palabras mal escritas
/palabɾas mal eskɾitas/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'misspelled words' is translated into Spanish as palabras mal escritas.
This phrase is used to describe words that have been written with the wrong letters or in the wrong order. For instance, if you are talking about the actual mistakes made, you might use the phrase errores ortográficos (spelling errors) instead.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of palabras (words), mal (badly/wrongly) and escritas (written).
Which one should you use?
While palabras mal escritas describes the words themselves, errores ortográficos is a common way to refer to the spelling mistakes made.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective escritas must agree in gender (feminine) and number (plural) with the noun palabras. If you want to refer to a single misspelled word, use the singular form palabra mal escrita.
How do you pronounce it?
/palabɾas mal eskɾitas/
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers often use the verb faltar to describe a misspelled word, saying a letter is 'missing' even if the wrong letter was added instead.
- Spanish speakers use the word errata specifically for mistakes made during the printing process, distinguishing them from a writer's personal palabras mal escritas.
- Because mal is so versatile, it can function as an adverb, an adjective, or even a noun meaning 'illness'.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, pero parece que hay un error ortográfico.Excuse me, but it seems there is a spelling mistake.
- Perdón, pero la palabra está mal escrita.Sorry, but the word is misspelled.
- Oye, esa palabra no se escribe así.Hey, that word is not spelled like that.
- Ey, cometiste un error al escribir esa palabra.Hey, you made a mistake when writing that word.
- No te ofendas, pero esa palabra está mal escrita.Don't get offended, but that word is misspelled.
- Hay muchas palabras mal escritas en este libro.There are many misspelled words in this book.
- Revisa si hay palabras mal escritas en tu examen.Check if there are misspelled words in your exam.
- El sistema detectó algunas palabras mal escritas.The system detected some misspelled words.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are proofreading a document together.
- Daniel¿Encontraste muchas palabras mal escritas en el informe?Did you find many misspelled words in the report?
- MaríaSí, Daniel, he encontrado varias palabras mal escritas.Yes, Daniel, I have found several misspelled words.
- DanielEs importante corregir esas palabras mal escritas ahora.It is important to correct those misspelled words now.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, yo las arreglaré enseguida.Don't worry, I will fix them right away.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
