# If you can't spell it right, don't use it! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2001, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331 "2001-04-25T19:00:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/1 "2001-04-25T19:00:02Z")
I am so sick of seeing posts using the French word _voila_ spelled VIOLA. A viola is a musical instrument, for God’s sake. It just looks so stupid! An example: (names have been removed to protect the guilty) > [@](#): > > …Just create a folder, call it “My Apple Menu”, toss all your stuff in it, and then stick it in the Dock. Viola!.. Please excuse me, but this error irks me. Oh, and since this is The Pit: shit piss tits cocksucker motherfucker goddamn and …what’s the last one? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/2 "2001-04-25T19:09:09Z")
The Seven Words You Can’t Say on Radio or Television are shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits. Please excuse me, but this error irks me. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/3 "2001-04-25T19:13:29Z")
I submit to you, **Dolores** , that some of us do that because it is fun. In fact, in my family we do it so much we’ve taken to naming various members of the string family. On occasion one of us will venture outside said family, even! Fucksickle dickmonger syphillitic-yak-felcher semen-sniffing shitstick. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/4 "2001-04-25T19:17:33Z")
How 'bout when they spell it “walla”. Oh my yes, that irks me. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/5 "2001-04-25T19:22:03Z")
I, Carrom-bah! It makes me mad too. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/6 "2001-04-25T19:48:36Z")
One of my bosses sent out email to everyone about the importance of meeting our training goals. His main point was that it’s our responsibility to meet our individual training requirements. As he put it: > [@](#): > > “The ownness is on you.” I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I’d work for love or candy, if I could just work with people who aren’t ignorant and/or stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/7 "2001-04-25T19:56:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by goboy \* > \*\*The Seven Words You Can’t Say on Radio or Television are shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits. > > Please excuse me, but this error irks me. \*\* Well, five out of seven ain’t bad! I actually did a brief search for these, but wouldn’t you know it? They weren’t anywhere to be found! Very vaguely creepy, wouldn’t you say? ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/8 "2001-04-25T19:59:56Z")
I’ve used “viola” before. And I took five years of French. I did it deliberately to give my post that goofy uncultured Norton-from-The-Honeymooners appeal. Guess it works better verbally. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/9 "2001-04-25T21:56:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gundy \* > \*\*How 'bout when they spell it “walla”. Oh my yes, that irks me. \*\* I worked for this dingbat woman once who sent out an e-mail to the _entire_ office - all 200 of us, including the managing director - telling us that “when traveling, you can lift up the mattress on your hotel-room bed and carefully place your suit underneath. Then, go to sleep and when you wake up in the morning - WAH-LA! - your suit will be ironed! You’ll be neat and will have saved laundry charges too!” What do you guys think is more idiotic - the spelling or the e-mail itself? I’d say it’s a toss-up. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/10 "2001-04-25T22:00:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by missbunny \* > What do you guys think is more idiotic - the spelling or the e-mail itself? I’d say it’s a toss-up. Its idiotic because the suit would be pressed, not ironed, right? Right? Or did I miss something… Fuck. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/11 "2001-04-25T22:17:02Z")
Connor, yes, it would technically be only pressed, but the idiotic part is that it was a completely inappropriate e-mail to send to the entire office. I mean, anyone with a tenth of a brain should know not to send out something so ridiculous to a couple of hundred people, including all the partners and the managing director. It’s simply _not done_. Plus, the company we were at was a multi-billion dollar consulting firm, which could practically afford to have everyone dry-clean their entire wardrobes every day; nobody had to worry about saving a few bucks on ironing charges. She later claimed she was only joking - I think because so many people laughed at her - and even if she was, she made herself look incredibly foolish by sending out something so ridiculous to such an inappropriate distribution list. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/12 "2001-04-25T22:57:46Z")
Fiver claims: “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I’d work for love or candy, if I could just work with people who aren’t ignorant and/or stupid.” I’ve got some candy…and some beer. ---
**Author:** ![tradesilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tradesilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tradesilicon)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/13 "2001-04-25T23:25:22Z")
> [@](#): > > the idiotic part is that it was a completely inappropriate e-mail to send to the entire office. I mean, anyone with a tenth of a brain should know not to send out something so ridiculous to a couple of hundred people, including all the partners and the managing director. It’s simply not done. Shoulda canned her sorry ass on the spot, and _voila_, no more wasted emails. ---
**Author:** ![Amedeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Amedeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amedeus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/14 "2001-04-26T00:36:18Z")
**looks around, then shrugs** All your viola are belong to us. Sorry, couldn’t help it. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Lord\_Davidson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bc8723/32.png) [@Dark\_Lord\_Davidson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Lord_Davidson)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/15 "2001-04-26T01:26:59Z")
Must…resist…urge…to kill… **Amedeus** … ---
**Author:** ![waxteeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@waxteeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waxteeth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/16 "2001-04-26T01:27:45Z")
Voilak ? ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/17 "2001-04-26T02:25:43Z")
If one more person says to me, “You’ve got another THING coming,” then VOILA! I will kill them dead. Slowly. And then I will smile, for I am the sweetness and the sunshine. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/18 "2001-04-26T06:41:15Z")
Someone’s sig used to read : “_Synonym : the word you use to replace the one you can’t spell_”. Did I spell “synonym” right ? Ah, hell the irony would be too good. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/19 "2001-04-26T08:52:43Z")
“ **wierd** ” I know it violates the “i before e” rule, but dammit, the word is W-E-I-R-D! ---
**Author:** ![Bawdysurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90db22/32.png) [@Bawdysurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bawdysurfer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331/20 "2001-04-26T08:53:22Z")
Priggin nasturtium casters! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-cant-spell-it-right-dont-use-it/63331.md?page=2)