Sharpen your wits, because it’s time for another spelling bee. Today we invite you to test yourself with some words whose correct spellings may surprise the most careful of spellers.

We begin with a word familiar to dancers, soldiers, typesetters, and folks who remember to rotate their tires: alignment. So how do you spell alignment? Most people spell it alignment, a spelling right in line with the word’s French ancestor aligner. But some folks use alien to begin the word (or to spell the verb usually spelled align). Although the alien spelling isn’t nearly as common as align, that variant is considered acceptable.

Don’t want alignment to be the only gauge of your spelling skills? Try your hand at spelling the word gauge. If you left out the u and spelled it gage, don’t assume your spelling doesn’t measure up. The gage version is also considered standard, especially when it names any of various instruments featuring a graduated scale or dial for measuring quantity, such as a fuel gage.

We’ll close with a word big among hacks, techno-geeks, and other folks in the computer industry: programmer. Do you spell that word with one m or two? As you’ve probably figured out by now, both spellings are considered acceptable.

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