Laptop or labtop? I’m not even kidding.
Writing for Business
Which is correct?
I’m afraid my _______ has a virus because it’s been slow to respond ever since I opened that attachment.
a. laptop
b. labtop
Answer: a.
Explanation:
Of course, it’s a laptop. Just as a desktop PC sits on a desk, a laptop PC sits on a lap. A Lab would make a poor support for a computer of any type, being an athletic breed that likes to run, swim and play catch.
Do you find it hard to believe that anyone actually thinks the correct term is “labtop”? I was so surprised to find “labtop” in a list of common word errors that I thought maybe the writer had been one short for her list and made it up on the spot. Sooooo… I did a quick search and found:
How to cable your labtop to your TV
Father shoots daughter’s labtop computer
A Google search for the exact phrase “labtop or laptop” finds 12,500 results. Here’s a sample:
Labtop or laptop? – Yahoo! Answers
10 Apr 2008 – Labtop or laptop? which one is right, I used to call it laptop, then I changed it to labtop, so which one is the right one , or are they both right?
And, of course, posts on tech forums, mostly looking for help (go figure, as they say):
Blue screen Error – Inspirion 1564 labtop
Q&A: Why won’t labtop detect ac adapter? | TechRepublic
RECOVERY DISK FOR ACER ASPIRE ONE LABTOP
Toshiba L505 Labtop Charger Help – General-Laptops-Notebooks …
This poignant note is from BleepingComputer.com: “I recently allowed my cousin to borrow my labtop. But I think they may have visited some bad websites. My labtop has been very slow to respond since they used it…”
Maybe if they called it by the correct name it would respond more readily?
