Learning Dilemma

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, Martha.

Hi, who’s this?

This is Yvette.

Yvette, welcome to the show.

What can we help you with?

Hi, Grant.

Thank you.

Actually, I have a dilemma.

Okay.

I’m calling regarding the spelling of, well, the two spellings of dilemma.

The one with two M’s and the one that’s MN.

Mm—

Interesting.

Dilemma and dilemma.

No, it’s still dilemma.

It’s still dilemma.

Yeah.

Wait a second.

There are two spellings of dilemma in your world?

Yes, in my world and apparently many others from what I hear.

Wow, parallel universes do exist.

I first learned dilemma with MN, and I think it was around elementary school.

And I attended a military school in kindergarten,

And then the rest of elementary school was in a private Catholic school.

Both of those were in New England.

But later on in life, when I started college, I realized it’s MMA.

And so you, how long did you spell it as M-N-A-D-I-L-E-M-N-A?

Well, to be quite truthful, I still write it out, but then I spell check myself and I correct it.

Oh, wow.

Interesting.

That’s a horrible habit.

So your question is, what’s going on here?

Yeah.

Is it a regional thing?

No, it’s a mistake.

Okay.

Really?

And you know, you’re not the only one.

You are right.

There are lots of people that have been taught to spell dilemma with an N.

The lima has never had an N in it.

Never.

My theory is there’s so many people who say this that there was a misprint in a widely used textbook and everyone just assumed the book was right.

That’s all I can think of because there’s no reason for it to be spelled with an N.

None of the dictionaries have it.

In the historical record, it’s very rare.

And yet there are people, so many people alive today who swear they learned it from a teacher in school.

Absolutely.

We had a caller many, many years ago, and I think he went to Catholic school.

Yes, I was going to say that.

Exactly right.

So I’m wondering if there’s a particular textbook used in the Catholic schools or I don’t even know.

Yeah, because I remember we told them it was just with two Ms.

And then we got all these emails and all these calls from people who said, no, no, no, I was taught that way too.

I have to tell you, this kind of underscores what I’m saying is that God bless them.

I love teachers, but when they go wrong, they leave permanent damage.

That is correct.

It’s a souvenir from your schooling, though.

Yeah, a souvenir from your schooling.

That’s a nice positive way to look at that.

Thanks for calling.

And if you find out anything more about, if you remember the teacher or the year or the textbook,

Give us a call or drop us a line and let us know, all right?

We will get to the bottom of this one.

We will figure out where this mass delusion came from.

All right.

Sounds good.

Thank you so much.

Take care now.

Thanks, Yvette.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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