150 Times People Spotted Hilariously-Incorrect Usage Of English And Just Had To Share

by admin May 05, 2023

How many “c’s” and “m’s” in “accommodate?” Is there a “c” in “acquire?” While it might seem obvious when written out in front of you, English spelling can make fools of the best of us, but most people will probably overlook a misspelled word in a text. But that mistake becomes ever so magnified when you are driving around and see it displayed in, say, a shop window.

The “English Language Police” Facebook page gathers word crimes and grammatical mistakes people have spotted in the wild. So scroll down and enjoy the funniest examples here, upvote your favorites, and be sure to let us know what common language mistakes are your number one pet peeve.

More info: Facebook

#1 You Expect The Guy To Open The Store While Being Circumcised?

Image credits: Jar Raj Grover

#2 So Many People To Send Them To

Image credits: Jonathan Good

#3 That Was After The Honeymoon

Image credits: Jar Raj Grover

Native speakers (and writers) of English all have their own struggle words. Some people can’t stand the doubling of a specific letter, like aggression versus agression. In other cases, people think there is a second letter where there actually is none, for example, imitate versus immitate. More often than not, this is a result of English not being a phonetic language.

Many writing systems attempt to just jot down the sounds that a particular word consists of. As logical as this sounds, many languages skip this part, English being one of them. Partially, the French can be blamed, as a lot of constructions in modern English have old French (and Norman) origins, due to William the Conqueror, well, conquering England in 1066.

#4 Listening To "Water Music" Will Never Be The Same Again

Image credits: Anindya Roychowdhury

#5 Okay Then

Image credits: Jar Raj Grover

#6 Can You Eat Non-Customers At The Tables? Asking For A Friend

Image credits: Malka Wolf

To counter this, English orthographer Christopher Upward designed something called cut spelling. The basic idea was to “cut” redundant and silent letters, which would “help” save 8–15% of space when printing written texts and, potentially, reduce the number of spelling mistakes that we all run into regularly. It never really took off because who wants to go through the hassle of remaking the entire spelling system of a language?

#7 Oh My

Image credits: Linda Silverman Shefler

#8 No, Thanks

Image credits: Gary Kimler

#9 I Hadn't Realized It Was Banned

Image credits: Emmay McDonald

As English is spoken around the globe by over 1.5 billion people as a first or second language, it makes sense that large, sweeping changes might not be that realistic to implement. It’s also a language without a “central” authority, with different spelling, pronunciation, and slang depending on where one is. Researchers call this a pluricentric language, meaning that different strains develop and intermix without one being regarded as the “official” variant.

#10 Well That Is One Way To Prevent Theft

Image credits: VidE27

#11 Where Is Elon When You Need Him?

Image credits: Daniel Rogers

#12 Yummy

Image credits: Jar Raj Grover

The result is that most variants of English are mutually intelligible, though there are always many anecdotes about thick accents from one English-speaking country or another. It also has a global reach, both due to colonial history and mass media. These days, English can be referred to as a true “lingua franca,” as it is often used when both parties don’t share a common language.

#13 Good Advice

Image credits: Robert Mark

#14 Unique Eligibility Criteria

Image credits: Zoya Rubina Usmani

#15 Hope Agian Shows Up

Image credits: David Levy

Attempts to make a “neutral” global means of communication have led to the creation of “Globish,” a somewhat uninspiring name for a language. The idea, created by Jean-Paul Nerrière, was to have something that was not tied down by the cultural weight of English and also incorporate elements from other languages around the world. Nevertheless, its largest “lender” of words was still English (around 1500 words) and it has not really taken off at the moment.

#16 Please, Turn Water Into Wine

Image credits: Jar Raj Grover

#17 Free Bill Posters

Image credits: Jake Schouten

#18 Pretty Intimidating If You Ask Me

Image credits: itzme89

English is so predominant that some scholars believe it might lead to premature language death. As it is tied up with employment, research, and a lot of popular media, English remains one of the top choices for people to learn, at the cost of acquiring a different language. The unfortunate result is that it introduces alien words and idioms into languages where they don’t belong, supplanting the more unique original structures.

