Seriously, I cannot type "ratio" without consciously spelling it out in my head, R-A-T-I-O, as I type. Otherwise my fingers add an "n" and make it "ration" EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I do the same thing! And I work in video post-production, where the term "aspect ratio" comes up a LOT. You'd think I'd eventually learn.

And I work in video post-production, where the term "aspect ratio" comes up a LOT. You'd think I'd eventually learn.

I'm a medical editor -- there are all kinds of lab test ratios! My fingers NEVER learn!

Totally unrelatedly (this makes the second time I've done that in the last 5 minutes), it is the CUTEST thing in the world when the dog is sleeping...and starts wagging his tail! I hope he got some dream bacon.

At least "ration" and "taunt" are real words. When I'm typing "reference" I have to go super slow or I add extra -er's. And when I'm handwriting "both", I add an e at the end fully one quarter of the time. No clue why on that one - unless my brain just autopilots to "the".

But just as I believe you would be mortified to publish an errant "ration", I'm certain Seanan would be horrified by that "taunt". Because, as you stated earlier, Words Mean Things. (And believing that does not make you pedantic or anal-retentive. Dammit.)

Ratio is nearly impossible to type.

And every time I typed "funeral" above, I typed "funder" the first time. Stupid job.

My fingers do lots of shit even though my brain knows better. Especially annoying: adding an s to the end of a singular word. I have to spend as much time proofing as editing.

But just as I believe you would be mortified to publish an errant "ration", I'm certain Seanan would be horrified by that "taunt". Because, as you stated earlier, Words Mean Things.

There are very few published books out there without a typo somewhere. Each manuscript goes through so many changes between when an author submits the final draft and when it's printed, and it's not always the author's fault.

That said, Sox told me the greatest secret about proofreading -- do it backward. That way your eye can't skim over what it assumes will be there.

I type horribly, especially on text message. I also type my name instead of the word "name" a lot. And I was horrible with "alot" until the Allie Brosh comic.

I think everyone from the old posting boards and TT can confirm that I almost never type "the" correctly.

This may also be the time for me to tell you, once again, about my most hated word-- ministrations. The taut/taunt thing reminded me!

When I was in college, the school accepted one woman for every three men, a practice referred to as the "sex ratio." The practice was under heated attack, so we wrote about it frequently in the newspaper. It required constant vigilance to not print stories about people protesting the sex ration.