Spellcheck Nation
— WordUnscrambler lists the most commonly misspelled word in each state using search data from Google Trends, 2025
I can understand Maine struggling
with a trickster like pneumonia, or Georgia
being confused by necessary,
a word similar to scissors, which befuddles
Pennsylvania, a state I often misspell. And, like
Colorado, I also trip on sergeant.
Yet, people in Arizona, Kentucky,
South Carolina and Virgina struggle
over that very word, people, and
Delaware, Massachusetts, Mississippi,
Nebraska, South Dakota, West Virginia
and Wyoming are baffled by beautiful.
As different as Alabama, Kansas,
New York and Utah may be,
all four find different difficult.
Iowa and Louisiana can’t get through.
Rhode Island, whatever their culture,
is confused by cancelled.
California and Washington have no
appreciation, but Montana and New
Mexico hesitate to appreciate.
But misspelling school? Nevada,
you’ve got a problem. Why is a tech hub
like Oregon bumbling business?
And given the clusterfuck in Texas
about needing to protect the unborn,
they should know how to spell it.
Scratch my home state of Michigan.
Maryland is quite a character.
Tomorrow comes slowly to Alaska,
Connecticut lost their schedule,
and apparently spelling
isn’t taught in Indiana.
Learning how to crochet, once Grandma’s
pastime, might be in style in Ohio
with a recent need to spell the word.
Who knows the temperature in Missouri, but
Idaho and Utah are definitely clueless. A lack of
spelling chops has New Hampshire feeling protective.
It’s bad enough Hawaii can’t handle luau,
but to be successful in Minnesota,
practice your spelling.
Illinois and New Jersey get no congratulations.
North Dakota struggles over daughter,
but North Carolina can’t keep a secret.
They’ve lost patience in Oklahoma.
Florida cannot take a compliment.
Not enough Tennesseans eat broccoli
and apparently you don’t see quesadilla
on the menu nearly enough in Arkansas.
But Vermonters needn’t be embarrassed—
the people of the Green State known for
social change and equity just want to spell
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
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Linda K. Sienkiewicz‘s debut novel, In the Context of Love, was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer and Sarton Awards. A Pushcart Prize–nominated poet with a chapbook award, she’s published five poetry chapbooks and a children’s picture book. Her novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, will be published by Regal House in October 2026. She holds an MFA from the University of Southern Maine. When not writing, she volunteers at the Neighborhood House in Michigan.
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Stone Poetry Quarterly 