The LinkedIn spelling league

Do spelling mistakes really matter? Often they don't.

But when you make a spelling mistake in a strategically important piece of writing, that can have a negative impact on your credibility.

Rotten writing ruins trust.

Your LinkedIn profile could be one of those places where mistakes prevent potential clients getting in touch. How much might that cost you?

Check out these LinkedIn job titles that contain misspelled words, ranked in order of the number of search results.

What impression would you have if you came across such errors when searching LinkedIn profiles?

(A small proportion of these results will be legitimate. For example, there is a real company called Independant. But they don't have that many employees.)

If you do your own search and filter by People, you'll see similar results.

Example LinkedIn profiles are shown below. I've blurred the personal information.

NOTE: This isn't about shaming people. We all make mistakes. Take this opportunity to revisit your own LinkedIn profile to ensure you haven't made a similar error.

The good news is that Word's spellcheck will catch most of these mistakes.

Misspelling 1: independant – 622,410 results

This was the most common mistake I found, and was the inspiration for this article (see this related post from my #NoPainerExplainer series).

? Correct spelling: independent

Misspelling 2: manger – 344,056 results

'Away in a manger, no crib for a bed …' ??

That's not the word we're looking for.

? Correct spelling: manager

Misspelling 3: stationary – 187,067 results

'Stationary' means that something is not moving. There may be a legitimate reason for having this in your LinkedIn headline, but if you're talking about paper, pens and print materials, then use the -ery ending.

? Correct spelling: stationery

?? The above would be correct if the buyer didn't move. Which I suppose might be true.

Misspelling 4: buisness – 166,066 results

I used to misspell this one all the time. Those first 4 letters never look right as 'busi' given that that part of the word is pronounced 'bizz', but there we are.

A spellchecker ought to catch this one every time – but beware of spellcheck skipping words written in ALL CAPS.

? Correct spelling: business

Misspelling 5: commerical – 105,833 results

Another one that isn't a word and should therefore be flagged by spellcheck.

This misspelling makes me think of the word 'comical'. Probably not the vibe you want to give to a potential client.

? Correct spelling: commercial

Misspelling 6: aquisition – 77,372 results

OK, this one is not too bad. It's still wrong, though.

Nerd alert: the correct version comes from the Latin acquirere, which means 'get in addition' ??

? Correct spelling: acquisition

Misspelling 7: devlopment – 50,414 results

Again, spellcheck is your friend here. Enjoy the bonus error in this screenshot.

? Correct spelling: development

?? It's easy to spot an error and to think that that's all there is to find. Look again ??

Misspelling 8: acheivement – 15,448 results

You might have heard that the 'i before e except after c' rule you learned at school is a load of junk. Yup, it is: eight neighbours seized beige veils – see?

Perhaps the confusion around that fake rule is why people get this one wrong.

? Correct spelling: achievement

Misspelling 9: entreprenuer – 9500 results

Yes, it's French ????

No, it's not spelled like that.

? Correct spelling: entrepreneur

Misspelling 10: pubic – 1955 results

Professional editors love this error. This isn't one that spellcheck will flag, so you'll have to check it manually.

? Correct spelling: public

?? Accountants are always splitting hairs … ??

Misspelling 11: resoursing – 331 results

There aren't many of these to the pound. It's one of the more forgivable errors, but again it's something that spellcheck will spot.

? Correct spelling: resourcing

Misspelling 12: poofreader – 23 results

Unquestionably my favourite spelling mistake, and a rare one at that.

? Correct spelling: proofreader

Content that you should double-check right now

Check the writing that a lot of people will see. You don't want mistakes here:

• Website homepage
• Social profile summaries
• Popular articles and cornerstone content
• Adverts and email campaigns
• Business cards
• Brochures and other glossy materials

It's easy to miss errors when checking your own writing. See my top 10 tips for proofreading your own work.

What if I spot an error in someone else's writing?

If someone you know has made an error in their writing, tell them in private. And don't be proud about it – we all make mistakes.

If it's someone you don't know, be careful. They might not take your feedback well.

In any event, don't call people out in public. I appreciate that I'm sailing close to the wind by including the blurred screenshots here, but I hope you'll see that this is coming from the right place.

Tips for improving your LinkedIn profile

I recently reviewed 5 good LinkedIn profiles. See what best practices you can pick up from these examples:

Need help with your LinkedIn profile?

If your LinkedIn profile needs more than just a spellcheck, drop me a line. I've reviewed lots of profiles and have a good sense for what works and what's a turn-off. Perhaps I'll catch something that you've missed.

Interested? Check out my LinkedIn support page