The Eggcorn Database

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Chris Waigl[Edit][Delete]: The Eggcorn Database, [Edit][Delete] December 12, 2006
You never know what you're going to see if you follow a mailing list long enough. Today - after several days of discussion - what showed up on ITForum was this, the 'eggcorn'. Example: saying "a different tact" instead of (the proper) "a different tack." According to the page, "They [eggcorns] tell us something about how ordinary speakers and writers make sense of the language they use." This is the sort of thing about language that both enlightens and confounds: you can use it quite incorrectly, but still be understood, and in a way more subtle and accurate than had you used it correctly. More...