Can you read this?

Isn’t it amazing how the brain can decode the phonetics and ferret out the intended meaning almost instantly? Why then should spelling matter as long as the reader knows what you mean? The texting generations in your workplace may well be asking this question.

This issue was debated on social media earlier in August when the Jeopardy game show folks denied the Final Jeopardy round win to an eighth-grade contestant because he threw in an extra letter: “Emanciptation

Proclamation.

Host Alex Trebek knew what the word was meant to be and pronounced it correctly. Then the judges cited the

spelling error and disqualified the answer. That decision accords with Jeopardy’s branding: It’s a show about

correct answers answers that are correct on every level. High-brow viewers appreciate the strict high standard Jeopardy stands for. And therein lies the answer to the question about spelling:

Article submitted by Summer Turner with Business Writing Breakthrough LLC, “A full-service consultant when workplace writing excellence is a must!

Spelling matters if your customers or clients expect correct spelling.

Your candy-buying customers won’t mind if you call your store Kandy Korner. However, in your law practice, a client might look askance at a legally binding document that spells out the terms for “joynt kustudy.

I remember for years seeing a large painted sign on the side of an old building in my hometown of St. Petersburg:

Spelling, grammar yikes! But when you need a plumber, do you care about his academic performance in those subjects? Sometimes the first impression your coursework help service customers get is through your written communication. If your company stands for “high-quality products, but your spelling is, shall we say, unconventional, then those potential customers can’t help but wonder how excellent your products really are. Or you might be a genius in your area of expertise, but people won’t want to hire you if they see that you aren’t meticulous with details, such as spelling.

Yes, my brain can quickly figure out what you’re communicating to me despite your phonetical spelling, but, unfortunately for you, I just judged you. And I don’t want to hire you. Unless you’re a plumber named Frank and my “toliet clank.