Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Today, I tried to spell fluctuate as "fluxuate."

Mark's home!

I bought a TV guide this week because I didn't try to buy a paper until late on Sunday and of course all the papers were gone because everyone bought one for the Oscars coverage and predictions etc. It felt weird to buy a TV guide.

Also, today I actually enjoyed driving to and from work. It was raining. In other parts of the county it was snowing. None of my students had heard of Sinatra's "Lady is a Tramp," but they did appreciate my explanation of the line "hate California, it's cold and it's damp." But I had to explain the word "tramp" and also the positive connotation of "lady" first.

194 comments:

jkjhkjhkj said...

What a weird page to land upon as I typed "fluxuate" into google to get a spelling suggestion because MS Word wouldn't give me a damned result.

Hahaha, even though it's a year old it still brought me a laugh!

justushanna.net

Anonymous said...

The reason you cannot pull anything in MS word or anywhere else for "fluxuate" is because it is spelled "FLUCTUATE"

K. Lorraine Graham said...

Mmm, there must be a lot of people misspelling this word and then typing it into google. Why not try using an actual dictionary?

Anonymous said...

Apparently I can't spell either.

Anonymous said...

Wow. What a co-inky-dink. I ended up here because of the same reason. "Fluxuate" should be a real word because of the word's root (flex).

Unknown said...

"Why not try using an actual dictionary?"

because google-ing it saves me valuable time. Its all about efficiency. (I too am here because of fluxuate...)Which brings me to an interesting thought... what if you created a site full off common mispellings and slapped that baby full of adsense... could you make money? hmm....

FreckleMisterr said...

"fluxuate" seems to be a common mistake. give us a break. im here because of that damn word as well.

Oh and my deepest gratitude to "Anonymous" for giving me the correct spelling :)

In answer to the question "Why not try using an actual dictionary" is that when on a computer it is simply faster to just type it into google and let him check it for you. we might not know how to spell, but were no fools on the efficiency front :) lol

K. Lorraine Graham said...

This post is rapidly becoming the top landing page for my blog.

Thanks for all of your comments--but, honestly, is it really that efficient to type a misspelled word into google? You did that with "fluxuate" and it sent you here, to a poetry and culture blog...where you have to rely on the spelling suggestion of another random person.

So, again, I say unto you, dear readers, the dictionary is actually quite efficient. There are even, gasp, dictionary sites on the web...

AmyD said...

You can't use a dictionary to look up "fluctuate" if you think it starts with "flux."

Google takes initiative and prods you to the right place, while a dictionary just sits there smiling as it waits for you to use it correctly.

Anonymous said...

It's kind of amusing to find a crossroad of the web where everyone winds up here because they misspell 'fluxuate'. Almost...poetic... in its way, and an appropriate way to wind up here.

Weighing in on the google thing; if I have a half-assed idea of how to spell something the dictionary works fine, and 90 percent of the time I'll just type a word into Word and get the spelling correction, but for those of us who spell 'aurally' and we've wandered so far off base that the dictionary is about as usefull as asking directions on a back country road and getting an answer like "well, if you five miles back to where the old Johnson place used to be..." -google works great with it's handy, 'did you mean...'

and then you wind up here which seems like a very nice blog.

Anonymous said...

I am one those wander who end up in this blog while searching "fluxuate" . i think google has really something for this blog and people most of the time don't realise "fluxtate" is a wrong usage( i am one of them but not any more) .

Anonymous said...

You have to love the internets and the google. I landed here just like everyone else. I blame the teachers/parents/word/bill gates.

Anonymous said...

Wow, you must get so many hits on your blog from this. At least the name is concise so we realise
'Oh, right. I'm an idiot.'
Which was a tad embarrassing for an advanced english student... it's quite strange actually, there being no reference between flux and fluctuate in the dictionary (which I checked first) considering it must be the root word and then the fact that it was changed from x to ct when it was verb-i-fied...

Anonymous said...

Couldn't believe I was mispelling fluxuate..... I broke it down... flux - u - ate..... I am a simple guy and it all added up to me. That is until I googled it (for efficiency since the google search is on my toolbar, and I do not have to drop down the dictionary link from my favorites...)

Lorraine, did you think you would have a long running blog over a misspelled word??

Mrs. Stasi said...

I had to chime in, as an English teacher who also found this blog trying to spell "fluxuate".

Anonymous said...

haha also typed fluxuate. couldn't figure out why MS word wouldnt give me a correct spelling. lol good laughs.

Anonymous said...

