On Sun, 10 Dec 2000, Samuel W. Heywood wrote:
> P.S. Before sending this message I dutifully ran spell check. It passed
> with flying colors. Still I thought there was something wrong with the
> way I had spelled something. So I decided to change my spelling of
> "ordnance" to "ordinance". Did I do right? According to spell check,
> either spelling is perfectly OK.
>
That's the problem with spell checkers. They don't consider context
and meaning. Neither spelling is perfectly ok in all situations.
"Ordnance" and "Ordinance" are two different words with two distinct
and different meanings. "Ordnance" is a plural noun meaning bombs
and explosives. "Ordinance" is a singular noun meaning a law or
regulation.
The spelling depends on which word you meant to use.
Sam Ewalt
