trashpost 🗑️

I think in this case, you're witnessing the forces that shape the evolution of language. There are competing influences from wanting to be correct so that you are understood, and wanting to be convenient and flexible. People will resist change, because they have learned how to communicate and they would like others to follow the same conventions. Spelling and grammar drift, but a certain amount of rigidity is required to maintain the flow of ideas.

If a change is so convenient and easily understood that it spreads faster than the resistance can stomp it out, then the evolution may go entirely unnoticed. Consider the hyphen. Practically all of the previously-held rules about hyphen usage have gone the way of the dodo. Or you can start a sentence with a conjunction. You can even end a sentence with a preposition if that's what you're going for.

On the other hand, some people feel that spelling and grammatical errors are evidence of a lack of education. Some people like to feel superior by making other people feel stupid. Catching a mistake is like a trump card, especially when found during an argument.

In your example, I don't think "atleast" is significantly more convenient than "at least." It seems to me that it is more likely a typo than a deliberate conjunction or sincere misspelling. Contrast "atleast" with "alot," where the latter is frequently used by people who actually believe "alot" is one word. And guess what? Much to the chagrin of Ms. Brosh, the word "alot" has been used frequently enough to become a word that is defined as "a common misspelling of 'a lot.'"

So while I agree with your comment that language changes over time, and I think the comment calling the use of "atleast" a "Fail" is petty, I also don't expect that particular change to catch. As evidenced by your vote ratio, there are more people who don't like the change than there are people who will use it.