#19 With The Price Of Gas These Days, He’s Not Wrong

Image credits: Dex Amoroso

#20 Two Lies And A Grammar Gaffe. What An Ad

Image credits: Marcy Bauman

#21 Uh, Oh

Image credits: Gary Kimler

#22 Aldi Australia Is Selling This Stool

Image credits: visegripandducttape

#23 Shucks, Wouldn’t You Know It, We’re On Vacation And Only Have Our Holiday Maid With Us

Image credits: Alastair John Stewart

#24 Dognuts? Hmmm

Image credits: Adam Alnafusi

#25 I Wonder If They Choose Or If You Have To Self-Identify

Image credits: Pina Vyas

#26 I Don't Know If I Can Stay Awake For 5 Days... Anymore

Image credits: Dawson Delamar

#27 "Trespiss-Sewers" Like Connoisseurs? Or Is That Three Spas Yours?

Image credits: Krista Knox

#28 I've Read This Five Different Ways. Each Giving A New And More Disturbing Meaning To It

Image credits: Nicholas del Cioppo

#29 Misogynists (Somewhere In Canada)

Image credits: The Interior

#30 Oof

Image credits: Bernard Rumbold

#31 Seems Awfully Cheap

Image credits: Stacy DeMeo Robbin

#32 This Sign

Image credits: Corrie Katczynski

#33 Is It Airfryable?

Image credits: Abe Fountain

#34 I Think I Need Some Help With This One

Image credits: Angela M. Dallas

#35 How Can You Fill Both Sides Of An Aisle With One Niche Product Category?

Image credits: Gilbert Cockton

#36 It's Truly Amazing, The Progress They've Made In Transplants

Image credits: Cecilia Jenkins

#37 Ronnie Must Work Here

Image credits: Nicolsonraea

#38 Me In Real Life

Image credits: Rich_Dtony

#39 A Sticky Situation To Be In

Image credits: Sael-er

#40 I Hope Someone Was Fired Over This, Or Smacked Across The Knuckles With A Ruler. Honk Jesus, Honk If You Save, If You Love Jesus

Jesus, Jesus says to sliders drugs say to no yes. Say sliders say no to drugs to yes.

Image credits: Dai Li

#41 Found This Gem In Rural Tennessee

Image credits: Randy Johnson

#42 Probably A Rerun

Image credits: Susan Freeman

#43 Saying “You Are A Cancer” Isn’t Much Better

Image credits: Pina Vyas

#44 I Wonder How That School Does In National Spelling

Image credits: Monte Bradford

#45 Ah, I Can Take My Time Here. I Love To Indulge In Long Baths

Image credits: Cecilia Jenkins

#46 The Whole Planet? Seems Kinda Harsh

Image credits: Silver Elephant

#47 Sounds Great. I Get To Park Here And Eat For Free. What A Country

Image credits: Don Swinchoski

#48 Stay Get Yay

Image credits: Sophia Chalifoux

#49 Why Are Racists So Bad At English?

Image credits: Gareth Williams

#50 Clever Crafter's Fail

Image credits: Angela M. Dallas

#51 Very Witty Indeed

Image credits: Corrie Katczynski

#52 Found This Sign At A Local Shopping Center. I Guess If You Park And Go Shopping, They Will Tow Your Car. We Decided To Shop Elsewhere

Image credits: Michael Berkman

#53 What Language Is This?

Image credits: RickeySmiley

#54 Watch Your Back, Jesus

Image credits: fleaofsc

#55 I Came Across This Sign Today And Still Can’t Quite Understand What They Are Saying. Any Ideas? Do They Want Tourists? Are The Bears Eating Tourists?

Image credits: David J Dingus

#56 The Four Apostrophe’s’ Of The Apocalypseses’s’

Image credits: Vincent Turner

#57 Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't

#58 Didn’t Know Tattoos Were Mobile Otherwise They Can Be Welded On?

Image credits: Kelli Anne

#59 Issue That Domestic Cats Are Usually Much Smaller Than The Weight Limit Noted Here

Image credits: BythepowerofPlank

#60 Inconvenience Indeed

Image credits: Mary Donahue

#61 Judges Do Have The Power Over You

Image credits: Jar Raj Grover

#62 Sadly, They Paid Dollar's For That Sign

Image credits: Yvonne Sy

#63 Spotted In A Store Window. Apparently Their Merchandise Includes Children? Is That Even Legal?

Image credits: David MacFadden

#64 What Fresh Hell Is This?

