For the love of God, everybody it's etc for et cetera. Not ECT

You could cop out and say impact instead.
I now need to name change as a real pedant would not post that.

One good thing about my school was they were strict on enunciation. The standard of English teaching wasn't good.

Out of interest, how did you learn the languages? Taught or immersion?

i'll try that !

@steppemum , it does if you remember to link the sound to he meaning. Affect is usually a verb (Action), effect is usually a noun (End result).

How will this affect me? (Action)
What effect will this have on me? (End result)

that is great, and I am glad that your school did that, but it is generlaly recognised in education that the child centred free thinking approach in the 70s led to many schools not teaching grammar and spelling.

It is one reason why there has been such a huge backlash, meaning that year 6 now have to spend a lot of time learning things like fronted adverbials.

I was at school in the '70s and '80s, and we had regular spelling tests, and often did bits of grammar - I certainly knew about the parts of speech and subordinate clauses before starting any foreign languages.

Enunciation does not help with effect and affect at all!
The issue is when should effect be used and when affect.
I mentally do not have 2 distinct meanings for them, or distinct sounds in my head when saying a sentence.

I speak 3 languages well, and 2 more at lower intermediate level, so I now have a good grasp of grammar, but just like the loose/lose person above, I have a blind spot with effect and affect. In my head they are one word with 2 spellings and it is a mystery to me which goes where (despite knowing the actual rules for them, somehow that doesn't help)

@steppemum , we weren't taught English grammar at school either, but I studied other languages. I find it helps to enunciate clearly (ee-ffect and ah-ffeect not uh-ffect) and to write words in full (it is not it's).

I struggle with effect and affect.
What is worse is that I am a teacher!
I grew up and went to school in the 70s and grammar (and spelling) was not taught at all.
It became a real issue when learning French at secondary school, when none of us had a clue what any of the parts of speech were in English, so was hard to learn in French.

I am 100% self taught with all these spellings and grammar points, and forced myself to do it because I am a teacher. Not sure how many of my generation would have bothered unless it was relevant to their work though.

I also have to think twice about lose and loose. I remember that lost has one o and that helps.

@dailyconniptions, Many of the Pedants' corner threads have posters who will argue that they're right when they are not.

@NunsOnTheRum , @explanationplease , @Doingtheboxerbeat , @Abitofalark
in English, the vowels in unstressed syllables tend to be said as a schwa, which is why affect and effect tend to sound the same.

Colombia isn't Kul-umby-a in Spanish. Bogotá sounds different too.

It's Colombia

It's confusing if they get used for two things. DP could be partner or parents. GP could be the family doctor or grandparents.

What's worrying is the frequency of the same mistakes.

? What’s the issue?

Rein it in?

That's probably because that's how our broadcasters pronounce it: something like C uh LUM be a. The news reader on Sky the other day did that while talking to a Colombian reporter who pronounced it as something like CO LOHM be a. The BBC used to go with an approximation of the Colombian reporter but it seems to have changed.

Currently posting on a thread in Telly Addicts where several posters are repeatedly referencing the South American country of Columbia.

Or if you really want to be adventurous free rain. It's the there, their and they're of raynes 🤭.

"Make me feel real loose like a long-necked goose"

Chantilly Lace, by The Big Bopper 🎶😎👌

Dont bother me how people spell i can scan read.

Its better to see a few mistakes, than hearing about how everyone on mumsnet have some sort of SEN.
What i do have a few probs with is when most use code words, DD,DH,STBXH,DGC,DS,DGP, and on and on and on.

No, it isn't the place. Preaching to the converted there.

Another winner that could have helped me my entire life 😄 . Funnily enough, I never confuse loss with lose/loose.

As I was thinking further about loose and wondering how you spell similar words such as goose, moose, noose, which are pronounced the same, suddenly a line from a song came into my head: 'Make me feel real loose like a long-necked goose'. It's an old rocker and quite catchy.

It’s free rein not free reign but what can you do?

It's confusing to some people because "bearing" an object which supports a shaft and has to bear or withstand, or put up with its weight is spelt B, E, A, R.

What do you think it should be?

@Abitofalark @WellMaybeYouShouldntBeLivingHeeeeeeee I wish I could explain the struggle I have with this specific word, but I can't.
I know the difference between affect and effect - as per my post from page 1 and I've never struggled with bought and brought and plenty of others that throw people - it's just this one blind spot.

But the lose / loose change makes instant sense to me.