Irregardless was popularized in dialectal Americanspeech in the early 20th century. Its increasinglywidespread spoken use called it to the attentionof usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that"there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from generalacceptance. Use regardless instead.