You are here

Firefox spellchecker, omissions of note

35 posts / 0 new
Last post
NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Firefox spellchecker, omissions of note

I'm wondering if anybody here would be interested in collaborating on a simple enough project.

I lost my flash drive, so I'm using my wife's (I don't think she ever uses it) and since I'm bad and don't back up, I had to start a new profile. Took no time at all to round up my favorite extensions and whatnot, but I found the spell checker was notoriously off.

Now that I have a personal wiki (I'm using Wiki on a Stick) I decided to make a page for spellchecker omissions. In just a few hours it had grown quite long. I plan to maintain this, adding to the wiki page as well as the spell checker as I go on.

If you'd like to help, just make a note of words you use that Firefox's spell checker doesn't check. If you want to go all out, delete your dictionary, reinstall, and start over, and just collect words you may use. I may or may not add all of your suggestions to the master list based solely on my discretion.

The intended use, if you want to add to your dictionary from this list, just copy the entire list into a text field, and manually add the ones you no longer want flagged as you type them.

Obviously we will not all agree on what should and what should not be added. I'm not even proposing revising the official English dictionary in Firefox -- that might not even be a good idea. But I'm sure some of you will agree with some.

Tier 1 (Or, "Why is this not in the default dictionary?")
- adware (software designed to deploy ads on the end user's machine)
- ands (from "no ifs, ands, or buts")
- another's (possessive of another)
- AutoCorrect (typo replacement feature on smartphones, also Autocorrect, autocorrect)
- Autorun (or autorun, feature in Windows when a removable drive is inserted and Windows asks what to do)
- barista (or Barista, one who serves coffee)
- Bing (Microsoft's answer to Google)
- bloodlust (urge to kill)
- Blu (as in Blu-ray)
- bootloader (a software product that manages OS booting)
- BOGO (Buy One, Get One (free))
- bookmarklet (a bit of JavaScript in a bookmark in a web browser)
- bootable (description of external media which can boot a computer, i.e. a CD or flash drive)
- brainer (i.e. "no-brainer", also brainers)
- CDMA (wireless network used in the United States)
- CDs (Compact Discs)
- cel (i.e. cel-shading)
- clickable (design element that can be clicked on)
- CMS (content management system)
- commenters (those who comment on an article or news story)
- crosshair (used to aim a gun, also crosshairs)
- combinations
- CSS (cascading style sheets, a web design tech, or content scrambling system, basic DVD protection)
- CTF (Capture the Flag, game mode based on the yard game)
- cutscenes (cinematic moments in games)
- deathmatch (kill-all multiplayer shooter mode; also Deathmatch)
- deniability (the ability of one to deny something)
- DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act)
- downloaders
- downmix (when content, typically audio, is reduced in quality; also downsample)
- DRM (Digital rights management)
- DSL (Digital Subscriber Line, or broadband over telephone lines)
- DVD-ROM (DVD for a computer, also: DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW)
- dystopia (opposite of utopia; also, dystopian)
- edu (Internet TLD for schools)
- EQ (feature on nice stereos and decent multimedia programs)
- EMP (Electromagnetic pulse)
- ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board)
- EULAs (EULA plural, as in more than one End User License Agreement)
- Facebook (social network)
- fanbase (collective of fans for a given topic)
- FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
- fi (as in sci-fi or Semper fi)
- framerate (the number of frames a video or game displays per second)
- fullscreen (or Fullscreen, in home video, to have an aspect ratio of 4:3; or to fill the screen with your video or game, as opposed to windowed)
- Gamepad (also gamepad, gamepads, Gamepads -- game controller that fits in both hands)
- gameplay (description of how a game plays)
- GPL (GNU Public License)
- GPS (Global positioning system, feature in smartphones and vehicles)
- GPU (graphics processing unit, also GPUs)
- greyware (software that is in a grey area; or grayware)
- GSM (wireless networking for phones and tablets)
- habanero (chili pepper)
- HD (high definition, or hard disk)
- HDD (Hard disk drive)
- HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)
- Hong (of Hong Kong)
- how'd (or How'd, contraction for "How did")
- IP (Intellectual property, or Internet protocol)
- ISP (Internet Service Provider; plural ISPs, possessive ISP's)
- JIT (Just-in-Time debugging)
- keychain (holds your keys or a key)
- Klingons (Klingon, plural)
- leaderboard (list of high scores in a game)
- lockpick (implement to pick a lock, usually in a video game)
- login (account credentials, i.e. username; a noun, as opposed to the verb "log in")
- macchiato (Italian coffee; also Macchiato; in America it means caramel coffee)
- mage (magic user in fantasy and games, also Mage)
- letterboxed (a crop effect for video)
- LOL (laugh(s/ing) out loud)
- malware (malicious software, e.g. spyware, adware)
- mana (also Mana, a game term and rock band)
- meds (medication, prescriptions -- pills and whatnot you would have or take)
- microSD (memory card format)
- microUSB (charging/data cable format for smartphones)
- MiniDisc (media format)
- minigun (a machine gun with several rapidly-rotating barrels)
- MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
- MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game)- MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)
- multi (a prefix that can be separated by a hyphen)
- multiplayer (a game that supports multiple players)
- multitrack (audio recording with separate tracks for instruments, i.e what Rockband uses)
- netbook (portable computer; plural, netbooks)
- OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder)
- OEM (Original equipment manufacturer)
- onboard (onboard video/audio, something that is built-in on a computer's motherboard)
- PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect, a peripheral tech)
- PHP (web technology, also php)
- pinfall (wrestling term, victory)
- platformer (game with running and jumping elements)
- playthrough (or playthroughs)
- plugin or plugins (software)
- PNG (Portable Network Graphic, an image format)
- pre (prefix that can be separated by a hyphen)
- prosthetics (augmentations for amputees to restore limb functions)
- QA (Quality Assurance)
- replayable
- RIAA (Record Industry Association of America)
- roadmap
- roleplaying
- scratchers (scratch-off lottery tickets)
- SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity)
- setlist (also Setlist)
- sims (simulations)
- SLI (Scalable Link Interface, GPU tech)
- SMS (short message system, i.e. text messages)
- startup (what a computer does when it boots, e.g. startup sequence; also a small business, e.g. internet startup)
- supergroup (rock band made up of members of 2 or more famous bands)
- taskbar (Windows tool)
- teleport (also, teleporting, teleported, teleportation)
- texting (sending text messages via SMS)
- that'll (contraction for "that will" or "that shall")
- timestamp (visual indication of when a picture was taken or forum post/blog entry was edited)
- TLD (Top Level Domain, e.g. .com, .net, .edu and others)
- Trekkies (fans of Star Trek)
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- voicemail
- Wiccan (relating to witchcraft)
- ziti (pasta)