Ok so I'm not another google spell checker looking for 'Fluxuate' and finding this web page. I really wonder how many hits this page gets from folks looking for that spelling and don't leave comments? Everyone should at least say hi!!! :0)

Hi!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm a bad speller too and couldnt get a hit in WORD for fuxuat either! LOL Too funny

Anonymous said...

For sure!!!

Anonymous said...

One more for fluxuate! Word Perfect was stumpted, so like oh-so many before me, I looked to goole to clue me in.

How funny is this?

Unknown said...

i'm here for the exact same reason hahah

Unknown said...

Wow, I'm not the only one. I don't feel like such a jackass now :P

Anonymous said...

+1, glad this was here :)

Unknown said...

Why not use a dictionary??

Because I would be nowhere near the FUC's...

Id be in the FUX's

+1

Anonymous said...

Wow. Now can you add me to the list of "fluxuate" mis-spellers. Shoot!! And I was so convinced that I was right.

Anonymous said...

I ended up here because i tried to get a defintion of fluxuate but i guess its flucuate

Anonymous said...

hahaha there's a whole clan of us who can't spell the damn word right!

claredickerson said...

(to the original post, not the comments on it):

the *exact* same situation just happened to me!

word.

Anonymous said...

Add me to the list of 'fluxuate' people...I think I grew up watching too much Star Trek (like the episode 'State of Flux') and Back to the Future (flux capacitor). It seems like the word may be mutating from its correct definition to that of a slang definition that means something like fluctuation, change or turmoil. I don't have a slang dictionary so it might even be there... anyway maybe a Microsoft guy will see this and update Word...or a dictionary guy...ha my word verifiction is 'preti'...see there are so many word jumbles nowadays our mental lexicons are being bombarded with obfuscations!

Anonymous said...

Ha, same here. MS word kept giving me random stuff, so I googled fluxuate, and came to here.

Anonymous said...

I am the 'speller' in my family & was mildly surprised to find there is no 'x' in fluctuate. Just goes to show how we've come to murder the punctuation of words in our language.
Never would have found it in the dictionary...didn't have all day to go through the f's.
What a neat blog. Add me to the list. !

Anonymous said...

First, cudos to the first anonymous for giving the correct spelling of fluxuate :)

Second, as for Google spell check efficiently, usually it better than having to find dictionary or the dictionary site. At least until it landed me here and I spent 5-10 minutes reading though the other experiences like my own. It was a nice diversion though.

Pretty funny coincidence!

ps. I'm the 35 year old son of a school teacher and grandson of a college professor and still can't spell my way out of a paper bag. Spell check is my favorite computer feature by far.

Anonymous said...

felt convicted to at least say "Hi".... I think if a majority of people spell something incorrectly, it should become the "correct" spelling, kinda like adding slang to a dictionary. I also think "night" should be spelled "nite"....

Anonymous said...

Christina adds....
Finishing my MBA leaves a wide margin for improvement :D

Anonymous said...

So Glad I spelled it and saw it happen here...Friday I am scheduled to give a big presentation on Solar Energy and the insulation in provides against the fluxuation ;-) of Oil prices...
Better here than there...
Nice Blog site..

Anonymous said...

WOW! How funny is this. We all couldn't spell the same word and all had the same way to solve our problem. What a great example of an on-line community.

Very cool.

Yours in bad spelling,

Anonymous said...

Hi all! Add me to the list of frustrated "flux"uators:) I just realized how I probably have never had to type(or write)this damn word. It had me stumped, although I did type the correct spelling first, and then thought better of it:) It is hilarious how long this blog has continued. Happy spelling & Thanksgiving...M~

Anonymous said...

Same. Fluxuate<>Fluctuate.

Anonymous said...

This is great, it is the only page I found that shows fluxuate to actually be FLUCTUATE!

Anonymous said...

I am yet ANOTHER fluxuate seeker.. fluctuate or fluxuate.. me also being a child of star wars and back to the future, i tend to lean towards spelling it as fluxuate and only decided to google to win a bet. after reading all this i was still unclear as to which spelling form it should take. so i wikipedia'd it, and guess what, it does not recognise either spelling. great stuff!

Jonah said...

The root of Fluctuate is FLUMEN, Latin for river.

Anonymous said...

Add me to your list. I tried flexuate in Word (which I think would be a really neat yoga word) but it didn't help. Googled and here I am, too.

Anonymous said...

For all you wise crackers suggesting use of a dictionary to spell a word...Don't you need to know HOW to spell a word to look it up? Think of something a bit more original. Especially when posting somewhere where apparently everyone finds the spot BECAUSE they were spelling the word incorrectly

Anonymous said...

woah, I'm here for the same reason. fluxate.

