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.

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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

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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

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

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