THere’s a cereal ad that features a girl in a spelling bee, and her word is AARDVARK, and she starts by saying "A-R-D" and the cereal mascot appears on the mic stand and says something encouraging like "No, THINK!" and she stops and says "A-A-R-D-V-A-R-K" and every time that ad comes on my brain seizes, because that violates every regulated spelling bee rulebook EVER. You can retrace! But not correct! Even if the cereal encourages you!
Also, I am amazed at the number of seemingly really intelligent people that confuse lose and loose. You LOSE your virginity three times if you are a LOOSE girl. Or something. Sigh.
With you on both points.
In fifth grade I came in second (I lost to Britton) in the school bee because I spelled “desert” and the word was “dessert” and only LATER did I learn that since I did not ask for a definition, technically, I was correct!!! Hello, you desert your post in the army and you eat a dessert after dinner–I know the difference!
THAT SHIT STILL BOTHERS ME. STUPID PRINCETON.
Across the street from my office is a automotive stereo installation place that does both “foreighn” and domestic cars. The funny thing is that foreign is spelled correctly elsewhere on the building.
Yes! That spelling bee commercial drives me nuts as well! Don’t get me started on spelling mistakes on signage, but I will share that I used to live across the street from a nitgh club as well as a place that sold boxe’s.