Anonymous said...

We should contact the folks at Oxford English Dictionary and tell them to add an alternative spelling. I like our's better. Fluxuate.

Anonymous said...

Someone should send this link to Oxford English Dictionary. They can add an alternative spelling. I like our's better. Fluxuate.

I would have never became a lawyer without spellchecker.

Anonymous said...

I am here like everyone else and could not help but be amused at the comments. A nice break from dissertation writing.

A dissertation has been spared in this case!

I tried the dictionary and came up with nothing, since I obviously, at this late stage in my life and education, did not know how to spell fluxuate!

Thank you...to everyone else for helping me not feel alone in this matter.

Anonymous said...

Looks like I am next in line for having the inability to spell the grand word that is: fluctuate. At least this gave me a laugh as I plod through my paper.

Yes, I have a dictionary on my shelf. In all fairness it is a French/English dictionary and that certainly was not going to help my cause.

So much for hooked on phonics.

Johann

Anonymous said...

Just like the rest of you another fish caught on this hook of mis spelling fortune i end up here because of FLUXUATE. i really think we should get it in the dictionary. we can do this if we get the word advertised enough lol. they added stupid stuff like va va voom and suckin-diesel into it so why not the fluxuate :D
also i think a diciontary controdicts it self. what happens if your like me and just carnt spell . you pic a dictionary up and you know it starts with F and sounds like FLUX YOU ATE so you start looking for it but nothing is found :( then after many countless hours of searching you find it. but after all this its 2am and your eyes are opened onley by match sticks and your basciley asleep. but best of it is your 200000 word essay is titeled the fluxuation of the ftse 100 over the last 10 years. your totally boogered now as you spent your hole night looking for how to spell the titel. imagne how much time this really wastes to people who carnt spell. HENCE WHY we just google it...... took me around 20 seconds to send up here have a drink of water and look at some random stuff infront of me. so good time saving method :D also for a word google DEFINE then your word and it spells it right WITH AN ONLINE DICTIONARY.

and like chea
MR Nev

p.s i wont read this page again i guess unless i miss spell fluxuate
have fun and bye bye

Anonymous said...

What better page for bad spellers to land upon but a poetry site where people appreciate the written word and enjoy its use. Perhaps the site will rub off on the rest of us and get us spelling better?? p.s. yes I blatantly spell checked this before posting and I got here by the same route as everyone else :-)

Tristan said...

K. Lorraine Graham: The web's preeminent authority on the correct spelling of 'fluctuate' and moderator of the premier discussion forum on the topic.

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Haha, you got me! And on the same day as Tristan, no less. Thanks for the good laugh everyone; the comments are great. Why WORD can't have a decent spell-checker on its programs is beyond me (you pay enough for it), unless to catch unwary college student unawares. I'll not forget fluCTuate now!

Faye Bond

Anonymous said...

Add one more to the list - I wouldn't normally but it's fun how many of us came here for the same reason.
I can't really blame Word spell-check, though, "x" is not really intuitively related to "tc".
I will remember it, though! Thanks K!

Unknown said...

this is the best thing i've seen all day!! at first i wasn't gonna question the spelling...and yet here i am. don't know what made me come here instead of going straight to dictionary.com like i usually do but i'm glad i did : ) i will never spell fluxuate...i mean fluctuate incorrectly again!

Anonymous said...

I too was perplexed by fluxuate/fluctuate. Then finding this blog and what has resulted made my night. It's a crowning achievement for strange and wonderful community building!

Unknown said...

Fluxuate is defined as the place where all the truly intelligent people on the planet converge for a reality check. Thank the all-knowing all-powerful god-of-your-choice that only the really really intelligent people don't care to know how to spell fluctuate correctly. It's two different worlds - I mean words!

Jessica said...

Haha! Yet another "fluxuate"er. This is great. I was convinced that Word was wrong. After all, people use the term "in flux" to represent a time of fluctuation. Not "in flucts."

Oh well, now I'll never forget how to correctly spell that damn word!

Anonymous said...

Hmm... fluctuate... good to know!

Anonymous said...

This flucs

Anonymous said...

What a cool inevitable pocket of the internet...

It's like a series of people ran off a condemned ramp on the information superhighway and formed a community,

then drafted a poorly spelled constitution :)

Anonymous said...

Geeze! I too am here for simply trying to spell "fluxuate"!!

Love and Hugs to you all!!!

