You can't really blame then Blackburn footballer David Bentley for not noticing that his name was actually spelt as 'Betnley' on the back of his shirt in a match against Manchester United in 2007. After all, what man spends time admiring his own rear view in the mirror? (Actually don't answer that.) It was all rather embarrassing for David, though the winger - now plying his trade with Tottenham Hotspur - had the last laugh, celebrating his goal in the subsequent match by pointing at his now correctly-spelt monicker and yelling at the crowd, "That's my name, that's my name." The fact remains though that someone among the Blackburn back room staff appears to have an issue with arranging letters in the right order. Which makes it rather unsurprising that Georgian defender Zurab Khizanishvli finds it hard to break into the team.
Spelling matters
Charles Trywhitt, Charles Tyritt, Charles Thwaite, Charles Tyrett, Twhitt, Thyrwitt, Trywitt, Twryitt, Tyrwit, Tyrrwhitt... oh whatever. Yes, here at Charles Tyrwhitt we know a bit about misspelling. We also know that arranging letters in the right order is important, as these three found out
- Serious spelling
- It's not a larfing matter. Or rather, a laughing matter. Misspelling can cost you your job - before you even get it
IrritatingA survey conducted by recruitment agency Select in July 2008 found that 54 per cent of employers found misspelt words in CVs to be their biggest irritation. "At this stage an employer's opinion of a candidate is solely reliant on the information presented," says Debbie Joseph, executive manager at Select. "Spelling mistakes are an obvious and re-occurring gripe."- From the horse's mouth"If I come across a CV with a spelling mistake in it I chuck it straight in the bin," says HR manager Christopher Johnson. "It's not that you necessarily need to be able to spell correctly as part of the job, but that not bothering to check a CV before sending it out just smacks of laziness and a lack of attention to detail. Given that you can always use the spellcheck when you create a document on a computer, there really is no excuse."
- David 'Betnley'
- 'Odessy' and Oracle
By the time British rock band The Zombies - they of She's Not There fame - recorded their final LP in 1968 they'd begun to be affected by the bright rays of the Summer of Love. Psychedelia had crept into their sound and they wanted an album title and cover to reflect that. They came up with the name Odyssey and Oracle and envisaged artwork of lurid colours and twisted shapes. Conveniently the flatmate of bassist Chris White, a designer by the name of Terry Quirk, was a dab hand at such things. Less conveniently he couldn't spell, hence why the album goes by the name of Odessy and Oracle.
- Dan Quayle and the humble 'potatoe'
Former American vice president Dan Quayle was known for many things - well, gaffes mainly - but he exceeded even himself in 1992 while engaging in a photo opportunity at a school in Trenton, New York. Quayle oversaw a spelling game and invited 12-year-old William Figueroa to write the word 'potato' on the blackboard. Little William did exactly that to warm applause. But someone wasn't happy. "You're close, but you left a little something off," said Quayle. "The 'e' at the end." Reluctantly, William added the rogue vowel. A media storm ensued, propelling William to stardom. "He needs to study more," he said of Quayle on David Letterman's chat show. "Don't you have to go to college to be vice president?"
