Psycedelics and Other Common Misspellings

The goal of this resource is not to lecture on grammar and the all-too-difficult letter combinations that languages have us dealing with on a daily basis. Instead, we wanted to take a look at the history of the word and all of the variations of the word “psychedelics” that are misused most often and what we can do about these errors.

What is the Origin of the Word?

As if we were participating in a spelling bee, it behooves us to first ask “what is the origin of the term psychedelics?”

The term psychedelic, from the Greek for “mind-manifesting”, was coined by Humphry Osmond, a British psychiatrist working in Canada in the 1950s. “To fathom hell or soar angelic / Just take a pinch of psychedelic,” he wrote in a letter to the writer Aldous Huxley.

That’s amazing in and of itself. But let’s take a look at the spelling variations that are used around the term “psychedelics.”

Let’s start with Psycedelics

This attempt makes phonetic sense, right? That’s probably why it’s most commonly seen. However, the first syllable, albeit the trickiest phonetically, is the most crucial. “Psych” is obviously the root of the term “psychology.” Without “psych,” you’re opening up a myriad of options as to not just the origin of the word but also what it’s positioned to do for humanity.

The 6 Most Common Misspellings

When searching in Google, what do most people type in lieu of “psychedelics?” We put together the top queries by volume below.

  1. psychedelicsa
  2. psydelics
  3. sycadelics
  4. phydelics
  5. physcedelics
  6. psycadeilics

Please Avoid Psychodelics

For obvious reasons, this interpretation just doesn’t look right. We’re already working hard enough to break the stigma of psychedelics so throwing in the word “psycho” doesn’t help the cause.

Other Common Misspellings of Psychedelics

According to Google, here’s the full list of keyword variations that have been typed into the search engine:

It’s Psychedelics – Don’t Forget It!

Sure, it’s a mouthful of a word, but we’re going to have to get it right in order for these treatments to go mainstream. So, read it a few more times, remember it, and keep pushing the “psychedelics” movement forward.