corespondent

One missing letter can change a person's life from a job title to a legal accusation. If you are a correspondent (with two r's), you might be reporting the news from a foreign country. But if you are a *corespondent* (with one r), you are likely making the news for the wrong reasons—specifically in a divorce court.

The word breaks down into "co-" (meaning together) and "respondent" (the person answering a lawsuit). In a divorce case based on adultery, the spouse being sued is the respondent. Since it takes two to tango, the person the spouse is accused of cheating with may be named the corespondent. In that setup, both are tied to the same accusation.

A *corespondent (also written co-respondent*) is a specific legal term used mainly in divorce cases involving adultery. When one spouse files for divorce and accuses the other spouse (the respondent) of cheating, the person the respondent is said to have cheated with may be named in the case as the corespondent.

For example: "In the high-profile divorce, the politician was named as the corespondent." This means the politician is the "third party" accused of having an affair with the person being sued.

It is vital not to confuse this word with *correspondent*. Correspondent* (double "r") refers to someone who communicates by writing letters, or a journalist who reports news from a specific location (e.g., "The BBC's foreign correspondent"). Corespondent* (single "r") is the legal term for the joint defendant in an adultery-based divorce case.

So, while a correspondent might write about a scandal, a corespondent is usually the one involved in it.