The importance of spelling

In order to not end up in the wrong place or insult someone unintentionally.

 

Today’s “A.Word.A.Day” offering of “afflatus” reminded me of a recent article in the local paper. Two persons decided to go on a holiday whilst attending a conference so transmitted to their airline (no names mentioned – I am sure that every airline has done this at least once) various airport codes, a route and used almost 400’000 miles to also have first class.  As they boarded the second flight and started seeing what had come up on the screen they realized that they were headed for Granada in Spain instead of Grenada in the Carribean! They have been fighting ever since to recuperate their miles.  That is a one-letter error.

There are often problems when people book airline tickets online instead of at an agency when they don’t pay attention and end up at San Jose in California, USA instead of San José in Costa Rica – that’s only an accent on the last e.

But back to afflatus: I, mistakenly, although the roots are the same, thought that they were going to be describing “flatulence”.

A noun labeling “A creative impulse or inspiration” should not be taken for the results of flatulence!