Countdown star Susie Dent has had her new book – Word Perfect – published with typos.

The TV star’s publisher, John Murray Press, was forced to apologise for accidentally printing early copies of the book by mistake.

“We’re very sorry that, due to a printing error, early copies of Word Perfect are not word perfect,” it tweeted.

Dent, 55, who has appeared on Countdown’s Dictionary corner since 1992, said that she could “testify to the effectiveness of lalochezia: the use of swearing to alleviate stress and frustration” after the mishap.

Describing the error as a “book-printing brouhaha”, she thanked her fans for their understanding and said anyone with a typo-littered copy can order a replacement.

Dent is a lexicographer – someone who writes and edits dictionaries – and Word Perfect is a compilation of stories based on a different word for every day of the year.

It is described by her publisher as a “brilliant linguistic almanac” and explains the meaning of words such as “snaccident” – unintentionally eating an entire packet of biscuits.