Let’s have a look-see/looksy/looksie into the correct spelling of “look-see,” shall we not? (Yes, I know. There was no way to write this sentence without giving it away.)
Though you might see all of these spellings, only one is correct.
The correct spelling is “look-see.”
Did you get it right?
Not so different from saying “hear hear,” when exclaiming support for an idea being spoken, reminding others to listen up (yes, that “hear hear” is spelled H-E-A-R twice), “look-see” has a similar repetitiveness.
As for taking a look-see, it means to take a brief look at something.
“Look-see” isn’t cute babytalk or a diminutive form implying a “little look,” as might be suggested with spellings such as “looksy” or “looksie.” Rather, this word is a combination of the verbs “to look” and “to see,” which are near synonyms. While its origins in the 1860s likely stem from a pidgin English formation, it somehow stuck in the everyday vernacular, lingering for roughly one hundred fifty years so far. That’s some informal English with staying power.
But, that being said, that staying power doesn’t always include correct spelling. “Looksy” is never considered right. “Looksie” is sometimes accepted (I’m looking at you Microsoft Word), but I don’t know if that’s coming from confusion with the word “lookie-loo” or otherwise.
“Look-see” isn’t a word to use in formal academic or business writing, but there’s nothing wrong with employing just the right word on other occasions. The English language is full of possibilities for just that, right? That’s the beauty (and perhaps the agony) of our language that has derived from so many varied sources. So many words have evolved from a singular moment where a term underwent a transformation that stuck. Here’s simply another case.
Do you have a different word where you’d like to take another “look-see”? Contact me today to share your questions or suggestions about a future word tip.
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