Embarrassing Error: "illitterate"

 

In December 2005, alt.usage.english regular D C Wood posted information about an embarrassing error he had found in a spelling dictionary (see the thread in Google here and go to message no. 33 posted by "dcw"). He scanned the relevant pages, which are reproduced below, and need no further comment.

Title page: "The Oxford Minidictionary of Spelling"

"The following error escaped our notice: for 'illitterate' read 'illiterate'"

"..., illiteracy, illitterate, illness, ..."