---Lady Yemaya

squeak said...

add me to the pile. i just googled "fluxuate" and ended up here. fwiw, google toolbar is often much faster to look up spelling than going to an online dictionary. and also you sometimes find little islands like this. :) *that's* why i use google to look up words. (i cannot spell seperate or ocasionally either ;) )

Anonymous said...

Well now, does anyone have a comment on the post? Cause I don't, chalk up another for fluxuate :( This is what happens when you go to college for science...spelling goes right out the damn window! I didn't actually realize the title until I read the rest of the post, good times.

Anonymous said...

cheers for the site; another person who couldn't spell it;

peace

Anonymous said...

I'm afraid I'm another who's wrongly spelled the word as "fluxuate"!

Melannie Levine said...

It's amazing to think that most people, in hindsight, pronounce the word fluXuate, rather than the correct way of fluCTuate. Don't get me wrong...I am one of those people!! Oops...

Has anyone noticed that most of the people who have come here, trying to figure out why Microsoft Word does not accept "fluxuate," have come here while trying to type some sort of large paper or presentation (ie: college paper, dissertation, presentation, etc)? What does that tell you about:
1.How often the word fluctuate is written? and,
2.How little the English language makes sense?

Luck!

Anonymous said...

Add another one to the list. Hope this saves my final exam.

Anonymous said...

I love this website
All of us fluxuate misspellers!
Add me to this ever growing list.
I'm in the same boat as all ya'll

Anonymous said...

Haha. Very glad I'm not the only one who can't spell this word. I'm nowhere even close to being the only one.

Glad this page existed...

Anonymous said...

In my opinion it should be a legitimate alternative spelling. I feel that we become complacent with spelling because of spell checkers, so it is good that we find a word that makes us stop and think for ourselves for a moment. Cheers

Rich said...

i also am here because of fluxuate.
i also am writing a college paper.

i actually like the 'mis-spelled' version better. maybe i will start a revolution...

Anonymous said...

I even tried the Thesaurus in MS.Word for "to change" which didn't give me what I wanted before I resorted to googling.

Anonymous said...

I ended up here writing an email to explain energy usage calculations for a cell tower site. What a nice diversion.

Hi to all my fellow "fluxuaters".

Southern Girl

Anonymous said...

Haha, I love this page. I assumed it was fluxuate too... oops. Thanks to the genius title :)

Anonymous said...

i'd vote for fluxuate over fluctuate anytime

Anonymous said...

I've throughly enjoyed stumbling on this web page. I couldn't remember how to spell "fluctuate" and Word wouldn't get me close so I resorted in trying to find it through Google. Strangely, it didn't say "Did you mean: fluctuate" but instead said "See results for: dictionary" (and 21,400 matches for "fluxuate").

Sorry to contribute to the hijacking of your blog! :) Best wishes to everyone.

Too bad "fluxuate.com" is being cyber-squatted!

earthscape said...

Another stranded browser, caught up in the "fluxuate" dilemma. I'm actually writing a long-range plan for work. Amazing, this all really is quite poetic.

Unknown said...

I guess a lot of us can't spell. I just googled "fluxuate" and landed here, too! If enough people misspell the word, might it evenshually become the accepted verzion?

Natasha said...

A better question at this point, I think, is why isn't MS Word smart enough to realize how common of a misspelling that is and fix spell check so it suggests the correct spelling?

Farfarello said...

someone should send this thread to someone's secretary at the Webster Company

Anonymous said...

+1 to the "fluxuate" list.

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

damn MS word im here cause of the same reason

Anonymous said...

This is hysterical! I pride myself on spelling and was so frustrated when I couldn't find any suggestions for "fluxuating." Who knew? I know if I use "fluctuating" in the email I'm trying to compose, the recipient will think I'm a real idiot! I love that this discussion has gone on for so long, and seemingly has no end it sight!

Anonymous said...

Why not change the word to "fluxuate?" Yes, there are so many people mistaking the spelling of this word that BY COMMON USAGE, the spelling should be changed!

Anonymous said...

i feel like a complete dumb ass. cuz i did the same thing as all you retards... haha. and

Anonymous said...

I can't beleive this post is almost a year old! It's like we're "united by fluxuate." So funny! ((((laughing))))
But at least I can spell it now.

luweeze said...

i finally turned to google after ms word and merriam webster online had no suggestions for me. i think the problem might be that the word "flux" is confusing us all.

max said...

This is HILARIOUS!!!! Can we just start a petition to spell "fluctuate" with an X??? i have spelled it that way my whole life, and thought i was a great speller. so is 'flux' not a word either? Well, it's nice to meet you all. Good luck with your further fluctuations...XOXO

Chris said...

