Did anybody else get taught this?

egg&chips · 19-09-2012, 20:47

My wife just asked me how to spell dilemma. I told her I spelled it dilemma, but that I remember spelling the word as dilemna when I was at school, as did she. I thought that my memory must have been playing tricks on me, but now I find that there's this global (albeit in isolated pockets) debate about how you spell the damn word.

Educated at AGS (wife at AGHS) so thought I should have been taught correctly but now who knows? Anybody else spell it -mna like I used to, or are you a lifelong -mma speller?

MargaretR · 19-09-2012, 21:11

They both could be right -
Dilemna or Dilemma

"Both sides are so adamant that they are correct that it's prompted some to consider it all as evidence of a parallel universe... the reason being that it seems highly unlikely that the Dilemna spelling persisted across so many generations and continents over hundreds of years without someone somewhere saying 'hold on a minute, look at this dictionary...'
So, as many scientists have now come around to accepting the parallel universe theory as not only possible but actually highly likely, the logic goes that in parallel universes the different spellings were taught and now there's been the crossover for many of us into an alternative universe, whilst our other selves continue on in the proper Dilemna universe... yikes! "

I have participated in internet discussion about New Zealand wrongly placed on maps and some poor unfortunates who have found their lives have changed dramatically which can be explained by a leap to an alternate parallel universe. Most changes retold are small yet subtle eg 'the curtains were a different colour yesterday'.

http://www.ghosttheory.com/2012/01/1...allel-universe

susie123 · 19-09-2012, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by egg&chips

My wife just asked me how to spell dilemma. I told her I spelled it dilemma, but that I remember spelling the word as dilemna when I was at school, as did she. I thought that my memory must have been playing tricks on me, but now I find that there's this global (albeit in isolated pockets) debate about how you spell the damn word.

Educated at AGS (wife at AGHS) so thought I should have been taught correctly but now who knows? Anybody else spell it -mna like I used to, or are you a lifelong -mma speller?

Never heard of dilemna, but if the word comes from di + lemma, which it appears to, then the -n- spelling appears to be misguided but common.

As far as I can see the following website advocates dilemna without saying where that spelling arose except that it the original one for the derivation from di + lemma - but why? or am I reading it wrong?

Dilemna or Dilemma