# Best/Worst Typo/Spell-Check Error You've Seen Lately **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157 "2015-07-14T17:49:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/1 "2015-07-14T17:49:28Z")
Thought-provoking and totally Mundane. Based on a thread in GQ, I was wondering about any observations regarding typos. > **[What does "in dome" mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=762194)** > > In this HuffPost story is this line: “In the lead up to that summit we are planning events and a caravan to directly raise these questions in dome of the countries most damaged by the drug war”. Is “in dome” a typo? Never seen the phrase before. Are there even editors at major publications anymore? Personally, I will not admit to anything unless my lawyer is present. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/2 "2015-07-17T18:35:24Z")
Not _lately_, and I may have reported this here before, but it’s an example of why spellcheck does not replace the need for a human proofreader. You see, as far as I know, no government agency actually has a Department of Pubic Housing (and if they do, I do NOT want to know about it). P U B L I C with an ‘L’, not ‘P U B I C’ without the ‘L’ :eek::smack: Fortunately, this was caught before it went to the client. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/3 "2015-07-17T18:40:46Z")
Was it here or on Facebook where I recently read the headline about the first major league baseball “amphibious” pitcher? (The meant ambidextrous, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/4 "2015-07-17T18:43:41Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Not _lately_, and I may have reported this here before, but it’s an example of why spellcheck does not replace the need for a human proofreader. > > You see, as far as I know, no government agency actually has a Department of Pubic Housing (and if they do, I do NOT want to know about it). > > P U B L I C with an ‘L’, not ‘P U B I C’ without the ‘L’ :eek::smack: > > Fortunately, this was caught before it went to the client. I’ve seen a variation of that on a letter sign board: PUBIC LIBRARY “I can check one out?” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Heckity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Heckity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heckity)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/5 "2015-07-17T19:21:52Z")
In a local newspaper under Help Wanted “Clerk needed . . . attention to detail. . . in a fast paste environment”. Spell check wouldn’t have helped. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@purple\_cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_cow)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/6 "2015-07-17T19:28:15Z")
I am a writer/editor for small company. We once got a piece from a client that talked about the “no holes barred” competition in the field. I’ve heard of screwing your competitors, but that seems excessive. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/7 "2015-07-17T20:15:35Z")
A verbal typo today. We’re having issues with our virus scan causing a conflict with one of our critical programs. When the virus scan starts on a machine everything freezes. If all the computers run virus scan at the same time then all the computers freeze at the same time which is REALLY bad. I was talking this over with our Admin/IT person today who kept repeating that the Computer Services Department were going to **stagnate** the computers so virus scan would not run on all the machines at once. She meant stagger, but oh how accurate she was. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/8 "2015-07-17T20:27:23Z")
On of the bosses here sent out an email blast about people being too casual in emails–forbidden are OMG and LOL etc. which oby (another forbidden “word”) would only occur in mails between co-workers but which apparently offends her sensibilities. Went on to rail against poor grammar, punctuation failures etc. and ended with this gem: “Please don’t use excessive EXPLANATION marks” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/9 "2015-07-17T21:46:10Z")
I found this one just two days ago. MAN HOLES CAUSING PROBLEMS ON MACHESTER ROAD Actually, it should be “manholes.” Man holes cause entirely different problems. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/10 "2015-07-17T21:59:15Z")
I use voice to text a lot. This is a text I sent a girl who I met online. Day three after exchanging phone numbers. Keep in mind, we haven’t even met in person yet: I’m sitting at a red light. I SAY (using voice to text) “I’m in awe of you.” The light turns green, so I hit send in a hurry with out proof reading the text. About three minutes later, I’m at another red light. I go to look at the text I sent. To my horror the text read: “I’m in love of you.” :eek: I was so embarrassed, I had to pull over to the side of the road and assure her that I am not a psycho. That girl is now my GF. So I guess it all worked out. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/11 "2015-07-18T02:02:12Z")
And did you learn your lesson and stop texting while driving? ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/12 "2015-07-18T02:41:47Z")
I once saw an email go out to the entire company announcing the annual flu shots program with an unfortunate typo in the subject line: “FLU SHITS!!!”. The person who did it was a very capable woman. She sat right outside my office, and I felt a little bad laughing as hard as I did when I saw it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/13 "2015-07-18T09:58:28Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > You see, as far as I know, no government agency actually has a Department of Pubic Housing (and if they do, I do NOT want to know about it). Those are the people who inspect and maintain chastity belts? ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/14 "2015-07-18T14:44:52Z")
The CFO of a place I worked once sent out an email regarding renovations occurring in our building. The email ended with, “We apologize for any incontinence this may cause.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/15 "2015-07-18T14:55:04Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I use voice to text a lot. This is a text I sent a girl who I met online. Day three after exchanging phone numbers. Keep in mind, we haven’t even met in person yet: > > I’m sitting at a red light. I SAY (using voice to text) “I’m in awe of you.” The light turns green, so I hit send in a hurry with out proof reading the text. > > About three minutes later, I’m at another red light. I go to look at the text I sent. To my horror the text read: “I’m in love of you.” :eek: > > I was so embarrassed, I had to pull over to the side of the road and assure her that I am not a psycho. > > That girl is now my GF. So I guess it all worked out. I’ll do you one better, when emailing a girl, there’s a world of difference (though the end game may be the same), between “I’d like to meet you” and “I’d like to meat you”. Anyways, back to the OP, on one of our local news sites a few years back they mentioned the H1N! virus. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/16 "2015-07-18T15:11:37Z")
I’m often amused when I type a name or slightly unusual word and the spall chuck suggests a replacement that’s somewhere on the comic to actionable spectrum. It’s odd how many times these wrong choices still fit the sentence, albeit to other and potentially disastrous ends… Given how many people’s spelling and vocab skills are shaky already, I’m surprised we don’t see more such “assisted disasters.” ---
**Author:** ![syncope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@syncope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncope)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/17 "2015-07-19T14:28:46Z")
At the hospital where I work, the doctors’ dictations are translated into the charts via a program that barely recognizes English, much less names. Hilarity ensues. We actually keep a notebook of the best errors (with no patient identifiers of course). According to the charts, we have doctors in our system with the following names: Dr. Dressing Bowel Ski. Dr. Missing Teeth. Dr. Goat Hair. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/18 "2015-07-19T14:54:48Z")
Many years ago I used to moderate a cancer support group. One day I saw a very sad post titled “My husband past away”. That one stuck with me, it was so poignant and somehow so right. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/19 "2015-07-19T14:57:27Z")
Spell-check is our greatest enema. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157/20 "2015-07-24T14:25:02Z")
> [@syncope](#): > > At the hospital where I work, the doctors’ dictations are translated into the charts via a program that barely recognizes English, much less names. Hilarity ensues. We actually keep a notebook of the best errors (with no patient identifiers of course). > > According to the charts, we have doctors in our system with the following names: > > Dr. Dressing Bowel Ski. > > Dr. Missing Teeth. > > Dr. Goat Hair. What a versatile practice. A gastroenterologist, a dentist, and a… veterinary dermatologist? 😕 (Actually, it sounds like the setup for a “…walk into a bar” joke. A very convoluted one.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-typo-spell-check-error-youve-seen-lately/725157.md?page=2)