# Predictive Texting "homographs"... (warning: some profanity) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 13, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163 "2003-10-13T12:14:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/1 "2003-10-13T12:14:45Z")
To celebrate my _millenial_ post I thought I’d pop into MPSIMS and post some, well, MPSIMS… To all of those familiar with predictive texting, skip this paragraph, for all others this is what it is: Predictive Texting is a facility provided on many mobile phones to allow users to key in text messages quickly. Everyone I assume is familiar with the key associations: 2-abc 3-def 4-ghi 5-jkl 6-mno 7-pqrs 8-tuv 9-wxyz In “regular” texting the word _CECIL_ would be spelled thus: 222 33 222 444 555 Predictive texting allows the user to hit each repeated key just the once, the software then looks for matching patterns in the database, so _CECIL_ would be spelled 23245. However, and this is the crux of my post, the “predicted” word is not always unique, in fact this is the case with _CECIL_ which has a similar pattern to the acronym _AFAIK_ (“as far as I know”), which is also in my dictionary, and the user must make extra keystokes to “scroll” through the matches to select the desired word. I am proposing to make a collection of Prective Texting homographs, pairs of words that share the same keystokes. They are particularly interesting because of the potential for amusing/embarrassing/downright dangerous typos. Some are boring, or merely annoying: **OF=ME** Some seem to hint at some hidden resonance: **AFAIK=CECIL** Some frustrating: **DUAL=FUCK** \* (I mean, I _NEVER_ use the word DUAL! C’mon!) Some border on the surreal: **KICK YOUR PUPPY=LICK YOUR PUSSY** There, I’ve started you off, teeming millions, do your worse. Also, I will award a small and intangible prize to anyone who can suggest a good name for the phenomenon, “Predictive texting homograph” just ain’t snappy enough to catch on… The Great Unwashed \*_FUCK_ is not in the standard dictionary, but users can add there own words ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/2 "2003-10-13T16:58:04Z")
Okay, here’s a follow-up question… What do you call a post that plummets off the thread list like a plummeting thing in a particularly plummeting mood? ---
**Author:** ![hybrid\_dogfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hybrid\_dogfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hybrid_dogfish)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/3 "2003-10-13T18:15:43Z")
A Lemming? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/4 "2003-10-13T19:04:29Z")
**What do you call a post that plummets off the thread list like a plummeting thing in a particularly plummeting mood?** One of my _Queer As Folk_ threads? ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/5 "2003-10-13T19:56:05Z")
**cougar** = **antics** **crushed** = **astride** **brief** = **aside** **pistol** = **shrunk** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/6 "2003-10-13T23:12:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Second Guest \* > \*\ ***cougar** = **antics** > **crushed** = **astride** > **brief** = **aside** > **pistol** = **shrunk** \*\* **Second Guest** (_et al_), thank you for joining in. I am **so** surprised that this thread hasn’t generated more on-topic responses – these “predictive text typos” must happen ALL THE TIME. I myself have personally promised my girlfriend that I will “kick her puppy” just as soon as she got home. Perhaps you had to be there. C’mon people, lend a hand – there’s history to be made… ---
**Author:** ![psychomonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@psychomonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychomonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/7 "2003-10-14T00:06:24Z")
[Sadly few people seem to find this amusing](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=187834) I get a slight chuckle out of these (BTW my phone does say Japan when I type karaoke, and it’s in english) but since I rarely if ever text people, Ive never found any. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/8 "2003-10-14T02:28:51Z")
**pander** = **scoffs** **vogue** = **unite** **knack** = **local** **raptor** = **scrums** **imbued** = **goatee** **canape** = **aboard** I’d really like to be able to _stop_ thinking of these now… ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/9 "2003-10-14T02:34:50Z")
Also… **suffer** = **steeds** **rigor** = **shins** **druids** = **esther** Okay, _now_ I think I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/10 "2003-10-14T02:38:09Z")
But, if slightly made-up words count, one more: **quacker** = **stables** ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/11 "2003-10-14T02:48:17Z")
One I’ve actually encountered: good = home ---
**Author:** ![stupidgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@stupidgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stupidgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/12 "2003-10-14T09:16:12Z")
bus = cup And I have a friend Heather - phone suggests ‘Heavier’… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/13 "2003-10-14T09:22:24Z")
Some from another thread (thanks for reminding me, **TGU** ): > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > **Shots > Riots > Pints** > (That’s how we like to drink around these parts) > > And even more hilariously\*: > > **Coal > Anal > Cock** > > and > > **Yanker > Wanker** > > \*On review, I concede that none of these are, in fact, remotely hilarious. Also, my wife is **Obdue** , but her sister is **Divine**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/14 "2003-10-14T18:41:01Z")
Okay, it seems that the number of people who care about this is vanishingly small. Noone even attempted to claim the prize for naming the blooming things. I swear never to mention them again (at least not until my bi-millennial post). ::thinks – will anyone notice that I just shamelessly bumped my own thread again?:: ---
**Author:** ![Dawne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Dawne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dawne)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/15 "2003-10-14T20:39:53Z")
> [@](#): > > And I have a friend Heather - phone suggests ‘Heavier’… That one annoys me, my real first name is Heather so at the end of texts i often end up saying ‘love heavier xxx’ ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/16 "2003-10-14T22:16:12Z")
I honestly had no idea that anyone has ever actually sent a text message on a cell phone. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/17 "2003-10-14T22:22:40Z")
I’m called Harry, and I always used to sign my texts with “Haz”, prior to the wonders of predictive text. I soon stopped this, as when you put in the right key combo, you get; **gay, icy** and **hay** before you get to **haz** ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/18 "2003-10-15T08:07:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flymaster \* > \*\*I honestly had no idea that anyone has ever actually sent a text message on a cell phone. Interesting. \*\* Pretty much the entire developed world sends them constantly apart from the US, it seems (as usual ;)). The **go** =\> **in** annoys me. I don’t know where they get their predictive text order stats from, but they’re clearly not oriented around messages people actually send on SMS. Also handy would be a phone that learns one’s own patterns of usage for certain words and adapts the preferences. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/19 "2003-10-15T08:52:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\* Also handy would be a phone that learns one’s own patterns of usage for certain words and adapts the preferences. \*\* Mine does. But then, mine also recognises my handwriting, so there’s no need for predictive text. But it will offer completions based on what I’m writing and remember which words I use the most. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictive-texting-homographs-warning-some-profanity/207163/20 "2003-10-15T08:59:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pretend My Name Is Witty \* > \*\*I’m called Harry, and I always used to sign my texts with “Haz”, prior to the wonders of predictive text. > > I soon stopped this, as when you put in the right key combo, you get; > **gay, icy** and **hay** before you get to **haz** \*\* You should sign of with you full name, that should make you happy. ::snigger::