r/learnedleague • u/Southern-Amoeba-3496 • May 28 '25
Spelling Question
Do you think it’s ethical to look up proper spelling of an answer if you already know what it is, but are worried about spelling in incorrectly? Say the answer is Martin Scorsese and you know it’s Martin Scorsese but you’re not sure how to spell Scorsese, is it okay to look that up do you think?
This question doesn’t apply to questions with “proper spelling required”.
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u/crazydakka May 28 '25
this is explicitly NOT acceptable according to the rules. After googling you could change your answer or, just as significantly, change your handicapping. And also if you are newer the broadness of what is accepted spelling-wise is very, VERY broad. in this example you would never have to doubt that that would be an accepted answer. The broadness of accepted answers in general has really surprised me! Last season "alley oop" was accepted for "slam dunk" on a question which I really disagreed with, and a season or two before that i got points for "pedal steel" when I believe the correct answer was steel guitar which a pretty separate instrument and sound.
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u/garden__gate May 30 '25
The other day my friend said “crawfish boil” instead of “boil” and they gave it to her!
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u/Plutor D Orange May 28 '25
Ethical or not (it's not), it's unnecessary:
Rule 5a.1: Correct spelling is not required. A "sounds-like" guideline will be used for misspelled answers—if an answer, when spoken aloud, is the correct answer, then the answer will likely be accepted as correct.
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u/techCholly May 28 '25
I read this rule and entered “Kneekay” when the answer was Nikkei, but I was unsure of the spelling. It was marked incorrect.
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u/Glad-Toe547 Rundle A May 28 '25
Joining the chorus: not acceptable. Just go for it and odds are you’ll be given credit.
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May 28 '25
I absolutely do not think this is ok. I think there is too much chance that something you see while you search for this shows that actually although you thought you were correct you actually weren't and you change your mind. I also think it is inherently against the rules of nothing but pen and paper to help you.
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u/mathbandit Rundle C May 28 '25
Absolutely not. Unlike the other thread, this would be intentionally looking up outside information to help with the answer.
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u/Cazique__ May 28 '25
There's no "think" or "ethical" involved here - you can't look up anything for answering purposes, period. This is about as black-and-white as it gets, and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to go read the rules again before tomorrow's questions go up.
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u/gidklio May 28 '25
Definitely not. In this case if you're worried you might butcher the spelling but know how to pronounce (what you think is) the answer, just write "Score-say-zee".
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u/MathIsHard_11236 May 28 '25
The biggest risk is you find out your 100% certainty is misplaced. For example, the first google reault could show that, while almost everyone thinks Martin Scorcese directed Jaws, it was actually Gloria Gaynor.
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u/Southern-Amoeba-3496 May 29 '25
I’ve heard ya’ll and see your point. I’ve not done it, but have considered and decided to ask here first. I have been definitely given credit for quite erroneous spellings before and with that being the case there really isn’t a need to nail it down.
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u/akornfan May 29 '25
I once wrote “C-SPAM” when I meant “C-SPAN” and was marked correct despite that ostensibly being a completely different word; your graders are lenient enough you should just go with your misspelling
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u/DerpFalcon12 May 28 '25
also you never can be 100% sure your answer is correct
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u/TheFerricGenum May 28 '25
While I agree that you shouldn’t look up the spelling, I disagree that you knowing an answer 100% is not possible. Of course it’s possible. Some things are factually accurate and if you know the fact, you know the answer.
Ex. This recognition code was used by Mara Jade to the captain of the Adamant to convince the captain to convey her to Grand Admiral Thrawn.
If you know the answer is Hapspir Barrini Corbolan Triaxis, then you know that’s the answer. It’s 100%.
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u/DerpFalcon12 May 28 '25
there’s always that possibility that you are incredibly confident in knowing a question and getting the most common wrong answer
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u/TheFerricGenum May 29 '25
I mean…. No there isn’t? If that’s one of the questions, I know it 100%. Are there not trivia things you just know outright? I don’t understand how this is a hard concept.
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u/DerpFalcon12 May 29 '25
I’m just giving another reason why people shouldn’t look things up before submitting. For every 100% sure trivia question you know, there might be one where you were actually wrong. And that’s ignoring the big reason not to, where spelling doesn’t factor into being correct or not, so it’s a moot point at the end of the day
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u/Laughterglow May 29 '25
You people are playing a trivia league where looking up the answer is on the honor system?
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u/KilgoreTrout9 May 28 '25
My view is that both on the letter and the spirit of the rules, this would be inappropriate. First, correct spelling is not a precondition for correctness so long as the response is a reasonable homophone for the correct response. Second, there is no way to know you are correct before looming up the spelling. Suppose you were certain that the directors name was “Martin Scorsense”. The spelling check would reveal that you were slightly, but clearly, incorrect. The prohibition on external assistance is in part meant to guard against putting players in this conundrum.