Typos - one of the banes of my digital existence. Yes... they really, really bother me. Despite my focused efforts to avoid them, there is a very real possibility that I will click "Post" in a few minutes and publish this blog with some nasty little typos slipping through my dragnet. And, that may happen despite my proofreading and making a very focused effort to get rid of those little glitches in the word-and-sentence-Matrix.
If you want to know how much they really bother me, suggested symbolism might be dumping a cup of vinegar into a cup of milk. I've been known to have the psychological equivalent of that reaction when submitting tweets with misspellings, left out words, or forgotten links, etc. I'll either redact with a quick follow up tweet, tagging it with #typo, OR [when I'm quick enough on the draw] I'll delete and re-tweet it with the corrections.
Now, there is much to be said about the mechanics of typos. I'm not an expert so I'm going to avoid the physics of fingers hitting the keyboard and leave that part up to geeks in the hardware labs. I do sometimes think my fingers have a brain of their own that are arrogant enough to believe they can read *my* mind and do a reasonable but imperfect job of it!
I'm going to propose a couple of assumptions:
1. You care whether or not you make a typo. You would correct one if you noticed it.
2. You know the correct spelling of the words you use. Sometimes we don't. Think big words, typing in another language, or one of those wow moments when you realize you've been misspelling a word incorrectly for years.
Unfortunately, I see alarmingly low rates of literacy and disdain for language - the most valuable tool available to mankind. However, I'm talking to YOU right now. Those people will not be reading this post.
I want to focus my attention on why typos happen. I do not believe they happen at the moment they are typed! They actually happen at the moment you hit "Enter" or "Post" and transmit your ideas, big or small.
If you know how to spell the words you've used, typos happen because of a failed proofreading process. And that is often a direct result of brain trickery. Our brain may be less OCD in some parts of it than we may think. It'll accept the typos if it gets the idea. It's not a stickler for spelling at all.
Take a look at the attached image. Most of you reading this post will be able to read it, despite it being written in non-existent English words. You've seen these little brain teasers online, and may have even been a little impressed or surprised the first time you tried it. They are related to the reason many of us make typos.
As we write or proofread, our smarty pants brains are way more interested in our ideas than whether or not we've spelled things correctly! If our brain knows what you meant to say as it visually processes each word, it wouldn't bother to alert us about the mistake (sometimes). This experience may be more prolific for some of us, myself included.
I can often proof something I've written 3-4 times and still wind up finding (what should be) obvious typos 72 hours later if I happen to read it again. Those days later when I read my own work, I'm reading it more as another reader and not the author. I begin to notice the mistakes that my brain was not interested in when I was first brainstorming and formulating my ideas.
And that I propose, for people of average intelligence and above, is the root of those typos that make it through the dragnet.
Other than multiple proofreads of each thing I write, the only other method I have found that helps reduce my rate of typos is to read in robotic voice. I have to read each sentence and work very carefully, and not in a natural reading cadence. When I go into that mode of reading, I am then able to see the typos that my brain might otherwise accept without red flagging them for me. Since I don't have an actual proofreader for most of my work these days, robotic voice becomes one of my top tools to help avoid spoiling the ideas I share with disruptive little typos. Try it.
tl;dr I don't like typos. The brain tricks you into missing them during proofreading. Use robotic voice.
Shout out to Ace Shattock (@AceSNZ) who used to have an absolute hawk eye for my fumbling during our time working together on the vBSEO Team. He used to wipe out typos like he was playing Atari Galaga on cheat mode! Total annihilation.
Brain Trickery: Why Typos Happen and How to Avoid Them!
Jan 27 2012 17:27
by Ace Shattock
Topics: 2
Replies: 6
OK Joe, that looks pretty good.. (damn, I tried so hard to find one too). 
I believe the phenomenon stems from the fact that our brains are wired to NOT take in every little bit of minutia, otherwise we would go crazy.
It's like how, when you drive to work every day, you are peripherally aware which shops you are passing, without REALLY looking at them. If you were processing all that new info, your brain would be overworked.
So when we are powering through a thought, trying to put it down on paper/screen, we bypass some of the checks and balances, and the typos slip through.
The point about having a proofreader is mighty valid. When I need any of my work QA'd, I get a colleague to read it through. Of course, in my case, it generally comes back sans corrections, but you get my drift.
I believe the phenomenon stems from the fact that our brains are wired to NOT take in every little bit of minutia, otherwise we would go crazy.
It's like how, when you drive to work every day, you are peripherally aware which shops you are passing, without REALLY looking at them. If you were processing all that new info, your brain would be overworked.
So when we are powering through a thought, trying to put it down on paper/screen, we bypass some of the checks and balances, and the typos slip through.
The point about having a proofreader is mighty valid. When I need any of my work QA'd, I get a colleague to read it through. Of course, in my case, it generally comes back sans corrections, but you get my drift.
Admin
Topics: 130
Replies: 412
I expect the typos when I'm writing anything the first time through. What really irks me is when I proofread and still miss them. And, I'll admit, I proofread everything right on down to tweets!
The one you noticed on Facebook is a great example:
My brain is always more than willing to excuse the missing "a" even when I'm proofreading. I *really* do robotic reading to try to correct for this, but when I'm moving quickly and dare to just post... stuff like this has a habit of slipping through.
I'm glad my brain knows what I meant! =)
On the other hand, although I know what I intended, there are times when something that's missing or incorrect could subtly (or even greatly) distort the meaning of the text. That's happened occasionally... but can also happen sans typos when I don't carefully consider what every word might mean to someone else.
We can never have an identical set of experience and perspective, so the same set of words (even when simple) can mean something very different depending on the reader/observer.
A great book on the topic that opened my eyes to the concept is: Are Your Lights On?
I recommend that book to everyone, even those who don't do much writing, because it's really an enlighted way to think about every form of communication... and an even better way to understand how miscommunication occurs. =)
The one you noticed on Facebook is a great example:
he's sharp business guy
My brain is always more than willing to excuse the missing "a" even when I'm proofreading. I *really* do robotic reading to try to correct for this, but when I'm moving quickly and dare to just post... stuff like this has a habit of slipping through.
I'm glad my brain knows what I meant! =)
On the other hand, although I know what I intended, there are times when something that's missing or incorrect could subtly (or even greatly) distort the meaning of the text. That's happened occasionally... but can also happen sans typos when I don't carefully consider what every word might mean to someone else.
We can never have an identical set of experience and perspective, so the same set of words (even when simple) can mean something very different depending on the reader/observer.
A great book on the topic that opened my eyes to the concept is: Are Your Lights On?
I recommend that book to everyone, even those who don't do much writing, because it's really an enlighted way to think about every form of communication... and an even better way to understand how miscommunication occurs. =)
Admin
Topics: 130
Replies: 412
Did you know, while stepping onto the moon, Neil Armstrong intended to say:
That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.He left out the "a" and didn't realize it. In fact, he was certain that he hadn't left it out, and did his best to prove otherwise.
