# you spelled U **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522 "2003-05-11T18:05:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFunkySpaceCowboy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/21 "2003-05-14T13:39:32Z")
What I have to say about people who type ‘U’ when they mean “you” really shouldn’t be said outside the Pit. Suffice it to say that involves much creative swearing and threats of bodily harm. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/22 "2003-05-14T16:30:59Z")
Yes, I simply cannot wait for the day that “i m 1. r u 1 2? o, i c, u 1 2 b 1” shows up on a recruiting poster. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/23 "2003-05-17T01:17:17Z")
giving this more thought, why do we have alternative spellings for the same sounding words? And what’s with double consonants? Besides As and Ass are they really doing anything? And silent letters, what about those? We should be writing like this instead, obviously : U no my litle girl has nemonia. The doctor dresed her in a gown with no back, how sily is that? it only lets in heir, witch isn’t good four her anyway, rite? I can’t weight two C her. I kneed to B their, U no? ---
**Author:** ![owlofcreamcheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@owlofcreamcheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlofcreamcheese)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/24 "2003-05-17T04:18:13Z")
elfkin may or may not being sarcastic, but seriously, is there a moral issue around this or something? its not like the spelling of words was handed down to us from god or something, the standardized spellings of things are not THAT old of an invention. british people still spell color colour and get along fine. the existance of spelling bees should say something. It does not seem reasonable that there should exist any words a person knows that they can not write. the whole big advancement that a written language created was the ablity to write things down, it seems silly that spelling rules are as they are, so that many words require you to ‘know the word’ because although we invented a wonderful system where letters represent sounds… alot of words don’t bother to care about it. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/25 "2003-05-17T06:29:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by owlofcreamcheese \* > \*\*… alot of words don’t bother to care about it. \*\* Okay, I’m going to say this one time, and one time only. Pay attention. A… lot. Two words. _mutters and relaxes grip on baseball bat_ ~mixie ---
**Author:** ![furr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ab992/32.png) [@furr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furr)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/26 "2003-05-17T07:10:21Z")
i really dont care how people spell words or type in informal situations, be that in letters to friends or on the internet . they are informal and relaxed, and slang, shortening of words, and bad grammar/spelling are fairly acceptable to me. formal situations on the other hand do require that more attention be paid to just how things are written, be it a letter to an employer or a legal document, accurancy is important. and i know this seems to be a sore point here but frankly message boards such as this one fall firmly under the informal banner for me. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/27 "2003-05-17T07:22:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FudgeNugget \* > \*\*Either write proper English or don’t write at all. It’s annoying when “internet type kids” start mutilating the language. \*\* Yes, it’s annoying, but don’t worry about it. I think it’s a fad that will die out eventually. Rather like using Pig-Latin so your little sister can’t understand. Typical of little boys about age 9 or 10. The “internet type kids” are usually a bit older physically, but pretty much the same mental age. ---
**Author:** ![Prancing\_puppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c89c15/32.png) [@Prancing\_puppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prancing_puppy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/28 "2003-05-17T10:34:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tansu \* > \*\*Once again, I think the Dutch are ahead of us here. \*\* Why would you say that? ---
**Author:** ![minega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@minega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minega)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/29 "2003-05-17T16:31:16Z")
When i first joined this site, i got heat for using U instead of youi (hi Shodan, i remember) but yes it does make sense. saves time and looks cooler. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/30 "2003-05-17T18:31:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Prancing puppy \* > \*\*Why would you say that? \*\* I aint no expert, but I visited Holland once, and I am pretty sure that in Dutch, the word for you is “U” , and the word for I is not capitalized. Somebody suggested to me that this more polite.Capitalization often implies an attitude of respect. So the Dutch respect the person they are talking to as U, while we English speakers inflate our own egos as I. ---
**Author:** ![Prancing\_puppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c89c15/32.png) [@Prancing\_puppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prancing_puppy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/31 "2003-05-17T20:22:17Z")
Well I am dutch. “U” is the formal way of saying You and “jij” is the informal way. And the word for I is “ik”, which is, as you said, not capatilised. So your theory might be correct, nice conclusion. How long were you in the Netherlands for? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522.md?page=1)