# Misspelled signs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 26, 2000, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510 "2000-04-26T13:33:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/1 "2000-04-26T13:33:00Z")
Is this phenomenon strictly reserved for the South? I lived in Pennsylvania for the first 19 years of my life and never once did I see a misspelled sign. I’ve been in Louisiana for less than 3 years and I’ve seen DOZENS! Driving down a major road here in Lafayette, I saw an auto repair store that would repair your “air coditioning” or so the handpainted sign said. The vast majority of the mistakes, however, are misplaced apostrophes. There’s a small antique store about 40 miles away called “Good Old Item’s.” I’m not sure exactly what the items are supposed to be possessing and I didn’t stop to ask. You’d think somebody would point these things out to store owners, who would in turn be humiliated at their idiocy and fix the sign immediately. Not so. These signs remain up for YEARS! I have noticed that the number of misspelled signs in any given area is directly proportional to the number of Jesus fishes on cars and Confederate flags in pickup truck windows. Coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ce7236/32.png) [@Karen\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Too)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/2 "2000-04-26T16:21:00Z")
A little town in grizzly country in Montana has a little shopping center with the sign: “Seeley Lake Maul” * * * -k- Karen Lingel, Physicist ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/3 "2000-04-26T16:41:00Z")
For years, the city animal shelter where I live (Columbia, SC) had a sign pointing to the “SPRAY/NEUTER CLINIC.” They did change it two or three years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Watson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Dr.Watson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Watson)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/4 "2000-04-26T16:41:00Z")
There’s nothing isolated about the problem unfortunately. I live in the pretentiously overeducated Northeast, and the local Public Works folks misspelled the name of my street. I pointed this out when I sent my last tax payment to fund the local schools, but it seems not to bother them, since the sign remains. Dr. Watson “It is one of the paradoxes of our time that modern society needs to fear only the educated man.” – Robert H. Jackson ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/5 "2000-04-26T16:52:00Z")
In my town for weeks there was a church sign reading: “Christian Singles! Music and dancing friday nights in the grope center”. I suspect they ment “Group Center”… ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/6 "2000-04-26T16:54:00Z")
Charlie Kuralt had a photo of a misspelled sign from down South in his autobiography _A Life on the Road_: No trespasing Viloaters proscuated For some reason, it has stuck with me. * * * Guest contributor Straight Dope Science Advisory Board ---
**Author:** ![Rocket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Rocket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocket)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/7 "2000-04-27T05:09:00Z")
My wife and I recently migrated south from Chicago to Dallas. Last year we visited Hot Springs, Arkansas (don’t ask me why). On the main street, right in front of bathhouse row, the is a large sign indicating the turn-off for the “Hot Springs Mountian Tower”. The rest of our trip was filled with jokes about the south. ---
**Author:** ![UWmite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UWmite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UWmite)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/8 "2000-04-27T05:35:00Z")
I went to high school in the very well educated state of Minnesota. Around my sophomore year, the school decided to spend lots of money putting up new signs in the building directing students to classrooms, offices, etc. I’ll never forget one of the signs pointing to the “gym’s”. It stood there for 3 whole years, and as far as I know, it hasn’t been changed yet. We all took it as a beautiful symbol of the inanities of high school. ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/9 "2000-04-27T05:59:00Z")
A little off topic but what the hay, we had a grafitti in town that was supposed to suggest that we were being invaded by a bike gang. Unfortunately they spelled it “Satins Choice”. I have this mental picture of the bike gang riding into town on their hogs with pink feather boas around their necks. Keith ---
**Author:** ![SingleDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SingleDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleDad)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/10 "2000-04-26T20:14:00Z")
Not a sign, but when I got my first checkbook after I moved here to Colorado, the bank misspelled _their own_ address as “W. **Bowels** Ave.” (s/b Bowles). ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/11 "2000-04-26T21:14:00Z")
A diner near my parents’ house once advertised that week’s special: FROZEN CUSTURD I darn near crashed my car as I drove past, I was laughing so hard. AJS ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/12 "2000-04-26T23:00:00Z")
Not a misspelling as such, but a grocery store I went to in Michigan used to frequently advertise: “HOMO MILK” which I assume was taken from lesbian cows. ---
**Author:** ![Shadenwawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Shadenwawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadenwawa)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/13 "2000-04-26T23:10:00Z")
A muffler repair shop near my college in Southern California read: “No muff too tuff!” It was right across from a strip club, too… ---
**Author:** ![Osip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Osip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osip)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/14 "2000-04-26T23:16:00Z")
Last year when alabama had the general vote on the lottery issue I saw these signs. “vote NO on Lotto” “Bingo tuesday night” ## well, I thought it was kinda funny. Destroyer of grammar matser or typos. Typo artist fo the world Untie! ---
**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/15 "2000-04-26T23:48:00Z")
Near where I used to live, there was a town called Spartanburg, but I saw a sign for it spelled as Spartnaburg. * * * "A man can’t turn tail and run just because a little personal risk is involved. What did Shakespeare say? “Cowards die a thousand deaths, the brave man… only 500”? ---
**Author:** ![Jo3sh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a587f6/32.png) [@Jo3sh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jo3sh)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/16 "2000-04-27T06:12:00Z")
There’s a road on the outskirts of my hometown called “Crooked Palm Road.” The sign reads “Crooked Plam Road.” * * * A committee is a lifeform with six or more legs and no brain. ---
**Author:** ![meek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce73a5/32.png) [@meek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meek)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/17 "2000-04-27T06:49:00Z")
I used to work for a large sign manufacturing company. On one order, we were to create 300 plastic signs with “Clearance Sale” screen printed on them. What showed up to the customer was 300 signs with “Clearacne Sale” printed on them. ## Unfortunatly, the place didn’t sell acne medications. No one even noticed until they were all put up all over the store. Take care. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Watson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Dr.Watson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Watson)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/18 "2000-04-27T07:05:00Z")
Little wonder the signs came out badly. Sorry, cheap shot, but it’s late, and it was easy, and . . . (shutting up now). Dr. Watson “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” – Thomas Jefferson ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/19 "2000-04-27T13:06:00Z")
In the DC area, there are a lot of businesses run by people to whom English is a second language. I’ve seen quite a few misspelled/bad grammar signs. [ul][li]Resterrooms[/li][li]This change mashine is for game room user’s Please only. Use for game’s only.[/ul][/li] In my hometown in Colorado, a new sign for Colorado Ave. was misspelled “Colorodo Ave.” * * * You must unlearn what you have learned. – Yoda ---
**Author:** ![skingraftat75mph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@skingraftat75mph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skingraftat75mph)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510/20 "2000-04-28T04:46:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by neutron star: > **Is this phenomenon strictly reserved for the South? I lived in Pennsylvania for the first 19 years of my life and never once did I see a misspelled sign.** Have you never driven on I-95 and seen signs for Penns (sic) Landing? I dunno, it seems to me it’s where Penn landed; hence, it’s “his” and deserves a possessive apostrophe, a la Pike’s Peak or anything else. I really shouldn’t worry about stuff like this. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misspelled-signs/16510.md?page=2)