haplography

American  

[hap-log-ruh-fee] / hæpˈlɒg rə fi /

noun

1. the accidental omission of a letter or letter group that should be repeated in writing, as in Missippi for Mississippi.

---

haplography British  

/ hæpˈlɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the accidental writing of only one letter or syllable where there should be two similar letters or syllables, as in spelling endodontics as endontics

---

Etymology

Origin of haplography

First recorded in 1885–90; haplo- + -graphy

Explanation

In writing, the accidental dropping of one of two letters, syllables, words, or phrases is called haplography. How many haplographies do you see in the text "sory I mised your cal"? Haplography comes from the Greek haplo- meaning "single" or "simple," plus -graphy meaning "writing." That's single-writing: writing something once, when you should have written it twice. A common example of haplography is writing "Missippi" for "Mississippi." Do you see it? The first one is missing the repeated iss. The word haplography only applies to writing, not speech: Pronouncing something once when it should be pronounced twice is called haplology (or, if you're feeling funny, haplogy), using the Greek root -logy for "speech" instead of writing.

Example Sentences

Quique quod is obviously prone to haplography; on the other hand, it could be a rewriting of qui quod id es, which is itself presumably a simple corruption through interchange of qui quod es id.

From The Last Poems of Ovid by Akrigg, Mark Bear

Their omission would seem to be obviously due to haplography.

From Dio's Rome, Volume 2 An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During the Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus; and Now Presented in English Form. Second Volume Extant Books 36-44 (B.C. 69-44). by Foster, Herbert Baldwin