# Periodic Table of Spelling **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 24, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942 "2008-09-24T04:37:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/1 "2008-09-24T04:37:23Z")
Here’s an idea I’ve been toying around with for a while… **The Periodic Table of Spelling!** The idea is simple - the goal is to construct words using only the 1 or 2 letter abbreviations from the Periodic Table of Elements. For consistency, elements shall be taken from Wikipedia: > **[Periodic table](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table#Standard_periodic_table)** > > The periodic table, also known as the periodic table of the elements, arranges the chemical elements into rows ("periods") and columns ("groups"). It is an organizing icon of chemistry and is widely used in physics and other sciences. It is a depiction of the periodic law, which says that when the elements are arranged in order of their atomic numbers an approximate recurrence of their properties is evident. The table is divided into four roughly rectangular areas called blocks. Elements in ... Rules are: 1. As said above, words must be constructed from one or two letter abbreviations from the Periodic Table (none of that Uub nonsense) 2. Words, phrases, sentences should be correctly spelled and grammatically correct - though Rule of Cool allows exceptions in awesome cases. 3. Words should be spelled as the abbreviations are written caps would be written as CaPS 4. Using fewer abbreviations is better - for a recursive example, silicon could be written as SILiCON, but it is far cooler to write it as SiLiCoN 5. I have a scoring system in mind, rewarding length of sentences, but for now I just want to see if people are interested in this game. Okay, so here is my first submission: NaSAl SPRaY AcTiVAtEs BONErS. What? It does! Your turn. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/2 "2008-09-24T08:18:44Z")
Not really a sentence, but a way to paraphrase the Queen of England’s lesser, and less frequently used, titles: LiLiBeTh’S OPtIONAl CrOWNS ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/3 "2008-09-24T18:59:22Z")
I HeAr NeAr A BeArS AsS TiS ScArY PoOPoO! ---
**Author:** ![Fly\_Pusher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Fly\_Pusher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fly_Pusher)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/4 "2008-09-24T19:46:49Z")
ThOSe PtErOsAuRuSEs FOUNd No ReFUGe IN ThAt BaRe ClIFF As WINd RaGeS ArOUNd. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/5 "2008-09-24T20:22:22Z")
ArCTiC SeAlS NeVEr GaIn OUNCEs In SOUTh PAcIFIC WAtErS. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/6 "2008-09-24T20:50:03Z")
Hee, I used to do this all the time in my high school chemistry class. (This may explain why I never learned any chemistry.) YOU CaN SeE r OUNd A lArGe FLuTiST iN a PUB. HeLiXeS ArE uNUSUAl In TiBeTaN HoUSeS. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/7 "2008-09-24T21:16:39Z")
ThIS Be CoRnY CRaP, YOU CYbErNeTiC SiCKO, YOU. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/8 "2008-09-24T21:24:58Z")
BISmUTh and SILiCoN are interesting because they both appear in the periodical table themselves, as Bi and Si. I don’t think there are too many other elements whose names consist of a sequence of chemical symbols other than their own, or even including their own. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/9 "2008-09-24T21:54:30Z")
BaH! I WON’T PArTiCIPaTe In ThIS CLaPtRaP! I NeVEr BOThEr WITh THeSe, ThIS CaN’T Be OThErWISe! ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/10 "2008-09-25T00:43:55Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > BISmUTh and SILiCoN are interesting because they both appear in the periodical table themselves, as Bi and Si. I don’t think there are too many other elements whose names consist of a sequence of chemical symbols other than their own, or even including their own. Sorry, but: TiN (Sn) CoPPEr (Cu) IrON (Fe) CaRbON (C) ArSeNIC (As) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/11 "2008-09-25T03:50:36Z")
GeNeSiS SeCTiON ONe: WHeN ThIS UNiVErSe WAs NeW, PaRaDySe MoN HAtCHEs SKY ‘N’ ORb ‘N’ ThIS ORb WAs DySFUNCTiONAl, ‘N’ WAs No LiTe ON HIS WAtEr, ‘N’ PaRaDySe MoN MoVEs OVEr ThIS HeRe WAtEr, ‘N’ PaRaDySe MoN ArTiCuLaTeS “LiTe Be!” ‘N’ LiTe WAs ‘N’ PaRaDySe MoN SeEs ThIS LiTe ‘N’ ThAt It Be PHAt ‘N’ PaRaDySe MoN SUNdErS LiTe ‘N’ BLaCKNEsS ‘N’ He ClAsSiFIEs LiTe “SUNUP” ‘N’ He ClAsSiFIEs BLaCKNEsS “NiTe” ‘N’ ThIS SUNUP ‘N’ ThIS NiTe WAs ONe STaGe. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/12 "2008-09-25T09:12:28Z")
Hehe, I’m liking these responses. Next step is to convert the entire Bible… Here is another of mine, which is fairly flexible. It works best if your name (let’s say X) as well as the name of the object of your desires (let’s say Y) are both in some way writable in this format. Then we can have your very own, 3rd person, Periodic Table love note! X LiKEs Y. S/He ThINKS S/He IS VErY CuTe. AlSO S/He IS NiCe PErSON. SHe HAs NiCe KNoCKErS (if applicable). Then throw my example of AcTiVAtEs BONErS and your lovelife will never be the same! Oh, and in case anyone cares, my RL name can be written like this (1st initial and surname), and the girl I like can have her first name and surname written like this (with a minor fudge). This is destiny! I’ll tell you if it works. And yes, that last line _is_ applicable 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/13 "2008-09-26T21:57:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Next step is to convert the entire Bible… NOW ThE sNaKE sPOKE sUBTlY, HAtH PaRaDySe MoN FORbID yOU ThAt FRuIT, eVE? u Be As PaRaDySe MoN, eAt. SO SHe AtE. “sO HUSBaND, yOU Be As PaRaDySe MoN, eAt.” ‘N’ SHe ‘N’ He WAs WISe. ‘N’ SHe ‘N’ He KNeW PaRaDySe MoN Be IrAtE, sO SHe ‘N’ He PuT a FIG aS ClOThInG aNd HID bY Th’ BUSH. ‘N’ PaRaDySe MoN Be IrAtE, sO He SeNd Th’ FIErY SWOR’ aNGeL, aNd NO MORe PaRaDySe FOR hEr ‘n’ He. … Wow, this is a lot harder than it looks. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/14 "2008-09-27T04:59:26Z")
The important part is that you can spell FUCK, MoThErFUCKEr, and COCKSUCKEr. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periodic-table-of-spelling/464942/15 "2008-09-27T08:35:36Z")
IOHoNNeS SeCTiON ONe: ThIS BeGaN WITh _La PaLaBRa_. _La PaLaBRa_ WAs WITh PaRaDySe MoN; _La PaLaBRa_ WAs PaRaDySe MoN. WHeN ThIS UNiVErSe WAs NeW, ThAt ONe WAs WITh PaRaDySe MoN. He Be ONe WHo ArRaNGe CoSMoS; No PArTiClEs ThAt IS, Be HeRe IF He No Be OK WITh ThAt BeIn’ SO. He Be ONe WHo HAs LiFe, WHICH IS LiTe OF LaDs 'N LaSSEs. ThIS LiTe ThAt SHINe In BLaCKNeEsS; ThAt BlaCKNeEsS NeVEr UNdErSTaNd ThIS LiTe.