A few weeks ago I enjoyed a lovely dinner with friends at a cool restaurant in Raleigh. The first time I ate there—decades ago—I was a young English major and ordering quiche and raspberry iced tea made me feel cool, too. Quiche was an exotic dish back then. The name of the place added to my delight because I understood the clever use of a non-word, Irregardless Café.
Yes, that’s right. Irregardless is not a word. It could be a blend of irrespective and regardless, but it’s wrong to use. Use regardless instead.
Regardless of the outcome of the soccer game, I’ll treat myself to frozen yogurt.
Another word used incorrectly is impact. Impact is a noun, not a verb.
How did the new law impact bathroom usage? Wrong. Instead write, how did the new law affect bathroom usage?
Finally, let’s consider a whole sentence that is used incorrectly. I could care less means exactly the opposite of what the speaker intends. I could care less means…I could care less. Think about it! If you could care less, care less. If you couldn’t, use I couldn’t care less instead.
Despite how often you may hear these words in daily speech or on TV, they are not correct. They may make for a cool name of a restaurant, but using them incorrectly doesn’t endear you to old English teachers, editors, or grammar police.