Having an automatic spell check function on your computer is both a blessing and a curse. Even as I type out this blog post in a Google Chrome browser window, it is automatically underlining misspelled words in red. This makes it easier to recognize typos and correct them accordingly. However, just because a word isn’t underlined in red does not mean that it is correct. You could write “baited breath” when you should really write “bated breath,” but “baited” will not be marked as an error.

This has led to a whole generation of computer users who habitually spell their words incorrectly. The computer doesn’t mark their words as being wrong, so they fall into a feedback loop that reinforces incorrect spelling. And one idiom that I see spelled incorrectly far more often than it should be is “good riddance.”

Good riddance is a saying that expresses pleasure or happiness for being rid of something or someone. If a woman is in an abusive relationship and she has suffered an unspeakable level of physical and mental harm as a result of this relationship, we could say “good riddance” to the husband when he decides to leave her. It is good for her to be rid of this man.

Perhaps you have a car that has given you nothing but trouble. It is in constant need of repairs and it offers terrible fuel consumption. The ride is uncomfortable and the radio doesn’t work. When you finally choose to send the old junker to the scrapyard, you could bid it adieu by saying, “Good riddance.”

For whatever reason, I see far too many people write the reasonably common saying as “good riddens” instead. The strange thing is that “riddens” does get picked up as an incorrect word by most spell checkers. This is quite different than writing “strike a cord” when you mean to say “strike a chord.” Or saying “sneak peak” when you should type “sneak peek.” When even the spell check says your word is wrong, you’re left with very little excuse as to why you’ve spelled your word incorrectly.

Is there a common spelling mistake that really grinds your gears? Is there a grammar issue that you’d like clarified? Let me know by commenting on this post. 🙂