Stationary or Stationery?

Which is correct? That depends on whether you want to talk about something that doesn't move (stationary) or something you write on (stationery).

Did you know that stationery is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language? Here's a telling example, based on how many people search in a day in the major search engines for two product types:

Term:	# searches daily
wedding stationery	241
wedding stationary	191
personalized stationery	509
personalized stationary	520

It's easy to understand why people frequently misspell this word. Both words sound exactly the same and the spelling is almost identical -- just one vowel makes the difference.

If you're doing a product search at home, it doesn't matter whether you spell a word correctly or not. The "smartest" search engines will note your misspelling and prompt you with a question: "Did you mean wedding stationery?" Google will just assume you spelled the question wrong and give you search return listings that don't even use the wrong spelling.

However, if you're in a professional situation, such as writing a letter at the office or creating ad copy for a client who sells business paper, you want to make sure you are using language correctly. Fortunately, there is one way that will allow you to never misuse the word "stationary" again. It's what is known as an mnemonic device.

There are many different types of mnemonics, or memory techniques. One of the most common is an acronym - a combination of letters one makes up with each letter acting as a cue to something you need to remember. For example, if you need to remember the names of the New England states, you may create the acronym MNM-CRV (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont).

Another mnemonic device is called an acrostic. An acrostic is a sentence you make up where the first letter of each word is supposed to remind you of a concept or fact you need to remember. For example, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge can serve to remind you of the notes of the G Clef.

To forever remember the correct spelling of stationary and stationery, we'll use the devise known as an Image-Name Technique. Here you'll form an image in your mind for each of two words, based on the single vowel that differentiates the two words: E for stationery and A for stationary. Create an image of an Envelope for the letter E and associate an Envelope with Stationery. Create an image of a large object, like a water tower, Always standing still. A is for stationary.

So, next time you're writing about writing paper, think of the Envelope you're going to mail it in and you'll be sure to get it write, err….right!