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Why "disasterous" is a spelling catastrophe

Reviewed and edited by

Lloyd Cooper 11/12/2024, 19:00

English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

Disasterous or disastrous. What's correct?

It is a spelling error.

Why do people make this mistake?

People often assume that the suffix "-ous" can be directly appended to certain words following a common English spelling pattern. While this is true for many words, such as "dangerous" or "marvelous," the word "disaster" forms "disastrous" by dropping the "e" in its root before adding "-ous". This irregular formation can cause confusion.

What is correct?

"Disastrous" is the correct spelling. It is an adjective that means "causing great damage or suffering" or "extremely bad or unfortunate".

Examples of correct usage

The storm caused disastrous flooding throughout the region.
Their investment turned out to be a disastrous mistake.
Failing to back up the data had disastrous consequences for the company.

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