Tier 2 (Slang, colloquialisms, abbreviations, and foreign language)
- Apso (from Lhasa Apso. Mop-looking dogs)
- Ars (Latin for Art)
- Arsian (colloquial term for members of the Ars Technica OpenForum)
- autoflagged (when a forum's post parser picks up controversial words like "Nazi"; GameFAQs does this, for one)
- automagically (colloquial term for automatically, an intentional misspelling)
- banhammer (colloquial forum term for the "weapon" mods and admins wield to ban users)
- bona (of bona fide, which basically means authentic)
- BRB (Be Right Back)
- carte (Latin, as in 'a la carte', which means 'individually')
- consolifying (the effect of cheap video game consoles on games in general)
- copypasta (colloquial forum/chan term for something that has been copied since the early days of the Internet)
- crappiness (of being crappy)
- DDR (in computer memory, double data rate; in gaming, Dance Dance Revolution)
- deja vu (also Deja Vu)
- deus (Latin, deity (god), also Deus)
- dev (colloquial term for developer)
- DLC (downloadable content)
- et al (Latin for, essentially, "and others in its category")
- et cetera (Latin for, essentially, "and so on and so forth", abbreviated etc.)
- FC, FCs (Full combos/flawless completions in rhythm games; force close in Android)
- flashcart (colloquial term for a device which lets you put flash memory in a game cartridge)
- freakin' (kid/teen-friendly variation on an expletive, also Freakin')
- FTW (For the win; also sometimes f___ the world)
- fugly (colloquial contraction of "f___in' ugly")
- FX (special effects abbreviation; also a cable network owned by Fox)
- Fx (Mozilla-designated abbreviation for Firefox)
- Gamerpic (an Xbox 360 profile's avatar)
- Gamerscore (An Xbox 360 profile's cumulative score across multiple games)
- Gamertag (A profile on the Xbox 360)
- golem (fictional monster common in roleplaying games)
- google (Google as a verb; googled is the past tense)
- GOTY (Game of the Year, common branding for special-edition games)
- GTFO (Internet slang, means "Get the f___ out")
- Hackintosh (colloquial term for a computer running Apple system software not approved by Apple)
- homebrew (unauthorized third-party software for a device)
- hominem (of ad hominem, Latin for "to the man", an attack on an argument by discrediting the speaker)
- ICS (Google Android version 4.0; Ice Cream Sandwich)
- IIRC (If I Remember(ed)/Recall(ed) Correctly)
- JFGI (Just _____ Google It)
- JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) also JRPGs (as opposed to a WRPG, or Western Role-Playing Game) also WRPGs
- MacGuffin (plot device where something is important for no reason, like the suitcase in Pulp Fiction)
- magicka (quantity of magical energy, alternative to mana)
- mobo (colloquial term for motherboard)
- Prez (colloquial term for President)
- protip (or Protip, a word of advice, colloquial term on the Internet)
- ROMs (software dump of a cartridge, or firmware package; plural of ROM)
- se (as in 'per se', a Latin phrase meaning "...as such")
- Technica (from Latin for technology, e.g. website "Ars Technica")
- weaksauce (meme, i.e. disappointing)
- y'know (slang contraction for "you know?")


