dittography means the accidental error of repeating a word, phrase or combination of letters by a scribe or copyist. It carries an Arena rating of 1729, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, dittography ranks #220 of 13,219 for Funniest Words, #1,349 of 13,219 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,626 of 13,219 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,693 of 13,219 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
dittography is pronounced /dɪˈtɑɡɹəfi/.
Why “dittography” is a great word
The accidental scribal error of writing twice what should have been written once. From the Ancient Greek διττός (dittós, "double") + -graphy (from Greek -γραφία, "writing"). Unlike haplography, the mistaken omission of a repeated element, or the intentional shorthand "ditto," dittography is an unintentional stammer of the hand, a moment of cognitive stutter transferred to the page. It is the weary eye returning to the wrong line in a manuscript, the cramped hand tracing a phrase twice, or the mechanical thud of a struck typebar printing the same letter again—a small, material testament to the fallible human hands that preserve what they cannot help but slightly mar.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek διττός (dittós, “double”) + -graphy. Not related to English ditto.
noun
- The accidental error of repeating a word, phrase or combination of letters by a scribe or copyist.
- An error produced thereby.
Words closest in meaning
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