Add another to the list. I used the root word flux to get my misspelling. Then hit google and here I am.

Anonymous said...

just another google user attempting to spell fluCtuate :) haha

Anonymous said...

ding ding ding.. google search for spelling.. lol..

Anonymous said...

This is the most incredible thing that I have ever found on the internet.

Anonymous said...

I just read this entire thread of replies... amazing.

I am also guilty of 'fluxuate,' swearing at Word, and googling the non-word.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I can't believe this has been a problem for so long! Hahahaha, I'm trying to write an english paper and couldn't spell the word either. I seem to follow chris with attempting to use "flux" as the root. Again, wow...this is amazing and actually made me smile while being miserably overloaded with homework!! =)

Good job fellow fluxuate-ers!

Anonymous said...

Wahoo! The Fluxuate-ers, I'm your newest pilgram. Thanks for making my day much brighter!

Also, if you tried to look fluxuate in the dictionary to get a result, you won't, becasue you'd be on the wrong page and jsut as flustered as before. Not only would this waste your time trying to FIND a dictionary, but also trying to find the word in the darned book!

Anonymous said...

Weird the EXACT same thing just happened to me and the first google result that came up was your blog!

Anonymous said...

Add me to the list of fluxuate spellers. Amazing how many of us can't spell.

Thanks for the correction!

Anonymous said...

haha I'm going to shoot myself for landing here :)

Anonymous said...

This is hilarious! I did the same thing! What a weird, weird world...

Anonymous said...

LOL. Thanks for the laugh. Add me to the list of "Fluxuators"

Hannah said...

Me too... my other huge spelling fury was at the word "Tenet," but I thought it was pronounced "Tenant" and had a horrible time convincing someone who had no idea what I was talking about that I wasn't crazy.

Anonymous said...

Well, me too. I felt I had to leave a comment as a member of this really bizarre 'community.' The web makes for some interesting connections.

Anonymous said...

Well. I misspelled it too.
*KILLSELF*

Randy Baker said...

Count me as one more "fluxuator" This is one more unexpected web nexus point - an great illustration of a dynamic, emergent web. I wonder if there is any way to count these nodes to find out how many there are - I have stumbled on a handful. Monetizing this would be great, but even better would be finding a way to harness and channel the underlying process that causes these thing to form and persist...

Anonymous said...

Hi! I ended up here to because of "fluxuate". What is a dictionary?

Anonymous said...

Yep... Fluxuate is why I'm here as well. Hello everyone! This is a much nicer crowd than the one I just ran into in my lame attempt tonight to figure out why "disparency" wasn't coming back as a correctly spelled word (yes, I now know that it is "disparity"...).

Thanks to the power of the Internet, none of my co-workers know that I'm a 100% total loser when it comes to spelling. What a concept!

Anonymous said...

WOOO FLUXUATE!!!!

I always hated in elementary school when teachers got mad at me when i couldn't find a word in the dictionary. IF I KNEW HOW TO SPELL I WOULDN'T NEED TO LOOK IT UP!
I love technology.

Bitemefool said...

A friend directed me to this blog by telling me to look up "flaxuate" on google.

Obviously you people have too much time on your hands to be able to take time off writing your reports/papers to post a lengthy comment. The idea of all of you congragating over a simple spelling mistake is very disturbing to the picture of society.

But hey, who am I to judge. After all, i'm sitting here just like the rest of you, wasting my time critisizing this blog and all it's participants, myself included.

Mike said...

lol, i just did the same in word, banged it into google and got this page, how funny is that? I cant believe the number of comments either!

Mike,
SpyderHosting

Anonymous said...

I too landed here looking for the correct spelling for fluxuate - and it has been going on for over a year - with English professors and everything! GREAT! LOL!!

Anonymous said...

I'll add my post to the people who found this page trying to spell fluxuate. I think MS word should supply the correct spelling, seeing as I'm obviously not the only one who thought it was an 'x' instead of a 'c'.

rossy! said...

Hate to say it, but I'm here from using Google as a spell-checker too.

Scott Rames said...

Another Fluxuate,
Spell checking with the “Google,”
Now, back to my work.

Anonymous said...

I found my way here taking the same path as most others, Word then Google to here. :) Thanks to this wonderfully amusing waste of my last twenty or so minutes I will always remember the correct spelling of fluctuate. :)

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm here, too. I was starting to doubt that "fluxuate" was actually a word. I even looked it up at dictionary.com and there was no hope. So, I resorted to google. I kinda feel bad for the blogger, though. If it makes you feel better, I started to read your other posts, too.

teamrob said...

Yeah. Fluctuate. My bad.

