http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/affectvseffect.htm

http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/0003-ibeforee.htm

http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/michaeljackson.htm

Hah, i wub english. My thanks go to Tycho at Penny Arcade as he pointed to one of those vids in one of his posts.

haha, that's very cool. I actually have issues with effect/affect myself.

I never really confuse them. Maybe it's just because English is a learned language for me and I tend to take more time to 'think' about my spelling rather than do it half subsconsciously like a native speaker. I.e. I question my choice of words more often. If that makes sense.

The one that stood out the most for me was the Michael Jackson one...very interesting indeed. But I'm baffled that people would look up the word 'icon'. I mean, come on.

Heh, never heard of that i before e rule. A good thing it seems

And yeah, what's with people looking up all these words. If i know them, a native english speaker should know them as well. Icon, R.I.P., condolences ... my god how can you not know those.
(just had to look up emaciated though)

haha. My guess on those simple words is people speaking foreign languages or something. I just don't see a typical American (even a retarded one) being too stupid to know what icon is, but smart enough to look it up online. Michael's popularity was pretty far-reaching, after all.

As for looking up words, I'd rather look it up then look like an idiot. So I look stuff up pretty regularly.