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succès fou. (Fr.) A huge success, a smash hit.

succubus. A female evil spirit that has sexual relations with a man. A spirit that has intercourse with a sleeping female is an incubus.

Sucre. Official capital of Bolivia, although the seat of government is La Paz.

Sudetenland. German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia annexed by Hitler in 1938.

sudoku. Japanese number game. It is an abbreviation of suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru, “the numbers must be single.”

Suetonius (Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus). (c. 70–c. 160) Roman historian and biographer.

suggestible.

sui generis. (Lat.) In a class of its own.

suing.

sukiyaki. Japanese dish.

Suleiman I. (c. 1490–1566) Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1520–1566); called “the Magnificent.”

sulfur.

Sullavan, Margaret. (1911–1960) Not Sulli-. Hollywood actress.

Sully Prudhomme. Pen name of René François Armand Prudhomme (1839–1907), French poet; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1901.

Sulzberger, Arthur Ochs. (1926–) American newspaper publisher.

Sunni. Branch of Islam.

SunTrust Banks. U.S. banking group. Note SunTrust one word.

Sununu, John H(enry). (1939–) American Republican politician from New Hampshire.

Sun Yat-sen. (1866–1925) Chinese statesman and revolutionary.

Suomen Tasavalta. Finnish for “Republic of Finland.”

supersede is one of the most frequently misspelled of words. Note the final syllable is -sede, not -cede.

Surayud Chulanont, General. (1943–) Former prime minister of Thailand (2006–2008). On second reference he is General Surayud.

Suriname, Surinam. Confusion still sometimes arises concerning the name of this small South American country. The spelling Surinam can now safely be regarded as historic and Suriname as the preferred modern spelling. The Suriname River and Suriname toad also take the modern spellings. Suriname was formerly Dutch Guiana.

surreptitious.

surrounded means completely encircled. To say that something is “surrounded on three sides” is a poor use of the word.

surveillance.

survivor. Not -er.

susceptible.

Susquehanna River, eastern United States.

sustenance.

susurrate. Whisper.

suttee. Hindu practice of a widow throwing herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.

Suu Kyi, Aung San. (1945–) Burmese political activist, awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Suva. Capital of Fiji.

Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok.

Suwannee River, southern United States; immortalized in songs as “the Swanee.”

Sverige. Swedish for Sweden.

Swayze, Patrick. (1952–) American actor.

Sweet ’N Low. Sugar substitute.

Swinburne, Algernon Charles. (1837–1909) English poet.

Swissair. (One word.) Former Swiss airline.

Swithin’s (or Swithun’s) Day, St. July 15. According to legend, rain on that day will be followed by forty days of the same.

sycamore. Tree.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

syllabub (or sillabub). Type of dessert.

symbiosis. A relationship that benefits both parties.

Synge, J. M. (for John Millington). (1871–1909) Irish playwright.

synonym.

syphilis. Not -ll-.

syphon is acceptable, but siphon is generally preferred.

Szczecin, Poland; formerly Stettin.

Szechwan/Szechuan. Former spellings for the Chinese province that is now spelled Sichuan; the cuisine of the region, however, remains known in English by either of the earlier spellings.

Szilard, Leo. (1898–1964) Hungarian-born American physicist.

Szymborska, Wislawa. (1923–) Polish author; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature (1996).

Tt

tableau, pl. tableaux.

table d’hôte. Set meal at a fixed price.

tablespoonfuls.

tabula rasa. (Lat.) A blank slate, the mind at birth.

tachycardia. Abnormally fast heartbeat.

taffeta. Fabric.

tagliatelle. Type of pasta.

Taipei. Capital of Taiwan.

Taittinger champagne.

Taiwan. Formerly Formosa; officially the Republic of China, though that title is seldom used outside Taiwan itself.

Tajik for the language, Tajikistani for something that is from or of Tajikistan.

Taj Mahal. Celebrated mausoleum at Agra, India.

Takashimaya Company Limited. Leading Japanese retail group.