Tier 3 (Brands, products, names, places, and such)
- µTorrent (popular BitTorrent client)
- Adblock (currently Adblock Plus, also a verb "adblock" or general term "adblocker" to block ads, i.e. on the Internet)
- Aero (European candy bar by Nestle, or the visual style in Windows 7)
- AMD (CPU brand)
- Arya (female given name, i.e. Arya Stark from Game of Thrones and the books it's based on)
- Asus (also styled ASUS, computer parts manufacturer)
- ATI (former GPU brand)
- AwesomeBar (Firefox component, was Address bar)
- Battlestar (of Battlestar Galactica, 1970s/2000s dark sci-fi series)
- Bieber (family name of a young effeminate male singer)
- Bon (Australian given name, e.g. Bon Scott of AC/DC fame; also as in Bon Jovi)
- Bourne (surname, i.e. Jason Bourne)
- BSG (Battlestar Galactica)
- Camaro (Car, also a band, 'Bang Camaro')
- Carmageddon (classic race/smash-em-up computer game series)
- Cartman (surname)
- Castlevania (vampire-centric platforming adventure game series, also Castlevanias)
- cazadores (deadly giant wasps in Fallout: New Vegas)
- CCleaner (system maintenance utility)
- CenturyLink (North Carolina telco)
- CrossFire (GPU tech)
- CSI (popular cop show, general term for forensics)
- CSN & CSNY (early supergroups, stands for "Crosby, Stills, [and Nash|Nash, and Young]")
- CyanogenMod (popular Android modification build for premium smartphones)
- Dalek (Doctor Who villains; inspiration for R2-D2; also Daleks)
- Diablo (Devil in Spanish; also a game series)
- Dreamcast (Sega video game console from the 1990s)
- Drupal (open-source CMS)
- DS (dual-screen Game Boy; Nintendo handheld)
- DualShock (PlayStation controller)
- DX (a game (Deus Ex), and a pro wrestling tag team (D-Generation X) among others)
- Enya (Celtic musician and the name she gives to the genre her music belongs to)
- Evo (HTC line of smartphones)
- facepalm (recognizing a failing in oneself)
- fanboy (derogatory term for an immature fan)
- faux (Latin for fake; or of faux pas)
- Fayetteville (city in North Carolina)
- Fleetwood (kind of car, also the band Fleetwood Mac)
- iframe (web development term)
- LastPass (password security/vault for web browsers)
- phpBB (forum platform)
- Tapatalk (forum client for Android and iOS, possibly others)
- Frampton (surname, e.g. Peter Frampton)
- GameStop
- GBA (Game Boy Advance, a Nintendo handheld)
- GeForce (nVidia family of GPUs)
- Ghostbusters (1980s cartoons and movies)
- Gmail (email service operated by Google)
- Godsmack (band)
- Greenville (college town in NC; also other states)
- Grohl (family name, i.e. Dave Grohl of Nirvana/Foo Fighters)
- Halen (as in, Van Halen, the rock group, or i.e. Van Halen, the surname)
- Harmonix (gaming studio)
- iMac (Entry-level Apple computer, plural iMacs)
- Imgur (free online image host)
- Instagram (photography-centric social network for smartphones; also Instagram's)
- INXS (Australian rock band)
- iOS (Apple's system software for portable devices)
- iPad (Apple's tablet computer, also iPads)
- iPhones (iPhone, plural)
- JC (common first-two-initials name for boys and girls; also Jesus Christ)
- Jean-Luc (French given name)
- Kinect (Microsoft's gesture-recognizing hardware for Xbox and PC)
- Konami (game developer)
- LibreOffice (free, open source alternative to Microsoft Office)
- Lifehacker (website and blog)
- Maxtor (hard drive manufacturer)
- MediaFire (also Mediafire, online file locker of questionable legality)
- Metroid (game franchise based on the Alien films)
- NES (1980s gaming console)
- Newegg (website)
- Nickelback (Canadian rock band)
- Nightwish (Finnish rock band)
- Niners (colloquial term, San Francisco 49ers)
- NoScript (security extension for Firefox)
- NSIS (software)
- Nullsoft (software company)
- nVidia (GPU maker, also nVidia's)
- Pedialite (electrolyte-loaded fruit drink for babies and alcoholics)
- Picard (French surname)
- Photobucket (free online image host)
- PortableApps (site dedicated to portable software)
- PSP (handheld Sony game system)
- QuickPic (Gallery alternative for Android)
- Radeon (GPU made by AMD, formerly made by ATI)
- RBN (Rockband Network, independent authoring platform for the music simulator series Rockband)
- SNES (game system, also SuperNES)
- SourceForge (open source development website)
- SVU (Special Victims Unit, a Law & Order show)
- Torchwood (British sci-fi show)
- UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- uTorrent (BitTorrent software, officially μTorrent)
- VideoLAN (software, also VLC)
- Wiimote (Wii controller)
- Winamp (software)
- WinXP (Windows XP, common abbreviation)
- WMA (Windows Media Audio)
- WWF/WWE (World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment)
- XnView (software)
- XP (Windows in 2002, also Experience in RPGs)

