Mistakes Happen

Sometimes the best made plans of those putting in a good day’s work can turn out to be a mistake.  Adding numbers, counting items, writing code or just trying to fill an order, we can err in our efforts.  Recently I read about the word “dord” that made its way into the famous Merriam-Webster dictionary back in 1939.  What began as a request from one of the writers was misinterpreted to be a actual word (story below). It caught my attention, so I went looking for some other errors I had not heard of and included them too.  Here’s to all of us who have made a mistake that went unnoticed for some time, and thanks to those who forgave us – (and extra thanks for those who invented spell check in Word) – and to Google for the info.  Enjoy!

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The discovery of the word “dord” is one of the most famous lexicographical mistakes in the history of English-language dictionaries. Its story began in 1939 when it was uncovered as a ghost word — a term that mistakenly found its way into print without a real meaning or use. 

The amusing error became a piece of trivia celebrated by language enthusiasts and dictionary historians alike. 

The error that created “dord” occurred at Merriam-Webster, one of the most respected dictionary publishers. In the 1930s, editors worked meticulously to expand and refine their dictionary entries. During this process, a slip of paper (called a “slip” in lexicography) was submitted by a chemistry editor to add the notation “D or d,” which indicated that the letter D could be used as an abbreviation for the word density. The notation was written ambiguously, leading the typist to interpret it as a word rather than an abbreviation. 

Consequently, the typist entered “dord,” and a definition was assigned: a noun meaning density. This ghost word was published in the 1934 second edition of Webster’s New International Dictionary.

The erroneous entry remained in print unnoticed for several years. In February 1939, an editor at Merriam-Webster named Philip Babcock Gove, who later became known for his work as the editor-in-chief of the third edition of the dictionary, stumbled upon “dord” while reviewing the dictionary. Gove noticed that “dord” lacked a proper etymology, which raised suspicions. Upon further investigation, he traced the entry back to its original slip and discovered the typographical confusion that had led to its creation.

Once the mistake was confirmed, Merriam-Webster took immediate steps to rectify it. The entry for “dord” was quietly removed in subsequent printings of the dictionary starting in 1947, though some versions continued to carry it for a few more years due to production lag times.

Despite being a mistake, “dord” has become a charming piece of linguistic trivia, often cited as a reminder of the challenges of compiling dictionaries and the potential for human error in even the most authoritative texts. It highlights the complexity of lexicography, where precision in language, notation, and editing is paramount.

Although “dord” no longer serves as a legitimate entry in dictionaries, it continues to live on in linguistic folklore and educational discussions. Writers, educators, and trivia enthusiasts reference “dord” as a symbol of lexicographical humor and a cautionary tale about clarity in communication. Its story reminds us that language is dynamic and that even errors can leave a lasting legacy. Today, “dord” is a playful reminder that every word has a story — even one that never truly existed.

Here are some famous examples of unintended mistakes, similar to the discovery of the ghost word “dord”.

1. The Ghost Word “Abacot” (16th Century)

“Abacot” was mistakenly included in dictionaries as a term for a type of headgear. It first appeared in Richard Hakluyt’s The Principal Navigations (1598), believed to have been a corruption of the real word “bycoket,” a pointed cap worn in medieval times. The error persisted in several dictionaries for centuries until it was finally removed in the 20th century. Like “dord,” “abacot” had no authentic origin or use in real language.

2. The Nonexistent Island of Sandy Island

For many years, Sandy Island appeared on nautical maps and Google Earth, located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia. The island was originally reported by whaling ships in the 19th century and persisted in maps due to error propagation. In 2012, an Australian research team confirmed that the island did not exist, leading to its removal from maps. It is now a famous example of a “phantom island.” (It should be replaced with Kowalski Island – a place I’m sure to visit!)

3. The Molecule “Cyclohexatriene” in Chemistry

For decades, textbooks described benzene as having alternating single and double bonds, depicted as cyclohexatriene. This representation was based on Kekulé’s early structural theory. However, modern quantum chemistry shows that benzene’s bonds are actually delocalized, forming a ring with equal bond lengths. The incorrect alternating-bond model persisted for generations as a simplified, though inaccurate, depiction.

4. The Mars Climate Orbiter (1999)

In one of NASA’s most costly errors, the Mars Climate Orbiter was destroyed due to a mistake in unit conversion. One team used metric units (newton-seconds), while another used imperial units (pound-seconds). This miscommunication caused the spacecraft to enter Mars’ atmosphere at an incorrect trajectory, leading to its destruction. The mistake highlighted the critical importance of consistent standards in scientific work.

5. The Piltdown Man Hoax (1912)

The Piltdown Man, discovered in England in 1912, was hailed as the “missing link” between apes and humans. However, it was revealed in 1953 to be a hoax composed of a human skull and an orangutan jawbone. The fraud remained undetected for decades, misleading the scientific community and becoming one of the most infamous examples of error and deception in archaeology.

6. “Butterfly Effect” Misinterpretation (Chaos Theory)

The term “butterfly effect” originated from a simplified interpretation of Edward Lorenz’s research on weather prediction. His work demonstrated that tiny variations in initial conditions (like rounding errors) could lead to vastly different outcomes. Although the metaphor of a butterfly causing a tornado is now a popularized version of chaos theory, it was not Lorenz’s literal claim. We sort of know it as doing something here, that makes an impact somewhere else on the planet.

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