Image credits: Laura Ann Peters

#65 I Was Heading To Buy More Hayfever Tablets... Until An Ad Suggested That Not Taking Any Would Be Better

Image credits: Zardoz Connery

#66 Build A $1.2 Billion Cruise Ship And Save A Few Dollars By Failing To Proofread Signage For 75+ Plaques. Priceless

Image credits: Dave Christensen

#67 Let's Hope The Burger Is Ok

Image credits: Boyko Bonev

#68 But How Many Fake Ones?

Image credits: Marcy Bauman

#69 Not The Festive Spirit I Was Expecting From Woolworths

Image credits: Brian Merritt

#70 Doors Can Suffer From Significant Separation Anxiety

Image credits: Yvonne Sy

#71 Penmanship Is So Important

Image credits: Gary Kimler

#72 I Am Wondering Whether The Attendant Has Had Too Many Alcoholic Beverages

Image credits: John O'Connell

#73 That’s An Awfully Long-Winded Way Of Saying “Puzzle”

Image credits: Zardoz Connery

#74 This Company In Australia Couldn’t Decide Which Spelling Of Barbecue To Use So It’s Covering All Bases

Image credits: Wayne Rothe

#75 A Very Effective Mnemonic

Image credits: David MacFadden

#76 Those Poor Guests

Image credits: Robert Mark

#77 When You Want To Vent, You Know Who To Call

Image credits: Adam Alnafusi

#78 On A Walk In Spring Hill, I Encountered This Gem. I Felt Slightly Dumber For Having Read It

Image credits: Greg Boyce

#79 In Other Words, Anyone Who Is Between 1-20 Or 22+ Cannot Purchase Or Consume Here

Image credits: Gary Kimler

#80 100% Of The Whole Mouth, Is This Redundant? Granted It's Early And I Haven't Had My Coffee Yet And Have A Slight Headache But Still

Image credits: Kim Francis Skimmons

#81 Oh Really, Then Why Do Mine Seem To Not Care And Just Getting Out Bed I Need To Warm Up And Stretch For Fear I'm Going To Pull A Big One

Image credits: Pete Simmonds

#82 Presumably, These Grow In Bushes?

Image credits: Gilbert Cockton

#83 "To Bad" Must Be On The "Highway To Hell"

Image credits: Wayne Rothe

#84 Possible Uses Of A Monocular

Image credits: Clint Westwood

#85 Do What Now?

Image credits: whatthecrazyhouse

#86 That Arrangement Works

Image credits: Yvonne Sy

#87 A Good Bit Of Yorkshire

Image credits: Bernard Rumbold

#88 This Sign Caught My Eye Today And My Immediate Thought Was "Wow, Are They Making Smart (I.e. Automated) Shoes Now?"

Image credits: Louise Pattison

#89 I Spotted This Sign This Morning In Walgreens As I Was Struggling To Pick Up My Daughter’s Pain Medication

Image credits: Helen Anne Mertsching

#90 Buried Fiber Optic Cable GF

Image credits: yeportus_333

#91 That Only Complicates The Problem

Image credits: Brent Baker

#92 So Nice Of Them To Send Kids To Do Our Sewing And First Aid At The Airbnb Unit

Image credits: Peppa Forest

#93 When Sad Metropolitan Copywriters Try To Write Geordie

Image credits: Gilbert Cockton

#94 Just Noticing This After Using This For Two Years. A Simple Typo, But Still

Image credits: Steven DiCastro

#95 Tasty

Image credits: Robert Allen

#96 Presumably, The Exit Is An "Outerance"

Image credits: Gordonn Shumway

#97 Sitting At A Stoplight I Spotted This. It Took Me A Minute To Understand What They Were Advertising, But I Decided Against Eating The Chicken

Image credits: Mary Donahue

#98 Damn Autocorrect

Image credits: Friar Nicolas Maria

#99 You Probably Think This Sign Is About You

Image credits: Davis Arthur

#100 I Wonder If Gerogia Is Near Georgia?

Image credits: Mary Donahue

#101 Ouch

Image credits: Hari Prahlad

#102 Where Am I Supposed To Park My Chipotle?

Image credits: Edward Ulm

#103 I Always Thought That All Clocks Were Time Clocks. By The Look Of The Merchandise, I Guess I Was Wrong

Image credits: Timothy L Hitchings

#104 I Want To See A Floopervisor. There Is No Reason I Can't Have My Poofs

Image credits: Krista Knox

#105 Lay Eggs?

