Spelling Matterz

One of my charming little peccadilloes (or annoyingly stubborn oddities, depending on whether or not you're my husband) is my tendency to make snap judgments about companies that spell the name of their business wrong on purpose. 

Sometimes the misspelling is cute, and it makes total sense, but I still have to admit that I cringe involuntarily when I pass a sign for "Dawg House Vet" or "Kountry Kitchen".

(For those of you who do not live south of the Mason-Dixon line, you should know that this is not a unique phenomenon.  Every Southern town has a Kountry Kitchen.  They just do.)

I will be the first to admit that the quirky spelling is rarely a sign of poor quality.  Over the years, I've swallowed my pride and been won over by Toys "R" Us (which not only is misspelled, it uses quotation marks incorrectly too, but that is a post for another day).  One of the great joys of living in the state of Oklahoma is having a spotlessly clean Quik Trip convenience store on every corner (though it does soothe my conscience that we locals refer to it as the "QT"). 

I always comment on places like this, with a snobbish shudder, to the point that it's become a bit of a family joke.  Hubs will pretend to turn the car into the "Kozy Kafe", or he'll suggest I get my hair cut at the "Shear Style" salon.  He knows how it bugs me.

So he was more than a little surprised when I hired a company named "Floor Werkz" to do our tile.  I had picked them randomly out of the phone book, oddly enough.  The owner was so nice and so helpful, I suppressed the shudder and decided to make an exception.  Just this once. 

Right away I knew I'd picked a winner.  Their work has been excellent, and the workers are courteous and professional (an important trait in a contractor who is going to spend a week in your house).

However.

Like contractors do, they have put a sign in my yard.  A sign.  A sign that says "Floor Werkz".  If Hubs would stop chuckling at the irony EVERY TIME WE PULL OUT OF DRIVEWAY I would be ever so appreciative.

But I'm over it, truly.  I am.  Because Floor Werkz Bob and his crew have done this in my kids' bathroom this week:

And you know what?

I think that's just KUTE. 

Comments

[Rebecca]

I refuse to shop at/go to Kwik Save and Kwik Fit on those very grounds... Dunno if you have them in the US but one is a discount supermarket and the other fits tyres and does minor auto repairs :)

[ThoughtfulMom]

I quite getting my hair cut at Creative Images because... well, because I like to pay my friend Natasha to cut my hair... AND because they have (had?) a sign offering "hilites."

I figured that if they'll butcher the English language, they'll butcher my hair. Natasha has much improved the hair.

[Georgia Mom]

Well, I think Floor Werkz has done you proud, girl. What a cute bathroom! I'm glad you made peace with the name.

[Kris]

*snicker, snicker, snort*

Me too. Hubby has nicknamed me the spelling police and constantly makes fun of my boycotting those places on principle.

One that I generally laugh out loud over (the misspellings are hard to come by over here in Germany, thank goodness) is a local car custom shop...called Ruff Riderz. I mock them every chance I get, remarking at how absolutely anti-masculine that looks and sounds!

Thanks for a giggle!

[Tammy]

People wonder why children can't spell!!

We have a friend in Ohio who is a baseball coach.He has a license plate that says BAZEBLL-I tease him that my son can't spell baseball because of his plate.

[Elizabeth]

And then there was Smockey Joe's, I think it used to be spelled... It was between Tulsa and Mayberry. Now THAT was not a marketing strategy.

[Activities Coordinator]

How about Kajun Kar Kare? Yikes.

According to my youngest (who also gripes about the "R") the correct pronunciation is TOYS FOR US. He's got a point.

[dcrmom]

Love the floor. But yeah, that sign would have to go. ;-)

[deborah]

Adorable; though I love checkered floor, I'd never be able to live with it, due to my migraines. It just sets me off.

Shannon, I saw you at my dentist's office yesterday - you were in the GoodHousekeeping mag. What a wonderful article. As I read it, I do remember you blogging about that. Very nice.