[Topic title changed from "Firefox spellchecker hall of shame" to "Firefox spellchecker, notable omissions" by topic creator for clarity.]

gluxon
gluxon's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 2 months ago
Developer
Joined: 2008-06-21 19:26
Stuff like Ubuntu shouldn't

Stuff like Ubuntu or NewEgg shouldn't be in there.

For example, eXpresso, isn't a word, it's just the name of a program. Firefox should really only be checking WORDS, not names.

Edit: Even firefox isn't the dictionary. Last time I checked, we didn't have fox's on fire Blum

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Ubuntu is official now

Interestingly enough, I dumped my user dictionary and rebuilt it, and many words were added to the official dictionary, including Ubuntu (and Wii). Wink

Bahamut
Bahamut's picture
Offline
Last seen: 12 years 11 months ago
Joined: 2006-04-07 08:44
Latin words shouldn't be in

Latin words shouldn't be in there either. In fact, the only ones in that list that should be are the acronyms, "texting" and "smartphone". "Crossfire" without a capital "f" is already in the dictionary. Everything else is either a trademark or not an English word.

Vintage!

Darkbee
Darkbee's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 6 months ago
Joined: 2008-04-14 09:41
Respect his authoritah

I don't think Nathan is applying for Chief-of-Detectives with the spelling police. He just wants common, every-day colloquialisms to not appear as a spelling error in Fx, if I understand correctly. No law against that as far as I know.

I've always wondered about "webpage". Is it two words? If so, why isn't "website" two words? Should "web-page" be hyphenated?

Language is ever evolving to suit the needs of its users.

digitxp
digitxp's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 2 months ago
Joined: 2007-11-03 18:33
English Never Got to be a Language In Sure Hindsight

Recursive acronym of the day: English Never Got to be a Language In Sure Hindsight (abbr. ENGLISH)

Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Correct. Not trying to change

Correct. Not trying to change anybody's mind or anything, just looking to make something more convenient.

DarkbeeI've always wondered about "webpage". Is it two words? If so, why isn't "website" two words? Should "web-page" be hyphenated?

Firefox doesn't flag website, but it does flag webpage. Website is OK, but web page should be two words. My interpretation anyway.

computerfreaker
computerfreaker's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 2 months ago
Developer
Joined: 2009-08-11 11:24
I've got a couple of thoughts

I've got a couple of thoughts and a word for you.

* People have made a good point - why would Fx treat trademarks, etc. like regular words? (The Fx dictionary would get impressively huge if that was done...)