Image credits: Mark Podesta

#106 A Beautiful Display At The Checkout Counter In A Portland Maine Restaurant

Image credits: Fritz Appleby

#107 Yo, Adrian (Proper Use Of Comma)

Image credits: hale__bopp

#108 Proofreading Fail. Cutains?

Image credits: Jim Thomas

#109 Ecuador Ice Cream Shop

Image credits: Casey Brooks

#110 So Close

Image credits: Holly Shuck

#111 Well The Words Appear To Be English But The Manner In Which They Are Assembled Is Incomprehensible

Image credits: Julie Lombardy

#112 He Parked So Close That He Knocked Off An O

Image credits: David Mikkelson

#113 I Encountered This Fascinating Euphemism For The First Time On Our Recent Road Trip To The US. Has Anyone Else Ever Heard This Expression?

It has the quaint, bygone sound of something carried over from the Victorian period

Image credits: David MacFadden

#114 I Take Delight In Garbled English On Clothing, As I Assume People Who Can Read Chinese Do At Tattoos Sported By People Who Can Not

I have a load of photos to share if there's interest in them, let me know, but here's the one I love best, beyond absurdity: keep calm and love bulldog. What were they thinking?

Image credits: Sinead Butler

#115 "Construction High Noise"

Image credits: Jenniffer Twu

#116 My Favorite Christmas Coffee Cup

Image credits: Dale Nees

#117 Sign Spotted At A TJ Maxx In Florida Today. How Does One Tow A Span Of Time?

Image credits: Arlene Oakland

#118 Lost In Translation

Image credits: Carol Jeory

#119 So What Do You Do?

Image credits: Adrienne Kanach

#120 CBS Needs A Better Spellchecker

Image credits: Mary Donahue

#121 A Comma And An Apostrophe Would Have Really Helped Here

Image credits: Sam Solomon

#122 Just Saw In Miami

Image credits: Kathi Stetser

#123 Segregation Is Still A Thing In The Midlands

Image credits: varney40

#124 This Is The Inner Label Of My Two Good Yogurt This Morning. I Can’t Decide Whether They Did It On Purpose To Make A Point About No Judgment Or If It Was An Editing Error

Image credits: Glynis Elizabeth

#125 This Sign

Image credits: Crimson Ann Jacobs

#126 Seen In Chennai (Erstwhile Madras)

The notice says in Tamil that there are job opportunities for ladies with expertise in operating photocopying machines. It's the English translation that's intriguing.

Image credits: Hari Prahlad

#127 Does Anyone Else Feel Peevish About This Post?

Image credits: Cecilia Jenkins

#128 What Do They Quote?

Image credits: Jan Thrower

#129 Let's Face It: Ice Cream Is Importanter. Also Deliciouser

Image credits: Jonathan Lazarus

#130 This Happens To Me A Lot

Image credits: Mary Donahue

#131 Paper Toilets Sound Like A Really Bad Idea

Image credits: Samantha Edmondson

#132 That Doesn't Sound Very Tasty

Image credits: Bill Brown

#133 Spelling Class Starts At 8

Image credits: Manuel Vidal

#134 This Doesn't Look Right To Me

Image credits: Adolfo Mejia

#135 I Three What You Did There

Image credits: Dana Fleischman Lehrman

#136 I Would Have Rotated The Letter R 90°

Image credits: Edward Ulm

#137 Driving Through Hope, AZ

Image credits: Tom Nadeau

#138 I Stumbled Upon This Claim Yesterday, For Some Reason I Cannot Quite Define. Can Something Actually Be Designed To Be Authentic? Isn't That Contradictory?

Image credits: Stephen Benedetti

#139 Sigh

Image credits: Rachael Rose

#140 Just Found This On My Door. Not Interested In Whatever It Is. I Do Want To Know If One Can Prequalify For Something That Is Active

Image credits: Chip Fowler

#141 I Was In An Office Building Today And Saw This. It Made Me Think: Doesn't "Uni" Mean One? Would The Sign Be More Accurate To Say "Multi" Or Something?

Image credits: Kim Francis Skimmons

#142 From CNN To Local News Shows, There Are Always Typos Like These. Spell Check Doesn't Fix Everything

Image credits: September Stokes

#143 Thick & Durable

"Durable" implies something that will sustain continuous and/or lengthy use. Aluminum foil is typically only used once. In this case, I used it to line a sheet pan for oven bacon, and after the bacon was done, I threw the foil away. I would think a better word than "durable" would be "strong".