Well, after all the advanced technical discussions, this post is a bit like a mouse screaming at a lion, but here is a short list of frequent OCR errors I have come across. There are many more I have never noted down, but just fixed on the fly.
Maybe more folks can share their "little lists" for the edification of us all.
Some of these will be caught with spell-check,
but not all, by any means ...
OCR VILLAINS:
Spoiler:
0 <--> O {zero <--> Uppercase o}
1 l I i ! <--> each other
{digit One, lowercase L, uppercase i, lowercase i, exclamation mark}
2 <--> Z
5 <--> S
6 <--> uppercase G
7 <--> ? {question mark}
7 and / = I {uppercase I in italic}
e <--> c
are <--> arc
f ligatures confusion
ff, fi, fl, ffi
h <--> b
back <--> hack
harrow <--> barrow
H = ll
weH = well
H or h = li
Hbrary = library
hke = like
hn = lm
ahnost = almost
j <--> J {lowercase <--> uppercase J }
jane = Jane
Jury = jury
] = J
square bracket = uppercase J
]ane = Jane
rn <--> m
Mom <--> Morn
stem <--> stern
earnest = camest {this also had the e=c combo}
ri <--> n
arid <--> and
r = f
ringers = fingers
m <--> in
stein <--> stem
rmg = ring
inoth = moth
im <--> un
unport = import
imdone = undone
n <--> u
bnt = but
teut = tent
uest = nest
ii = u
iinder = under
B <--> R {uppercase}
DEABEST = DEAREST
Robby <--> Bobby
F <--> P {uppercase}
Full <--> Pull
ih = th
feaiher = feather
di = th {weird, but it happens a lot}
die = the
tii = th
tiie = the
tli = th
tlie = the
Tm == "I'm (also with no leading quote)
T = I {uppercase i}
U = double ell, li, il
WeU = Well
Ufe = life
untU = until
vv = w
vvhen = when
\V = W
y <--> v
yery = very
verv = very
/' = ," or .” {or single quote}
* = quote mark
** *' '*
'' = " {two single quotes, should be a double quote}
Space following opening quote mark
Space preceding closing quote or punctuation mark.
He did this ; then he did that ; then he said : “ You aren’t ready ! ”
Apostrophe goes missing, stranding the last letter
I m = I’m, don t = don’t, Bob s = Bob’s
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
These following often occur with a "Smarten Punctuation" action:
Backward quote marks:
” close quote at start of paragraph
“ open quote at end of paragraph
Reversed single and double quotes in nested quotations:
“And I said to him, ‘Quit that!”’
‘“O what a tangled web we weave,’” she said.
’ Right single quote should replace "straight" apostrophe, not ‘ Left single quote. Happens often at start of a word:
‘em should be ’em, ‘tis should be ’tis