Nathan J. Brauer said...

I'm a fluxuate offender too.
What's really stupid is that not only MS Word, but Google Chrome's spell check has no suggestion for it as well. Even when you do a google search, there's no suggestion either. Usually Google makes a suggestion if you spell the word wrong.

Kevin said...

Another misspell-er of "fluctuate" as "fluxuate". Thank goodness for this blog, Google, and the internet. :) Cheers all!

WarT0rn said...

I flux'd ma weigh hear. lol

Anonymous said...

Guilty of the flux.
Ironic the apparent fluctuation of the spelling of fluxuate.
This blogg will last years haahah.

Anonymous said...

I too am a dumb flux-er

Mike said...

Ah, so that's how you spell "fluctuate". Thank you.

Anonymous said...

i think i found this blog like everyone else .... by trying to spell fluctuate - but as fluxuate .... it's not our fault we all spell phonetically lol

Starburstia said...

uh, wow. I landed here because I couldn't figure out why I didn't get a word def on fluxuate... lol!

Anonymous said...

Um, yes, I be MLIAing this now.

taylorlivia said...

I love you all! No, I didn't misspell fluctuate, although I probably will now, after reading this. Actually I was just bored so I was reading MLIA and someone had posted on there that they had found this, so I thought I'd check it out. Thank you all for giving me something to do between my classes. <3

matt said...

i cant spell either

kyle said...

wow i cant believe i spelled it wrong too LOL

Anonymous said...

man i too came here trying to find the correct spelling of "fluxuate"
at least i know i am not alone

Anonymous said...

So, you expect people to actually get off the computer, go find a dictionary, and spend who knows how long trying to find a word I can't spell instead of just swapping windows and Googling it in about 5 seconds? What planet are you from K. Lorraine Graham?

You are an aberration!!

I'm not even sure I own a dictionary...

Thanks for telling me the correct speelling.

Anonymous said...

Aha thought I might add that I as well came upon this page while trying to find the correct spelling of fluctuate...

OnTheFluxBus said...

Another failed "fluxuate"tor.
Whoever first spelled the word as "fluctuate" had a horribly mean spirited sense of humor. :[

Unknown said...

Add me to the list. I feel like I am in a special club of misfits.

Unknown said...

Add me to the list. I feel like I am in a special club of misphitts.

Anonymous said...

I'm a librarian and I find Google to be much faster by far than deciding which dictionary to use and then flipping through pages and pages of the alphabet to find what I'm looking for - this site was such an added plus, connecting with other phonetically challenged people is so much more fun than my boring Webster's.

Kristian Dodson said...

Quit being such a stiff about the spelling; everyone here knows the majority of us only came here because we googled "fluxuate"...screw the dictionary!

Taylor said...

Ha, same problem as everyone else. Glad to see there are a bunch of other people who made the same spelling error.

skidmoa said...

Yep, fluxuate - fluctuate just isn't what comes to mind naturally. couldn't understand why msword wouldn't give a result either...glad to see I'm in good company. :D

Lauren said...

bahah.
I feel so much better that there are this many other people who also cant spell this stupid word.

Webster needs to read this!

Anonymous said...

Hahahahahahaha...this just made my day :) I'm writing a long and monotonous paper for my European History class and when I went to google to find the correct spelling it directed me here too! maybe someone should tell msword to add that to their spellcheck since it seems there are many people with this problem lol :)

Anonymous said...

Someone tell Bill Gates to add "fluxuate" to the word corrections.This has got to be the funniest thing that's happened to me all day. I'm curious, is everyone using MS Word 2003?

Anonymous said...

A long paper to be writing.
Here I am instead.
Fluxuate is poetry.

Laura said...

haha. I am also here for the word fluxuate...

Just adding the comment to make sure the year 2010 was here in your comments. :D

Anonymous said...

also felt the need to sign the fluxuate guest book.
xoxoxox

Food Fixer said...

I think we're practically a revolution now.

Bad spellers untie (or fluxuate?)

Anonymous said...

It makes you wonder how many people looked up the word here and didnt comment.

Anonymous said...

It just happened to me and I used to be a pretty decent speller... not anymore I guess :(

Anonymous said...

Almost three years later here I am, adding my name to the list. You'd think fluxuate would be an accepted alternate spelling by now...

Anonymous said...

Ditto... I feel like I entered a time rift and the only thing that changed was the accepted spelling of this word.

Anonymous said...

I'm in the middle of an experimental research paper, and I misspelled it too. I bet when this guy titled his blog, he never knew he'd get such a cult following. The anthropological consequences of this situation fascinate me.