I'm qwerky about speeling two!! (ha)

[deborah]

Adorable; though I love checkered floor, I'd never be able to live with it, due to my migraines. It just sets me off.

Shannon, I saw you at my dentist's office yesterday - you were in the GoodHousekeeping mag. What a wonderful article. As I read it, I do remember you blogging about that. Very nice.

I'm qwerky about speeling two!! (ha)

[Jeana]

I rily luv the daykor!

And I was just wondering--did you ever say what you decided about the black grout in the kitchen?

[Rachel May]

I'm with you on the spelling. You're also right about the Kountry Kitchen. When we drive by one, I always hear the line from The Emperor's New Groove in my head, "Is there anything on this menu that's not swimming in GRAVY?!?!?" Tee-hee!

[Robin in New Jersey]

We have a Quik Chek store down on the corner!

Congratulations on being featured in Good Housekeeping! Way to go!

[JP's MOM]

When we are on vacation we always get a big giggle out of wrong signs.

It makes for a fun trip!

[Amy]

There's this salon called Hilitz and I can't stand because I can never remember how to spell it wrong to find it in the phone book! I don't know if I even got it right this time!

[Merci]

I've always wondered about those signs in yards - why do people let them put them there? Is it in the contract? Do they give you a discount if you leave their sign in your yard for 30 days? (I could leave a sign there for $$, but not for any other reason - I don't love any company that much!) My neighbor recently had a new roof put on and the sign stayed there for a MONTH. I was never so glad to see it go! So seriously, is it required that you leave their sign in your yard? Oh, and my least favorite misspelled sign is EmURGENCY Care.

[Big Mama]

Oh, that is preshus.

[Summer]

I am the same way about spelling. They did do a great job though!

[Texastanya]

I am with you! I can not stand to see words purposely mis-spelled. In our search for an adoption agency, we passed on one because they spelled a word in their name - Corner, became Korner. I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with that!

[Emily]

I totally understand where you are coming from. The worst one I've seen is an internet service provider in another town called Veriqik. It irks me everytime I see one of their signs. I even had a hard time typing it. I am so glad I don't have to use them for my internet provider.

[faithful chick]

Great bathroom!

Love the color scheme.

[Kellyn]

Love the tiles!
I have the same thing about names...Kwik Trip bugs me...but I love their bread, so we survive!

[floorplan]

OH, Shannon, I'm the same way, my skin crawls when I see that stuff and then take myself to task for being such a snob : ) Your hubs' teasing cracks me up. I used to live south of the M/D line but up north now, where that kind of comedy is rare. Thanks for the reminder.

Funny post and great looking bathroom.

deb meyers

[Dana]

The sign irony is just too much!!!! I guess sometimes you just have to suck it up don't cha?

Stuff like that also bothers me.

That post was so kewl!! :) (evil grin)

[Paige]

My husband and I get really snobby about signs that use apostrophes incorrectly. Or the wrong use of "theirs". I mean, if you are going to spend the money to put up a big sign, shouldn't you spell check it?

[hogphan]

But you'll pay them with a free chek from your bank, right, or will you go get cash at the drive-thru? :)

[Sandy]

That kind of stuff bugs me too! But more importantly, I LOVE your bathroom floor! Great choice, classy and fun for the kids! (Ok, I'll pretend the molding is up, if you'll do the same in my bathroom 0 LOL!)
Sandy :)

[Laane]

I'm very critical on spelling mistakes in my country too.
But I'm not quick in judging people.

I know how difficult a foreign language is.
People don't realise that my main language isn't english, and they'd rather focus on the mistakes than on what's done well.

So they judge me with the result that I'm not often accepted in informal online groups. They think I'm stupid, messy etc etc.

Nice bathroom. How lucky your children are with their own bathroom. Wow!

[Karla ~ Looking Towards Heaven]

"OH" "MY" "Goodness"!!...... Your WRITE!!!!! that IS kute.

