.

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This word is used to describe the specific items needed for an activity. It’s often misspelled because of how people pronounce it.

This common mistake happens when it is pronounced "para-fa-NEEL-ia," dropping the second "r" and changing the vowel sounds. Spellers should pay attention to this to avoid the same mistake.

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This word can refer either to a county in England or a tangy sauce made with vinegar, sugar, and spices.

It’s tricky because it’s pronounced "wu-stur-shr," which doesn’t really match its long spelling. Anyone attempting to spell it correctly should pay attention to its complex lettering.

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This ridiculously complex word is an apt closer to our list, since it describes the fear of long words. And, while probably no spelling bee contestant has this kind of fear, he or she would probably have a hard time spelling this one.

This word has 36 letters in total. Among them, 6 "p", 7 "o", and 2 "h". How’s that for a spelling bee word?