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Surprising Spelling Tip of the Week
Posted by Editormum on Friday, 29 August 2003 in Uncategorized | ∞
Interesting word, “minuscule.” Means “tee-ninesy, itty-bitty, microscopically small, insignificant.” And it’s spelled funny.
You’d think it was supposed to be spelled “miniscule” with the “mini-” like the one in “miniature” or “Mini-Me.”
But it isn’t!
It’s spelled “minuscule” with a “minus” as in “less than.”
Who knew? A coworker called me on this one, and we had to go to the dictionary to settle it. Boy, was I red-faced when we found out that the coworker was right and I was wrong. According to Webster’s, the preferred spelling is the one with the “u.” The spelling with the “i” is an alternate spelling. Well, you learn something new every day.
So remember, if it’s of “minus significance,” it’s “minuscule.”