The Cost of a Typo

I’m sitting across the table from one of my strongest performers. He’s a talented software developer who can write code like few people I know. But there is a problem.

The kid can’t spell to save his life.

Whether it was a one paragraph e-mail or a voluminous requirements document, you could count on typos if it had his name as the author.

I talked to this otherwise strong performer about his spelling problem. He discounted it at first as an issue that is no longer relevant, particularly in the age of e-mail and instant messaging.

I’m not insensitive to the argument. A friend who is a high school English teacher recently told me she is getting papers submitted where the word “you” is spelled “u.”

But I don’t buy the excuse. What comes to mind when you sea a typo?

Certainly plenty of people may not even notice a single typo (did you catch the one I purposely put in this posting?).

Yet others will see it as a sign of laziness. In some cases the writer may be perceived to be less intelligent. It can even come off as disrespect and cost you money (not to mention getting your name published in the New York Times)!

Here are my recommendations on how to mitigate the risk of typos:

• Take a couple extra minutes to review your communication before sending or publishing it. Your spell checker won’t catch everything, but it can get the easy ones.
• Beyond spelling, ask “How can this be misunderstood?” A simple re-wording of a sentence might make the difference between someone understanding your message or generating additional questions.
• Get a copy of Patricia O’Conner’s book Woe Is I. It is a handy reference to keep near your desk when you’re trying to remember if the word is “affect” or “effect.” Plus it’s just a really entertaining book to thumb through when you have a couple minutes to burn.
• Consider having someone else review your communication. On a practical basis this might be reserved for those situations where the stakes are higher. Multiple people sift through every word of my manuscripts before my books are published, and even then I have found a stray problem or two.

When you’re looking for extra eyes on your communication, consider turning to my colleague Leila Kalmbach of Eye for Ink Editorial Services. From copyediting to proofreading, Leila specializes in making us all look brilliant. Contact Leila to subscribe to her Typo of the Month newsletter!