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03 April 2008 @ 10:25 pm
Question for the native speakers  
What is the difference between disoriented and disorientated? I've seen/heard both used, but I can't seem to figure out when to use which.
Current Mood: curiouscurious
Amberminttown1 on April 3rd, 2008 08:47 pm (UTC)
I am nearly certain that disorientated is not a word. Disorientation is, but not disorientated. So just use disoriented; that is the correct word.
Illmanillman on April 3rd, 2008 09:01 pm (UTC)
Thanks. This was sort of what I suspected, that disorientated isn't a proper word, since I've not been able to find it in my Webster dictionary (although some internet dictionaries do list it as a word). What made me a bit uncertain is that there is that one TV show that keeps using the word and apparently so do its fanfic writers...
Amberminttown1 on April 3rd, 2008 09:03 pm (UTC)
Maybe it's a kind of inside-joke within that canon/fanon? That sort of thing happens sometimes. But as far as I can tell, it's not really a word. I think it's one of those times that people get confused because of the 'ate'/'ation' suffix on disorientation and then assume that 'disorientate' is a word as well.