(did that statement send you into a corner in the fetal position?)

Blessings,
Karla

[Sherry]

I can't stand the added "e" like Shoppe. Why is that cute?

[HolySister aka LaLa]

I am a red-pen-wielding ball of sympathy and spell-checking righteousness right now. I hear you, sister!

I've been known to edit restaurant chalkboards when they're misspelled or grammatically incorrect.

My least favorite signs are those that urge people to 'pre-book' or 'pre-reserve'. Shudder.

[Susanne]

Well, I think you set yourself up for that one with your hubby, Shannon! ;v) Too funny.

[Christy]

I hate alternate spellings as well and it really rubs me the wrong way when people misspell on their blogs and websites as well. I really don't like the alternate spellings for normal kids names. As a former teacher it drove me crazy. Be a Katie, not a Caite for goodness sake!

[Nicki]

I know exactly what you're saying. What gets me even more is when there are unintentional misspellings in menus, ads or the worst--signs in front of businesses that spell words wrong. Doesn't anyone check these things?? These things represent their businesses!!

[Lisa]

Oh, those cute spellings grate on me, too!! Kuntry Kitchen was the worst--until, are you ready-- Kwik Kopy!!! I am SO sorry about that sign in your yard--you'll think twice next time! :)

[Patsy]

Well you could make a little sign that says Works and go glue it over the top of their missed spelled word! But personally I think you should look around and find a better thing to get all worked up about; there is lots of "things" wrong out there.

[janet]

I'm with you. I got it from my mother.
Just last week we were looking through furniture ads in the paper and the one I really want to visit had a misspelling IN their AD. without taking a breath she said, "and you really think I would shop there?"
There goes Ashley Furniture for us.

[Shalee]

*snort* Oh the earny killz me!

[Historian]

A point of interest (and not an urban legend)...Stores and other businesses using "K" for "C" have - during certain periods in history, and in certain parts of the country - been associated with the KKK. It was a "coded" way of letting folks know about affiliation when such affiliation was otherwise outlawed or forced to be hidden. This is NOT to say every Kountry Kitchen has that - especially now. Now most (if not all) places do it to be different, or "kute," but that was not its original intent.

[Checkers]

I used to drive by a gas station that said in big letters "Wellcome Mart" that drove me crazy! It was located in a small town called Wellsville, but still. It looked very much like a misspelling and if people didn't know the name of the town, they would think they were a bunch of uneducated hicks!

[Lori]

I, too, am snobberific about voluntary misspellings. My question is, why do we never see a Country Citchen?

[Beth]

I am laughing out loud. It is my BIGGEST pet peeve in the world. Incorrect possessives are a close second. I am about to bust to walk into the Quik Mart down the street and ask, "What belongs the the slushie?". I'm sure you've heard, they now have slushie's.

[Moving Mama]

Very Kute! Hope they were Quik and the Kidz like it :)

[Ashley]

The bathroom is really Kute. We have a place called Kwik Kuts where I live. Ugh.

[GiBee]

Well, you KNOW we're all just waiting with bated breath for more pictures ... especially of the kitchen ... right???

[Shannon]

Okay, this is totally weird. I read your blog daily and just realized you're in Oklahoma like me. Plus, my name is Shannon - same as you.

BIZARRE!! It's a small world! Oh, I totally agree with you on the whole spelling thing. What I hate is when they use slang words in country songs - like ain't. Drives me bonkers!! It's the teacher in me coming out I guess.

[Amy]

I am SO with you... I grew up with two English teachers for parents. Need I say more?

[Ornery's Wife]

I know this isn't the point, but I have to say, I just LOVE QuikTrip! You are right; they are always clean and convenient and have the best cappuccino and lowest gas prices!

