sprightly.
"Sprightly" (= [1] lively, airy; or [2] zesty, esp. spicy, in flavor) is subject to the mischievous misspelling *"spritely" — e.g.:
o "Will she end up a bitter, washed-up star a la Baby Jane, psychologically torturing her spritely [read 'sprightly'] sis Jamie-Lynn? Let’s recap Britney's recent bizarre behavior." Tamara Ikenberg, "Not So 'Lucky," Courier-J. (Louisville), 10 Mar. 2007, at S4.
o "Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson, 'Kicking and Screaming') is in middle-school hell. He's bullied in class and ignored at home. Enter Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'), a spritely [read 'sprightly'] new student with an enchanting perspective on life despite being treated as an outsider herself." "This 'Bridge' Is Best Uncovered," Boston Herald, 17 June 2007, Edge §, at 32.
o "This is when you want to reach for one of the stalwarts of the California wine trade. . . . Also consider the spritely [read 'sprightly'] Firehose 2006 California Off-Dry Riesling ($9), a new release from Trinchero Family Estate in Napa Valley." Mike Dunne, "Good Deals to Pair with Your Backyard Meals," Sacramento Bee, 21 May 2008, at F1.
Language-Change Index — "sprightly" misspelled *"spritely": Stage 1.
*Invariably inferior forms.
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Quotation of the Day: "Some of the most difficult-to-write and most detailed definitions any dictionary contains are those for some of the most common words in the language: nouns like 'man' and 'paper,' verbs like 'shoot' and 'start,' and adjectives like 'new' and 'nice,' and the articles, prepositions, and auxiliaries." Kenneth G. Wilson, Van Winkles Return 35 (1987).