Anonymous said...

Hehe, I'm here for the same reason...I feel really silly, now, 'cause I tried to spell it "fluxuate". Wow, judging by this post, it seems I'm not the only one. Thanks, everyone!

ho_ said...

fluctuate fluctuate fluctuate

I was hoping I was the first idiot of 2010 to land here as I read through the comments. this is like a Fluctuate Anonymous club now isn't it? Hehe.

Thanks for this post, just took another 5 minute of my time instead of writing my paper.

Anonymous said...

This is an epic thread. So glad I'm not the only Google spell checker out there!

Great site by the way, I'll have to stop by more often for a visit.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Writing this stupid %#$%-ing research paper and couldn't figure out why Word wouldn't let me spell fluxuate... It looks like I'm in good company here :-).

Unknown said...

I am a good speller! I know I have spelled "fluctuate" correctly in the past...but I certainly don't feel so badly now!

Unknown said...

I used to be a good speller! In fact, I feel fairly certain I have spelled fluctuate correctly in the past. I'm glad to know I'm not alone!

Anonymous said...

it should be fluxuate, that only makes sense. fluctuate doesnt make any sense at all

Anonymous said...

Stupid "fluctuate", who was the genius who came up with that, I'd like to punch him in his smug little mouth 9if he wasn't dead). He did it on purpose so he could watch us all stuffing it up.

Anonymous said...

FLUXUATE brought me here, thanks Google!

Matt said...

Add one more to the score - me

WhyTheHellDoYouWantToNoMyName said...

i just did the same thing. i got so angry at m computer, because google spelled it fluxuate. but then again, i've always had spelling issues. but, hey. at least i'm not alone in this one.

Debbie said...

LOL - looks like this post will never end. I did the same thing - always thought it was fluxuate and turned to google to find it. Ok, I now see I'll have to use fluctuate - but only under duress.

Anonymous said...

Add me to this massive list of people who discovered it's "fluctuate," not "fluxuate." Darn MS Word 2003 not being able to give a proper suggestion on how to spell that word! :)

SirReep said...

It's a silly debate ... whether to use google or a dictionary to look up words ... but I'm up late and in a silly mood, so I'll join in. (-:

The NY Times had an article recently on the ten top google search tips. #2 was to use it as a spelling aid! So even the Times is on the side if ditching the dictionary!!

http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/04/02/02gigaom-10-simple-google-search-tricks-58674.html?src=me&ref=homepage

Cheers!

Zenon said...

Yeap same story as everyone else... couldn't spell fluxuate or fluctuate or whatever it is. Here is another reason for using google vs a dictionary site. google loads in no time. When I go to a dictionary site it takes 10 times longer to load the page because of all the ads they have. Time is important to me and google is quick and easy.

Cheers!
Zenon

Unknown said...

Well this has to be one of the most hilarious blog sites I've stumbled across - my journey started with a high end medical article I was editing (yes, English editing) and found the author had used this word!

So of course I googled, like everyone does today, mainly expecting to find an online dictionary, as you would, only to be re-directed here!

Then began the side-splitting process of reading all the entries, which only left me in tears lol streaming down my face. Lorraine, you've done a great thing for humanity by leaving this all here : )

So now to go back to the article, correct it as you must, and then think about the suggestion made a couple of years ago (!) to have a site dedicated to the most common misspelled words (not) in the dictionary.

btw - Webster does include a side reference to a related word - "fluxation" coming from "fluxing" coming from "to flux" - pity though, fluxuation sounds so good . . .

The House That Lars Built said...

wow. ditto on everything above.

Unknown said...

what is up with this, the only thing to do with fluctuate is all the comments of the people who landed here because of it. But its truly hilarious that this has been going on for over two years now!

Anonymous said...

i didn't read all of that but i honestly just did the same damn thing the first commenter had. google lead me to this page haha.
who would of guess fluctuate was spelled with a c and not an x!?!

and response to the second comment google is so much faster then opening a gigantic over weight book, or having to type www.dictionary.com especially when for most people our home page is google. the people these days are so lazy. i prefer to use the word efficient :P ... but that only really works in some cases

Anonymous said...

Ha ha! This is too damn funny! I just had to add my own little note to say I was here too for Fluctuate or fluxuate . . . . My smile for the day!

Convenient said...

Well, turns out I'm an idiot who thought 'fluxuate' was a word, in my defence I blame Doc Brown and his incessant babbling about the flux capacitor.

Anonymous said...

Add me to the list, fluxuated isn't correct either. This site is still number two in the google search.

Back to my homework then.

