typo

¹

[ tahy-poh ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural ty·pos.

1. typographical error.

typo-

²

1. a combining form representing type in compound words:

   typography, typology.

typo.

³

abbreviation for

1. typographer.
2. typographic.
3. typographical.
4. typography.

typo

¹

/ ˈtaɪpəʊ /

noun

1. informal.
   a typographical error Also called (Brit)literal

typo.

²

abbreviation for

1. variants of typ.

Word History and Origins

Origin of typo¹

1890–95; shortened form; -o

Example Sentences

In her haste and excitement, Judy made a typo: “My step grandmother was married to your grandfather and I how the clocks you are looking for.”

From Los Angeles Times

When she reviewed the names, Teran noticed the reporters’ list even featured the same errors as hers, down to the typo on one employee identification number.

From Los Angeles Times

“And don’t worry, I’ll have some speaks” — not a typo — “with that home plate umpire after the game.”

From Seattle Times

Mr Rathbone told the BBC this mistake gave the version additional value - similar to first editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which feature notable typos in the copy.

From BBC

Does a typo in this world create clean copy in multiple others?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blemish
• bug
• defect
• failing
• fault
• foible
• glitch
• pitfall
• weakness

More About Typo

What is a typo?

Typo is short for typographical error—a mistake made when typing something.

The term typically refers to an unintentional error that happens when you accidentally hit the wrong key on a keyboard—the kind of mistake that autocorrect is supposed to catch and automatically fix when you’re typing a document or texting. For example, typing teh when you mean to type the is a common typo.

Typos often result in misspellings, but, technically, not all misspellings are typos. It wouldn’t be quite accurate to call a misspelling a typo if you spelled the word that way on purpose. Still, people often use the word this way, especially when politely pointing out misspellings in things that other people have typed.

The term typographical error can also refer to an error made during the printing process, such as due to a mechanical issue, but this sense of the term is much less commonly used

Example: I should have proofread my proposal because as I was presenting it I noticed a typo right on the title slide.

Where does typo come from?

The first records of the word typo as a short form of typographical error come from the 1890s. The typo- in typographical comes from the Greek týpo(s), meaning “type,” and the graph part is based on a root that refers to writing. The word typography refers to the process of printing with type.

Most of the time, typos are no big deal. They’re common, especially in informal communication like texting, and most of the time the person reading the message will be able to figure out what you meant to say. But typos in official documents can be pretty serious, and there are stories (and probably a few legends) about how legal cases were decided due to a single typo. Edtiors and proofreaders catch and fix typos as part of their job (though some inevitably slip by).

Some modern slang terms are based on typos. The slang word pwn probably originated from people mistakenly typing the letter p instead of the letter o in own.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to typo?

• typos (plural)

What are some synonyms for typo?

• typographical error

What are some words that share a root or word element with typo? 

• typographical
• typography

What are some words that often get used in discussing typo?

 

• error
• mistake
• misprint
• type
• typing
• autocorrect
• writing
• proofread
• editing
• check

How is typo used in real life?

Typos happen when you text too fast or forget to proofread your work. The word itself is informal, but most people use typo instead of typographical error even in professional settings.

This is the best typo I've ever seen. Maybe even better than "causal cognition" ➡ "casual cognition". https://t.co/MLv6N4EbNa

— Olivia Guest (banshee/bantheyy) 🧟‍♀️ Ολίβια Γκεστ (@o_guest) October 10, 2020

My keyboard got updated so if you see some weird typos in my tweets just know I'm still to blame because I coulda checked before sending

— Goddammit, Deb (@SomeRandomBee) July 28, 2020

for someone who always corrects people’s grammar, I sure do have a lot of typos

— madi harmer (@madiharmer) October 8, 2020

 

 

Try using typo!

Is typo used correctly in the following sentence?

Thankfully we caught the typo before the ad was published—otherwise people would have thought that we were having a garbage sale.