Spelling

A friend of mine posted the image illustrating this post on Facebook.

Interestingly, my first thought was not "That's clever" (because it is clever), but "That doesn't make sense". It took me a while to work out why it didn't make sense to me.

Because 'fifth' is not preceded by 'forth'. It is preceded by 'fourth'.

I realised that this was a joke that only works when narrated, but not in writing ...unless you don't know how to spell.

Ah: spelling. The subtle difference a "u" makes... hmm. That sounds like that could be a song! "The subtle diff'rence a u makes, 26 little letters, from the spell and the checkers, making your meaning plain..."


Sam

• Reference: Washington, Dinah (1959). What a Diff'rence a Day Makes (Stanley Adams, María Mendez Grever). USA: Mercury Records