The worst slander to the English language was when our home school group went to the Will Rogers museum in Claremore. They show a silent movie with captions on the screen. There was a large group of public school students at the back of the room, and one of their teachers read the captions aloud to the group. She actually changed some of the verbs from the written words to incorrect forms! Appalling! TM

[Keli]

I am the same way. The Kan Kan Kafe, the Klassy Kutz (oy), and many many others get under my skin so bad(ly?). Why, oh why would you name your salon Klassy Kutz? Obviously it's not.

But the floor looks cool, and I love the hooks. Perfect kid level. Cute blog.

[jessie]

In my home town, there is a place called the Kopper Kettle Kafe.

Was that, or was that not a bad choice of letters to triple up on on a kutsie misspelling?

[Phillips Family]

My personal favorite from a local business:
"Kwick Kar Care"

If they were going to go with the "k's" for the first two words, why not carry it all the way through? I would imagine their reasoning is because the initials of their business would then be quite unfortunate, but why do the "k's" in the first place?

I am a fellow QT fan and sing their praises to anyone who will listen (and not quickly run away because I am rambling on about how wonderful a gas station is).

[Milehimama]

It's been bugging me too. Every time I walk into our local Bi-Lo, I shudder at the sign on the door that says "Fresh Flowers at the end of Isle 3".

My worst pet peeve is a Z instead of an S.

[Lady S]

I am not a great speller, although usually it is just big or oddly spelled words I have trouble with.

However, I am called the "Grammar Queen" by most of my friends because I am very picky about that aspect of writing and talking.

[jen at Conversations]

Since you brought up tile, what color of grout did you decide to use in your kitchen?

[Diane]

I couldn't stop laughing! I too get annoyed with cutesy stuff like that. But heh - it looks like you picked the right company for the job because that is so beautiful in the bathroom! It looks awesome! My husband started - seriously, started (not finished) our bathroom 5 years ago ... I would die for a floor like that! :-)

[Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry]

I'm with you on the intentional misspellings, and I think the worst are daycares called Kiddie Kollege. They're gonna teach my kid? I think not!

I'm right there with ya at the QT, though. I love 'em so much I completely block out the lack of a C in there.

[Lisa]

Ahhh... Quik Trip. A few years ago, I remember seeing a TV news story in which a young Quik Trip cashier had delivered a baby when the parents hadn't quite made it to the hospital in time. His remark (insert Southern accent here): "I'm jist happy they felt cumfterble comin' ta Quik Trip."

I think of that everytime I see a QT.

[Tracy]

Hi Shannon! Just thought I'd let you know that my family will be moving to Ponca City, OK in a few weeks! You and I have already shared how much we loved living in AR and I told you that I grew up in OK, so thought I'd let you know this latest development too!

[Wendy]

The floor looks great, despite the goofy contractor name. :)

I'm the same about spelling. It aggravates me to the core, especially when my naive daughters spell something wrong and use a store or advertisement as an excuse. Grr!

But I still miss Quik Trip. It's one of the perks we all look forward to when we travel to KS to visit family. Big Gulps and THE best coffee. Wish they'd expand to the southeast. :sigh:

[Amanda]

oh you would jsut love how I spell my business name

it's simply sweet bowtique

[Carrie]

ack ack ack!!! I'm SOOO right there with you. I have not gotten so upset by it that I refuse to use a place because they intentionally spell their name wrong but I am annoyed. AND if a place does not spell things correctly either in ads or in store then I REALLY do have an issue with them...but I will usually point out a problem in an ad because the company itself does not do the ads, they pay someone else to do it. ANYWAY, I digress, I wanted to mention a few of my favorite ones...Kwik Trip, Kidz Kutz (double eye roll BUT they were the greatest place to get the kids' hair cuts...little cars to sit in and video games to play!!) Kwik Kar Kare (NONE of them are spelled correctly!!!) and In N Out yes I HATE that... N instead of and...or even & how hard would THAT be? It's still only one character...gah!

[Lynette]

You've sure got a gift for writing. So hilarious! I am really enjoying your blog!