* Why not just ignore the "misspellings" Fx flags? You wouldn't believe how often one particular word gets flagged for me; I just ignore it.

That word, btw, is Elluminate - it's an online collaboration tool.

Other than that, Fx is generally pretty good about recognizing what I'm typing...

(Something just occurred to me - this is going to be a long thread.) Here's some more words I use fairly often.

Elluminate
Avira
MalwareBytes Anti-malware
Drupal (:P)
phpBB
REALbasic
malware

"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
...

computerfreaker* Why not just ignore the "misspellings" Fx flags? You wouldn't believe how often one particular word gets flagged for me; I just ignore it.

That word, btw, is Elluminate - it's an online collaboration tool.

Why ignore them? Your additions don't go into any public work. If it tells you it's a misspelling, make sure it isn't, and then just add it. Not because it's in the OED but because it's in fact spelled right and it's a word you use.

Elluminate *should not* be in a spell checker by default because boneheads will get told it's a correct spelling of illuminate... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't add it. Likewise with me and Invision, it's a play on envision, but I add it because I'm always talking about forum platforms (and they're the top dog). Remember what a spell checker will and will not flag. Their/they're/there misuse, and too/two/to are both ignored because the words are actually spelled correctly.

José Pedro Arvela
Offline
Last seen: 5 years 10 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-10 07:29
Firefox abbreviation

The actual Firefox trademark abbreviation according to Mozilla is not "Fx" but "Ff".
On a side note, it is not FireFox either, it is Firefox.

And just by curiosity, "Ff" counts as a word on Firefox' spell-checker.

Blue is everything.

Bahamut
Bahamut's picture
Offline
Last seen: 12 years 11 months ago
Joined: 2006-04-07 08:44
Since when?

Since when?

Vintage!

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Research says...

WikipediaMozilla prefers that Firefox be abbreviated as Fx or fx, though it is often abbreviated as FF.

Mozilla8. How do I capitalize Firefox? How do I abbreviate it?
Only the first letter is capitalized (so it's Firefox, not FireFox.) The preferred abbreviation is "Fx" or "fx".

(Granted, this is from the Firefox 1.5 FAQ, but I don't believe it's changed, though I will quickly change my tune if I see the proof over on Mozilla.)

José Pedro Arvela
Offline
Last seen: 5 years 10 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-10 07:29
Oh...

I see I was messing up ideas, sorry for the faulty information about "Fx" and "Ff". At least the rest is correct... Blum

Blue is everything.

Geek45
Geek45's picture
Offline
Last seen: 14 years 10 months ago
Joined: 2008-09-11 22:20
inbox. No lie.

inbox. No lie.

!!

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
...

gluxonStuff like Ubuntu or NewEgg shouldn't be in there.

For example, eXpresso, isn't a word, it's just the name of a program. Firefox should really only be checking WORDS, not names.

Yes it should.

A spell checker should tell you when you misspell something. It's not to be confused with a dictionary, in which case you're right. To clarify, it doesn't matter if it's recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary, it only matters if it's a word that YOU use that Firefox is telling you that you are misspelling it when you are NOT. Furthermore, the goal is not to replace the official dictionary, just to create a repository for people to grab stuff they might use all in one place.

Also, is it just me, or is it interesting (perhaps prejudicial?) that Firefox's spellchecker recognizes "PlayStation" but not "Xbox"? What is a PlayStation that an Xbox is not? The PlayStation is older, but the Xbox is no less important.

My ideal dictionary would include a heck of a lot of colloquial terms that I would be able to type that would not be flagged as wrong. It would also include words in British English -- "honour", for example, is not a misspelling of "honor", it's just the British variation (or rather, the French-influenced English variation).

Darkbee
Darkbee's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 6 months ago
Joined: 2008-04-14 09:41
Yes and...

I think we can add a footnote to that saying that it depends on what you're using the spellchecker for.

If it's for a dissertation to graduate Oxford University, England, then you probably don't want "l33t" being picked up as a correct word. However, if it's for your own personal use and no-one else is ever going to critique it, or others will see it but it doesn't matter then who cares! Go ahead and FX, FF, FireFox, FireFreakinfox, whatever you want. I thought that was the whole point of a custom "dictionary" (which might explain where the confusion comes from).

Hell, I think I might add "y'all" and "ya'll" if they aren't in there already.

