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Stet is a Latin word used in publishing to indicate that a change should not be made and the original language should be valid. It is an imperative verb and can be used to replace other correction marks. Stet is the third person singular present subjunctive of the Latin word stare, meaning “to stand.” It is not an abbreviation and can be written in lowercase or capitalized. Stet is a common editor grade taught in basic journalism classes and is applied directly to a printed version of the document in red ink.
Stet is a Latin word widely used to refer to a publisher’s brand meaning “forget it.” It is commonly used in contexts involving proofreading, such as printing and publishing, and is generally written alongside or over a previous change, indicating that the change should not be made and that the original language should be valid. When pronounced correctly, it rhymes with “bet”.
Usually, the word stet is used as an imperative verb, meaning that the writer uses it to instruct the reader. When written directly in the place of correction, the word is almost always used by itself. In conversation or when used in a separate document, however, it can start a sentence. For example, an editor might verbally tell a writer to “put the second paragraph on page three.”
As with many indicators used in literature, stet is a Latin term. Specifically, it is the third person singular present subjunctive of the Latin word stare, meaning “to stand.” It came into use as a common publisher’s mark in the mid-1700s.
Many times, the word stet is used to indicate that a letter, word, phrase, sentence, or section should remain, even if the publisher’s markups indicate that it should be deleted. This can happen for a variety of reasons. The publisher may simply have made a mistake, may change his mind, or may later discover that a fact believed to be incorrect is, in fact, correct.
Stet can also be used to indicate that another type of change can be ignored. Common editor signs allow a proofreader to tell the writer to capitalize a word; convert an uppercase letter to a lowercase; insert a letter, a word or an element of punctuation; insert spaces; or check the spelling of a word. Stet can be used to replace such correction marks.
It is a common misconception that stet is an abbreviation rather than an actual word. Technically, it should be written in lowercase, but some editors and proofreaders choose to capitalize the first letter or capitalize the entire word. Any of these variations will be recognized by someone familiar with the publisher’s trademarks.
Most editor grades, including stet, are taught in basic journalism classes. They were developed before the advent of electronic documents and, therefore, before features such as track changes were available. In the publishing tradition, editing marks are applied directly to a printed version of the document, usually in red ink. While electronic documents have changed methodology in many ways, this tradition, called “redlining,” remains a common practice.
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