Blame spellcheck

There’s a breakthrough in the definitely vs. defiantly spelling problem: Word corrects “definately” as “definitely” but changes “definatly” to “defiantly.” Oh dear. People intend to say “definitely,” Word makes it “defiantly” and they carefully learn this “correct” spelling, not realizing it’s a completely different word.

Defiantly or definitely? Definately?

Which is correct? “Thanks to all who ensured that the cloud migration went smoothly. There will _______ be a little something extra in your pay envelopes this week,” the manager announced. a. definitely b. defiantly c. definately

Continued »

Just breath — or should that be “just breathe”?

Which is correct? The CEO thought he could ______ easily once the antivirus software was updated but unfortunately he wasn’t protected against  social engineering tactics. a. breath b. breathe

Continued »

Nip it in the butt or in the bud?

Which is correct?

At the C-level management meeting, the CEO said that he knew there was a rumor starting to circulate about positions being outsourced offshore and he wanted to nip it in the ____.
a. butt
b. bud

Continued »

Express / expressed

Which is correct? The copyright declaration stipulated that no part of the website was to be copied without __________ written permission. a. express b. expressed

Continued »

Is the Singularity a hypothetical event — or a theoretical one?

Which is correct?
The Singularity is a __________ future point when technology will have advanced beyond our ability to foresee or control its outcomes and the world transformed beyond recognition by the application of superintelligence to humans and/or human problems.
a. theoretical
b. hypothetical
Continued »

Watson on Jeopardy! is a historic event — or is it historical?

Which is correct?
I’m watching Watson, an IBM supercomputer, face off against top-ranked human players on Jeopardy! This is a ________ event.
a. historic
b. historical

Continued »

If you’ve got more than one of them, are they computer mice or mouses?

Which is correct?
The office only provided four ______ for the six laptops because they assumed at least a couple of users would be happy with the touchpads.
a. mice
b. mouses
c. mouse

Continued »

Did gummy bears breach security or breech it?

Which is correct?
When schools implemented fingerprint scanners for sign-ins, media reported that students could exploit gummy bears to ______ system security.
a. breach
b. breech

Continued »

Arcane or archaic?

Which is correct?
It will still be years before electronic health records replace the ________ paper-based system.
a. arcane
b. archaic

Continued »