A recent study byWordUnscrambler.prohas analysed Google search data to identify the words South Africans struggled to spell most in 2025. The research, conducted between January 1 and December 17, tracked common search queries such as “how do you spell” and “how to spell”. According to the data, these were the top-searched words in each province: According to the researchers, many of these searches occur not because South Africans cannot spell, but because they are confused by the differing standards of British English (the South African norm) and American English.
“Surprisingly, most of the words South Africans are searching for are not outright errors but rather alternative standard forms,” a spokesperson for WordUnscrambler said. “We found many searches revolved around how to spell words in the US vs the UK or Australia. Words such as colour, favourite and honour reflect British English, while their American counterparts (color, favorite, honor) are also technically correct.
People simply seem unsure which standard to apply in formal contexts.” Beyond that, many words remain difficult due to their phonetic structure and irregular vowel placements. “Words such as because, queue, weird and surprise are frequently searched because English spelling does not consistently match its pronunciation,” the spokesperson added. “Tricky words such as queue contain silent letters and unusual vowel patterns, while weird famously breaks the ‘i before e’ rule.” The study also pointed to the rise of autocorrect as a factor in declining spelling proficiency.
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WordUnscrambler.pro suggests that our heavy reliance on mobile devices may be causing “digital amnesia”. “Studies suggest that over-reliance on autocorrect weakens spelling skills over time. We simply forget things we delegate to technology. Misspellings might be on the rise not because we know less, but because we feel we need to know less.”
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