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OPINION

Jeff Caplan’s Minute of News: Utah’s most misspelled word

UPDATED: JUNE 23, 2022 AT 11:25 AM
BY
Host, Jeff Caplan's Afternoon News

Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.

I’ve been around, so I feel I can truthfully say that Utahns have more state pride than anywhere else. Except Texas. But Texas pride is an in-your-face kind of boastful proud that says “we’re great, you suck.”

Utahns? They’re just as proud, with a difference I call humble confidence. We have the mountains, the fry sauce, and we apparently spell better than the rest of the country.

Google Trends just released the list of words most misspelled in each state. They basically compiled a list of every time somebody Googled “how do you spell (fill in the blank).”

And they’re not words like antidisestablishmentarianism. Or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Seriously, they’re words like tomato and sorry, and little. Really?

At least the word most misspelled by Utahns is a difficult word with French origin. It comes up every prom season, and every time there’s a wedding. Can you guess?

While you wrack your brain, consider this. Down in Texas, home of the new National Spelling Bee Champion — Texas, where they think everybody else sucks — according to Google, the word they misspell the most is normal.

Is that a hard word? For comparison purposes, Colorado stumbles on the word choice. Wyoming can’t spell autumn. Nevada chokes on the word seizure.

But in Utah? We stumble on the word boutonniere.

It’s harder. We’re smarter.

But be humble about it. The way Texas behaves, it’s not — normal.

N-O-R-M-A-L. Duh.

At least when Utahns trip it’s on a word that’s almost impossible. Boutonniere.

Did I spell that right?

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Listen to Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News every weekday from 3 to 7 p.m. for more of his “My Minute of News.” And check out the podcast below.