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
y'all vs. ya'll

"Ya'll" is incorrect; "Y'all" is the correct -- if it could be called so -- term, and Firefox tags appropriately. See, the apostrophe in a contraction represents the missing letters, e.g. in "you'll" the apostrophe "contracts" " wi" (space w i). In "y'all", which is a bastardized contraction, the apostrophe contracts "ou ". Unless the incorrect one is supposed to be a contraction of "ya all" which is still wrong.

See, there are strict rules which apply to the English language which can be, and are, debated extensively... but you can take those rules and apply them to colloquial speech as well. It's strictly academic since you'll be talking about proper usage of words that don't exist within the language (for example to say "pwn" would be pronounced "poon" because W as a vowel (pronounced oo) is a Welsh thing that is used a total of 2 times in the language) but it can work, sort of. Or you can abandon all self-respect and go all l33t-sp34k on people, e.g. on AOL (sorry -- Aol.).

Darkbee
Darkbee's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 6 months ago
Joined: 2008-04-14 09:41
Word

regardless of strict rules, I've had people make a case for both "spellings", although I'm inclined to agree with you based on simple rules of contractions.

Like I said before, language is in a constant state of change and bastardization to suit the needs of its speakers. It's fascinating to compare being taught a "foreign" language versus being taught English. The teaching concepts should be very similar but sadly they aren't. I think I know more about French and German grammar than I do English. Smile

BuddhaChu
BuddhaChu's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 months 3 weeks ago
Joined: 2006-11-18 10:26
Y'all is the only way to

Y'all is the only way to spell that saying because it's a contraction of "you" and "all". The first word doesn't begin with "ya" therefore "ya'll" isn't even close to right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%27all

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/yall.html

Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Slang

Since "y'all" itself isn't "right", it's hard to say a misspelling (mispunctuation) of it is "wrong" although technically I suppose mispunctuating a slang word is wronger than properly punctuating a slang word. It's like "ain't" -- "Ain't ain't a word", LOL.

It's also hard for me, as a Southerner only by residence (Californian by birth, I've lived in North Carolina since late 2005 -- ain't love funny?), to correct people who have lived here their entire lives, when they say "ya'll", e.g. on facebook.

So I can't take a solid stance one way or the other, but I will continue, in my own writing, to use the more grammatically correct variation.

BuddhaChu
BuddhaChu's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 months 3 weeks ago
Joined: 2006-11-18 10:26
Incorrect

"Ain't" was added to the dictionary years ago and "y'all" is in there too so neither are "wrong".

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ain%27t

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/y%27all

Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
ISP? DSL? Pokemon?

ISP? DSL? Really, Mozilla? Really?

Someone said on another forum that Pokemon is in the default dictionary. Pokemon? Wow. Sure enough...

dwebb5
Offline
Last seen: 2 weeks 6 days ago
Joined: 2009-01-06 01:04
Spellchecker

From my last post I found:
EEE
XP
USB
SDHC
netbook
WinXP
Ubuntu
Apps

Bruce Pascoe
Offline
Last seen: 12 years 10 months ago
Joined: 2006-01-15 16:14
EEE is isn't correct anyway.

EEE isn't correct anyway. If you're talking about the netbook brand, isn't the correct spelling "Eee"? Granted, that's probably not in the dictionary either.

One thing is curious about these acronyms and initialisms (okay... so apparently "initialisms" isn't in Chrome's dictionary...), though. Most spell checkers in e.g. word processors are set by default to ignore words in all caps, but the one in Firefox and Chrome don't seem to follow this rule...

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
EEE -- Not important enough

EEE -- Not important enough for me to add to my list. Blum
XP -- Already on the list.
USB -- Thanks for this.
SDHC -- ^^
netbook -- ^^
WinXP -- Abbreviation. I use it too. Ah hell, it deserves its spot.
Ubuntu -- Already on the list.
Apps -- Thanks.

Updating the main list with my master list from the wiki (local wiki).

dwebb5
Offline
Last seen: 2 weeks 6 days ago
Joined: 2009-01-06 01:04
DVI chipset on-board works

DVI
chipset

on-board works this way , but not as onboard.

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Added

Added DVI and chipset, and onboard sounds right in context.

