Wikipedia talk:Typo Team

Project to fix mistakes in vital articles with AI assistance

I thought this may interest some editors here, see the discussion at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Guild of Copy Editors#Project to fix mistakes in vital articles with AI assistance. Phlsph7 (talk) 09:27, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

"Homogenous" and "Homogeneous"

It seems like "homogenous" originated as an archaic term for "homologous" in biology, but has been frequently used as an alternative spelling of "homogeneous". Some dictionaries list it as a recognised variant, although some list it as a common mistake. There are over 1500 articles containing the word "homogenous", with most of them likely being unrelated to biology. Should each of these alternative spelling occurrences be treated as erroneous and edited to use "homogeneous", or should they be left untouched? Thanks in advance. had0j (talk) 04:51, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

In a Wikipedia article is the following, "Homogenous is strictly a biological/pathological term which has largely been replaced by homologous. But use of homogenous to mean homogeneous has seen a rise since 2000, enough for it to now be considered an 'established variant'." The Wiki editor uses Grammarist as their reference. Grammarist says, "In general usage, however, it is commonly used in place of heterogeneous." What Grammarist omits to say (or fails to reinforce) is that the 'commonly used' is regarded as non-standard by at least two competent dictionaries. Cambridge says that "homogenous is a non-standard spelling of homogeneous" and Oxford doesn't appear to cross-reference their entries, implying that the use of 'homogenous' would be in error when the meaning of 'homogeneous' was intended. Merriam-Webster lists 'homogeneous' as a synonym of 'homogenous', so significantly deviates! In the list of misspellings is an entry for 'heterogenous' that states '(acceptable variant of heterogeneous)'. I've checked the archives and failed to find any relevant discussion. Perhaps that 'acceptable variant' statement is open to challenge. Neils51 (talk) 11:57, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

Merriam-Webster is notoriously descriptive, listing many misuses and misspellings as "variants" without further commentary. – Jonesey95 (talk) 12:41, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

Summiteer or Summiter

I believe that the correct spelling should be 'summiteer' (one who achieves a summit). I don't see any competent dictionary support for 'summiter'. Would like to hear what others think before I change (move) any categories. Neils51 (talk) 14:27, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Either spelling would suffice; see wikt:summiter and wikt:summiteer. "Summiteer" is more general as it can also mean any mountain climber or it could mean anyone who attends a summit conference. So when "summiteer" is used, then it has to be well-described in context, so readers will understand what it means. P.I. Ellsworth , ed. – welcome! – 15:08, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Thanks, however I don't see any support for wikt:summiter in the main external dictionaries. Neils51 (talk) 20:31, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

It's a pleasure, and neither did I. Cambridge didn't even list summiteer either. Let's ask editor Graeme Bartlett, who created the page on Wiktionary, where he got it. P.I. Ellsworth , ed. – welcome! – 22:21, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

wikt:summiteer was created in 2007 by Robert Ullmann. I made wikt:summiter inspired by use on Wikipedia in 2006 Philippine Mount Everest expedition,[1] but checked that the spelling appeared in books and news sites before adding. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 23:13, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Grammatical Error on page for Cap’n Crunch

Hello. In the Variations section, under the subheading “Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries,” the following sentence appears:

“A version of Crunch Berries available briefly three small berries in a cluster rather than spherical berries.”

It is the second sentence of the section. I believe there is an error somewhere in that sentence. Maybe “had” between “briefly” and “three.” ~2026-13956-05 (talk) 01:33, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

Sounds good! This is why even after all these years I still preview my edits. But that's no guarantee. I'll go back the next day and double-check to find I've left a typo. On WP that's why we have a typo team (and editors like yourself who catch these typos). I'm not sure why the word "briefly" is even there, tho'. Feel free to make the edit. Good catch! P.I. Ellsworth , ed. – welcome! – 05:36, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

Perhaps it should read:

"A version of Crunch Berries that was briefly available had three small berries in a cluster rather than spherical berries."?

P.I. Ellsworth , ed. – welcome! – 05:42, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

Khomeini vs Khamenei

Hi all,

I have noticed that dozens of articles incorrectly write Ruhollah Khomeini's name as "Khomenei", and Ali Khamenei's name as "Khameini". This includes articles about conflicts, the Iranian revolution, opposition groups & BLPs of prominent Iranian politicians associated with both men. It also incldued Khomeini's own page until I fixed it today.

There are still many of them remaining and I simply don't have the time. Hopeful that people can work on this with me. aesurias (ping me in your reply, or I won't see it) (talk) 02:44, 8 March 2026 (UTC)