Editing/Proofreading marks?

Question

What marks do professional editors and proofreaders use to indicate that a word is misspelled? There are many different sets of editing, proofreading, and typesetting marks and symbols, but the indication I am most used to, circling the word and writing SP in the margin, appears to be most often used to indicate that an abbreviation should be typed out fully.

Answer 1

In book publishing, we use the marks found in The Chicago Manual of Style. When a word is misspelled, it is appropriate to cross out the word and write the correct spelling above it or in the margin, especially if the manuscript or set pass is going back to the design department. If only a letter or two needs to be inserted, you can use a caret and write the words either above the mark, or in the margins.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Correct. SP is the most commonly used mark for spelling mistakes. And/or, to spell out a word.

Answer 3

While it is true that many teachers do circle misspelled words, most professional proofreaders will fix the spelling error. For example, if the word understand is misspelled understannd, the proofreader will simply cross out the extra n. Alternatively, if the word is missing a letter, say undersand, the proofreader will insert the missing t with an insertion mark. Finally, if the word is terribly misspelled, the proofreader will cross the word out and write the correct spelling above it.