# Pennsylvania needs a spell checker **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2006, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349 "2006-07-06T11:31:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/1 "2006-07-06T11:31:40Z")
Pennsylvania’s tourism department has picked a new logo for bumper stickers. As they say, it’s a [thing of beauty](http://www.visitpa.com/visitpa/bumperstickerForm.pa). I can’t wait to see these on cars 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/2 "2006-07-06T13:10:17Z")
AAARRRGGHHH! As anyone who has read more than one or two of my posts can attest, I am not the world’s best speller. My sentence structure also sucks a good portion of the time. But confusing break with brake just makes my teeth hurt for some reason. For the love of OG, brakes stop your car. When you break your brakes, they are broken, and you post a thread about it in GQ. I don’t think a spell checker is going to help here, since break is a properly spelled word, the wrong word of course, but properly spelled. ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/3 "2006-07-06T13:23:39Z")
I would imagine that it’s quite intentional, just a simple play on words. While you’re visiting our beautiful state, slow down, take a break and enjoy what we have to offer. I don’t care for it at all though. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/4 "2006-07-06T15:10:52Z")
I don’t get it. I mean, I assume the misspelling is intentional, but I don’t understand why they would do it. Spelling it ‘brake’ makes it make more sense, but it would still be a pretty bad slogan. I guess you can go out on a limb and rationalize the misspelling as \*\*Rock n Roach \*\* did, but the slogan makes even less sense that way. To me, it just makes TPTB in my home state look like a bunch of knuckleheads. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/5 "2006-07-06T15:13:50Z")
Taking a ‘break’ shouldn’t be spelled ‘brake’. Eating shoo-fly pie is taking a break. “I brake for deer” is an entirely different thing. I don’t like it but I get it. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/6 "2006-07-06T15:48:43Z")
It’s a pun; a visual pun, but a pun nonetheless. Like most puns, it’s not wrong, just stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/7 "2006-07-06T16:53:36Z")
Methinks some of you are giving the people at the Pennsylvania tourism board entirely too much credit. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/8 "2006-07-06T16:58:27Z")
[QUOTE=jali] Taking a ‘break’ shouldn’t be spelled ‘brake’. Eating shoo-fly pie is taking a break. “I brake for deer” is an entirely different thing. [/QUOTE] Well, obviously you have never had properly prepared venison. 😃 Shoo-fly pie. Hmmm… “I Barf At Shoo-fly Pie” would make more sense to me. Stuff is too dang sweet. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/9 "2006-07-06T17:02:06Z")
_“We’re Sorry The Pennsylvania tourism web site you are trying to access is temporarily offline while we make content updates and conduct maintenance. We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but the web site will return in a moment.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/10 "2006-07-06T17:13:19Z")
As a proud produce of the Pennsylvania public school system (motto: “Hey, be glad you can read!”), I have to say that this surprises me not a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/11 "2006-07-06T17:44:33Z")
When come back, bring shoofly pie. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/12 "2006-07-06T17:52:07Z")
[QUOTE=Barbarian] Methinks some of you are giving the people at the Pennsylvania tourism board entirely too much credit. [/QUOTE] Same here. It’s got to supposed to be (ew, nice construction there) a play on “I Brake for Animals”, like my “I Brake for Tailgaters” sticker. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/13 "2006-07-06T17:54:56Z")
Oh, and I love shoo-fly pie. It’s one of those childhood treats like chicken and dumplings, potato filling, or spaetzle that got handed down through my Pennsylvania German family. ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/14 "2006-07-06T18:26:53Z")
[QUOTE=Barbarian] Methinks some of you are giving the people at the Pennsylvania tourism board entirely too much credit. [/QUOTE] I second that. After all, I keep driving through Mass., where there are official state-supplied road signs all over which say: _Stay awake Take a break For safety sake_ Safety’s sake! Safety’s sake! Get it right! Actually, the signs wake me up every time. mischievous ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/15 "2006-07-07T00:50:56Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Same here. It’s got to supposed to be (ew, nice construction there) a play on “I Brake for Animals”, like my “I Brake for Tailgaters” sticker. [/QUOTE] You know, I think I missed the original “I Brake for Animals” fad, and just saw everything that spun off. When did it start? ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/16 "2006-07-07T13:21:35Z")
[QUOTE=McNew] To me, it just makes TPTB in my home state look like a bunch of knuckleheads. [/QUOTE] Ah, but it’s sheer genius compared to the creativity shown in our instant lottery commercials. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/17 "2006-07-07T13:50:30Z")
[QUOTE=Borborygmi] Ah, but it’s sheer genius compared to the creativity shown in our instant lottery commercials. [/QUOTE] What – you don’t like that nice Gus? ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/18 "2006-07-07T20:44:45Z")
I think it’s a reference to the new hip-hop/Amish crossover culture: I Break(dance) for Shoofly Pie. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/19 "2006-07-07T20:57:14Z")
I don’t know if they’ve updated the site or what, but they do explain it, at least. > [@](#): > > **“Break”? Don’t you mean “Brake”?** > No! Here at the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, we’re in the business of encouraging people to take a break. We spelled it that way on purpose, because we want you to slow down, relax, check out the scenery, maybe even stop somewhere for a slice of a regional delicacy. It’s that simple. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349/20 "2006-07-08T11:50:20Z")
That’s been updated since my original post – and that explanation is pure retcon for ordering thousands of mispelled bumper stickers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-needs-a-spell-checker/363349.md?page=2)