I'll upload the latest version sometime tonight.

agdurrette
Offline
Last seen: 11 months 2 weeks ago
Developer
Joined: 2008-01-16 13:55
I think KidSafe needs to

I think KidSafe needs to added Smile

"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."

gluxon
gluxon's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 2 months ago
Developer
Joined: 2008-06-21 19:26
Could I please say again that

Could I please say again that Firefox SHOULD and DOES only check WORDS? Not NAMES? Blum

If it checked for names, I'd say about every single word wouldn't be corrected. Unless it's like al;kjfa;ljfa;df or something like that :/

Darkbee
Darkbee's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 6 months ago
Joined: 2008-04-14 09:41
lather, rinse, repeat

And can I just say again that I think Nathan's goal is really a typo-checker, not a complete lexicon of English language. To the best of my knowledge, "al;kjfa;ljfa;df" has no meaning in the English language and so would make sense to be highlighted as questionable (even though with punctuation it's actually treated as 4 different words). If he has typed something that would be recognizable to most English-speaking users then his browser should not be telling him otherwise (most of the time).

If however, he's writing for a scientific journal then that's a different story. Pun intended. Blum

It really depends on the goal of the individual. I don't think Nathan is trying to single-handedly bring the English language to ruin; the populous as a whole is doing that quite nicely, ya'll! Word! Nuff respect!

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Again...

Again, the purpose here is not to augment the official dictionary at the distribution level. I do not work for or with Mozilla.

Again, the purpose of the list is to document common words and names that are not misspelled but in fact are spelled correctly.

The list in the first post of this topic is just the latest-published copy of the master I keep on my flash drive. As I make forum posts and whatnot, if I spell something right and Firefox flags it, I add it to the list.

The desired intention is that others, upon reinstalling Firefox (or at any time really) will reply to the first post, copy the entire list into the text box, and add words they want to their own dictionary. It is purely voluntary. What words you add to your own dictionary is up to you. I'm just the guy posting the master list and deciding what gets added. (The decision is based purely on what I add to my own dictionary.)

Also, again, a spell checker's dictionary is only called so because it's a bunch of words. A spell checker's dictionary is in no way an authority on language. A spell checker's sole purpose is to tell the user when they've misspelled a word. If it flags a word that is spelled correctly, it is not doing its job correctly.

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
"Combinations"

Alright, here's a word that's not in the dictionary but actually should be: Combinations. Uppercase and lowercase it was omitted.

Also added more stuff that is debatable as to whether or not it "should" be there, but again, that isn't the point of the topic.

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
This topic again

Yup, it's this topic again. I actually stopped using my list for a while, then started using it again last month, or maybe late May. I've been adding to it, and just trimmed down some of the longer definitions. I really don't need to define anything for myself, it's just a thing I can edit (the Wiki page, not the OP) and correct all the "misspellings". One entry was removed, and a few have been added. I've got no incentive or reason to keep it updated here, but I will probably still do so every couple of months.

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Bump

Okay, I know John doesn't like bumping, but I'm starting this up again. I've actually been neglecting it and adding words to my user dictionary without putting them on my Wiki on a Stick, so I'm gonna dump my user dictionary and start over.

I've added a few words and edited the OP. Also, why didn't any of y'all tell me I misspelled Radeon (the AMD GPU)? This came up over on Ars Technica, and I linked them here (sorry for the traffic spike, John) and somebody told me I spelled it wrong. So that's fixed. I'll be updating this a lot more in the future.

NathanJ79
NathanJ79's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 9 months ago
Joined: 2007-07-31 15:07
Big update

I just released a huge update to the list. It is now sorted into three tiers.

The first tier is stuff that should undeniably be added. I may submit this list, at some point, to Bugzilla. So if anything doesn't belong, tell me what tier to put it in.

The second tier is basically colloquialisms. This is where rejects from the first tier go. These are terms that Firefox shouldn't be flagging, but there really isn't a case to be made for including them in the official dictionary.

The third tier is names and brands, products and such. There's no reason this stuff should be included in the official dictionary. It's just kinda *there*.

Before, the list was all inclusive and I wasn't really willing to debate placement because it was all spelled correctly, so Firefox was in the wrong. Now I'm willing to consider moving stuff around.

I'm also going to edit this regularly. Every time Firefox flags a word, I'll edit my personal wiki (the master copy of the list). Once a month, on or around the first, I'll update the OP in this topic. Once every six months, on or around January/July 1, I'll delete my user dictionary and revisit the list, and remove entries Firefox doesn't flag (as these words have been added to the official dictionary). And I suppose that is as good a time as any, to submit Tier 1 to Mozilla via Bugzilla, after I've verified that everything in Tier 1 is still flagged.

Log in or register to post comments