Anonymous said...

Sighhhhh...here's to the rules of the English language that FLUXUATE too much!

Anonymous said...

If I had a dictionary at work, I'd use it. But since I don't know how to spell the word, I would not find anything under FLUXUATE and I don't know how long it would take me until I thought of trying FLUCTUATE. Of course, if I used a dictionary I would not have spent time reading this blog and leaving this comment. So in the end not sure which is faster. Anyway, I'm glad to know the correct spelling now!

Chase Moehlman said...

Oh man. I can't believe that I've ended up here as well. Scratch another one for 'fluxuate'. Seeing as how many people misspell this word so commonly, there should be some slight changes in dictionaries. Maybe we should all have a chat with Webster..BUT, before we do, lets take a moment, to grasp sensation...What am I talking about you say? Well, I'm in a delightful shock, seeing as how this beautiful blog has lasted since 2008, and it is steady receiving people who misspell such a simple word(including me) HAHAHA!!!
Later fellow misspell-ers

Anonymous said...

How could i not! internet gold jerry!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Ha! Add me to this club of fluxuites!

Anonymous said...

ditto. wow.

Anonymous said...

Wow! So am I the first to fall into the fluxuate pit in July...I can't be, just the only one unashamed enough to type. I swear my online course spell check had it in for me and did not want me to complete my assignment on time. Then reality set in and I realized that my online portal does not have it out for me and I must be spelling this word incorrectly. Then I head over to the old faithful "Google" and find that I am just one in a very long list (dating back to 2008) of relatively educated individuals who had no idea there is not an "X" in fluctuate.

And, the cherry on top...when I looked at the word spelled correctly, it made sense.

Reema said...

This is amazing. I guess two years later and MS Word still won't give us a hint. Lon lives Google!!

I'm proud to be another "fluxuatee".

Anonymous said...

I'm an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Wow, amazing how many can't spell. I don't know how a good speeler like me got to this site

Anonymous said...

I hate MS Word. But I loved reading the history of this viral issue of spelling and confusion! you all made my day!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes you just have to stop and admire the places you end up in life and muse upon the coincidences that brought you there.

Now I've learned the correct spelling of "fluctuate."

Cheers all!

Anonymous said...

Count me in as another "fluxuate" seeker! I can't believe this post has been going on so long. Glad to see I'm not the only one to make this mistake, even though I'm horribly embarrassed to admit it, once I saw the correct spelling!!

Anonymous said...

I'm an idiot too, I guess. The interesting thing is, google didn't offer me the correct spelling, it just gave me a bunch of pages spelling fluctuate wrong. Whatever. I blame Aeon Flux, personally.

Eliška said...

Oh, the joys of Google. Even though the title gave the correct spelling, I clicked on the link anyway.
I laughed reading each of these comments. And completely destroyed the "time-saving" idea of using Google to get the proper spelling.

Oh, well :)

FLUXUATE!

Anonymous said...

ADD ANOTHER TO THE LIST OF "FLUXUATE" SEEKERS

Paul, England said...

I just found "fluxuate" on the Wikipedia article for "String Theory".

I was just checking it's not some technical word I'd never heard of before!

I'm now reassured it is simply a spelling mistake of "fluctuate" as I originally thought.

So many people have misspelled this word, Google results makes it look almost as if it is real. So, I just had to double-check it!

I will now correct the Wikipedia page. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

This is great! Not only did I find the correct spelling, I also found a cache of notes from fellow travelers. It's amazing how one incorrect word can link so many random people together. Thanks for allowing the comments to stay up K. Lorraine Graham!

Anonymous said...

hi guys. i misspelled it fluxuate, too. it seems like that would be it since the root is flux. i was baffled and furious when word said it was wrong and wouldn't be kind enough to tell me the CORRECT way of spelling my mistake.

Anonymous said...

As a chronic misspeller I thought I was among fellow slackers until realizing that the last post was over a year and a half ago. Surely I'm not the only person in the past year and a half to misspell fluctuate as fluxuate and Google it?
I decided to be a slacker no more and at least leave a comment so other new comers will not feel so bad. And think the world has gotten smarter without them.

Anonymous said...

Another lost soul here, looking to Google to help me spell.

Anonymous said...

Yup. Me too thought it was spelled the way it sounded. And realized it was not pulling it up on my phone. I'm one to check my spelling when I'm not 100% sure. Which is a lot. Don't judge! I've never been a great speller... sad face. But at least I try an look up the correct spelling then it leads me to read whole definition of it. Even tho I already knows what it means... thanks for posting this up by the way. Very helpful to a lot of people.