12 loan words that are easy to miss

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The life hacker understands why there are no doubled consonants in the "producer" and how to remember the spelling of the word "vinaigrette".

1. "Startup", not "start-up"

Few of those who started their own business and are successfully doing business spell this important word for them correctly. You can often see a “new start-up” or “founder of a start-up”.

The term came into Russian from English, where it is written without a hyphen. We have the same rule. It is correct to write this: "MSU graduates launched the best technology startup in 2018".

2. "Online", not "online"

The confusion is understandable here. Some dictionaries released more than ten years ago indicate the spelling “online”. However, the language tends to simplify, and with the increase in the frequency of the use of this word, the need for a hyphen has disappeared.

Today it is true to write it like “time to be online” and “work online”. If “online” is the first part of a compound word, then a hyphen is needed after it: “online conference” and “online business”.

It is the same with "offline": the hyphen inside the word is not put.

3. "Blogger", not "blogger"

As in the previous case, over time, the spelling of the word has become easier. And if earlier, when the Internet just appeared, it was very fashionable to be bloggers, today a blogger is a common occupation.

In English, the root consonant letter is often doubled before the suffix, but in Russian there is no such tendency. It will be true: "Well-known bloggers told how to launch their own channel."

4. "Producer", not "producer"

Probably, the error appears due to the word "director", which is spelled with two "s". But neither in English, nor in Russian, the doubled consonant in the word "producer" is not needed.

“The film was produced by a famous actor” is the correct spelling.

5. "Cappuccino", not "cappuccino"

If espresso lovers already know how to spell their favorite drink (of course, without the letter "k"), then cappuccino fans still make the mistake.

In the Russian language, "cappuccino" came from Italian, where the word has two doubled consonants at once - cappuccino. Therefore, the error is understandable, but there is only one correct option: "A cup of cappuccino, please."

6. "Mosaic", not "mosaic"

The wrong spelling tells us the pronunciation: in oral speech, the word is often spoken through "y".

Unlike many other borrowed words, in the case of the "mosaic" dictionaries offer the only correct option. It is correct to write and say this: "There was a beautiful mosaic on the floor in the hall, so similar to the antique one."

7. "Vinaigrette", not "venigret"

The word is borrowed from French and comes from vinaigre, which means vinegar. Therefore, the first vowel in this word is "and", not "e".

The word is really complicated, so in order to remember for sure, it's better to connect the associations.

8. "Immunity", not "immunity"

This is the case when two are better than one. And don't even ask where the logic is. After all, the Russian "immunity" comes from the Latin immunitas, in which we observe a doubled consonant. By analogy with other cases, she should lose the word, having come to the Russian language. However, the situation is reversed with "immunity".

It is correct to write this: "I have good immunity, so in the offseason I usually do not get sick."

9. "Scam", not "scam"

Despite the fact that the word came from French to Russian at the beginning of the 19th century, it still causes difficulties. It's easy to remember: a “swindler” is suitable as a test one, where there can be no question of any “e”. It will be true: "Together they pulled off an impressive scam."

10. "bra", not "bra"

The word comes from the German büstenhalter, which is pronounced with a soft "l". In Russian, the word sounds similar, so a soft sign is needed.

As for colloquial speech, there is a life hack. If you can't figure out the bra in any way, say "bra". Simple and always correct.

11. "Conjuncture", not "conjuncture"

A word in which there are two controversial points at once. First, it is written with a hard sign. The following rule works here: words of a foreign language origin with an initial part of con-, which is a prefix in the source language, and is usually not selected as a prefix in Russian, have a solid separator sign.

Secondly, the letter "n" is still needed. The word comes from the Latin conjunctura, where there is "n". It is preserved in the Russian version.

12. "Appeal", not "appeal"

A word in which the tendency characteristic of the borrowed words of the Russian language simultaneously works and does not work is the reduction of double consonants.

Despite the fact that in the Latin appellatio we see the doubling of consonants in two cases, for Russian only one of them is relevant - two letters "l". It is correct to write like this: "Ivan has filed an appeal and is now awaiting a decision."