What's Oklahoma’s most misspelled word? 'Patience,' according to Google

As the 97th Scripps National Spelling Bee crowned another young champion this past week, a new report highlights a different reality: most Americans still rely on Google to get their spelling right.

A recent analysis by Word Unscrambler used Google search data to uncover the most misspelled word in every state. The findings offer a revealing — and sometimes funny — look at which words continue to trip us up, even in the digital age.

Oklahomans Struggle With ‘Patience’

In Oklahoma, the most commonly searched-for spelling was the word “patience.”

While it’s not the trickiest word in the dictionary, experts say simple-sounding words often confuse people due to silent letters or similar-sounding alternatives like “patients.”

‘Definitely’ Tops the National List

Across the country, the word “definitely” caused the most confusion, generating more than 33,000 Google searches for its correct spelling so far this year. It was followed closely by:

1. “Separate” – 30,000 searches
2. “Necessary” – 29,000
3. “Believe” – 28,500
4. “Through” – 28,000

Other commonly misspelled words included “gorgeous,” “neighbor,” “business” and “restaurant.”

Some States Get Creative — Or Quirky

While many states struggled with familiar vocabulary, some stood out for their unique spelling slipups. In Vermont, residents most frequently looked up “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” the whimsical word from Mary Poppins.

Other outliers included:

1. Hawaii – “Luau”
2. Tennessee – “Broccoli”
3. California – “Appreciation”
4. New Jersey – “Congratulations”

Experts Say Technology Plays a Role

The study suggests our reliance on autocorrect and digital tools might be weakening our natural spelling skills.

“We simply forget things that we delegate to technology,” a WordUnscrambler spokesperson said in a statement. “Misspellings might be on the rise not because we know less, but because we need to know less.”

As spelling champions take the stage each year with hours of preparation and memorization behind them, the rest of us may be just one typo away from a quick Google search.