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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to get annoyed with mis-spelling of names?

27 replies

MissCalamity · 20/10/2014 09:54

May be sticking my head in the oven here...

I was reading on Facebook the sad news that Lynda Bellingham had lost her battle with cancer Sad and people had obviously read the article and posted their condolences Rip Linda it really winds me up when people can't get othe spelling right, especially when it's already been spelt correctly in the article.

So, AIBU?

OP posts:
Seeline · 20/10/2014 10:02

I don't think you are BU. But I think it is a fact of life. Before I was married, I had a very unusual surname. I knew people were unlikely to be able to spell it correctly without being told, so I used to spell it out for them, and I would stand on the other side of the desk/reception etc and watch them write it incorrectly as I spelt it out!! On several occasions when I pointed out the error, I was asked whether I was sure Shock I assured them that it was my name, I had had it for many years, and I was pretty certain that's how it was spelt Grin

LL12 · 20/10/2014 10:20

I totally agree, I even get it with my first name (as well as my surname)which only has 4 letters in it.
I write it down and they ignore 1 of the letters and put say an s instead of a z.
It really winds me up, it's not exactly hard.

MewlingQuim · 20/10/2014 10:23

YABU to be annoyed, it happens all the time. People make mistakes.

I have a forename that can be spelt several ways and people always seem to pick the wrong one. My surname was easy to spell, but then I married DH and now I get both names spelt wrong! It's interesting at Christmas to see how many variations I get on cards from friends and family that should have known how to spell it for years and also I am Dr not Mrs or Miss and they get that wrong too It doesn't offend me, although I frequently tell DH I am going back to my maiden name because of it, I'm not sure that would actually help now though, it would probably just confuse them more Hmm

I do miss a lot of emails because people get the spelling wrong and that can be annoying.

Original poster
MissCalamity · 20/10/2014 10:33

I understand that there are lots of weird & wonderful ways of spelling names but if it's right there in front of you, surely it's not difficult to just copy it?!

OP posts:
HerbieRidesAgain · 20/10/2014 10:43

I rarely comment on the passing of celebrities but Lynda Bellingham has touched me, so i posted a link on FB and after reading this i did double check and OMG I spelt her name wrong!! i am disappointed with myself as it would irritate me if someone else did it, so I have edited it. Blush
hangs head in shame

FlipFl0pp · 20/10/2014 10:43

I get this all the time. It particularly grates when I send an email, Hi Claire xxxxx regards, fluffy" and get one back "hi floofy" Angry.

coldwater1 · 20/10/2014 10:50

Annoys me too. Esp when people miss an 'E' out when spelling my name, which happens all the time!! Hmm

RiverTam · 20/10/2014 10:52

very sloppy. I get it all the time, even in reply to emails where my name (spelt how I spell it) is clear for all to see.

CommanderShepard · 20/10/2014 11:01

My name is constantly spelt wrong, much like Clare vs Claire (that's not my name, but you get the idea). It's a battle every time I go to the GP - my name is not Clare, it's Claire! And they don't seem to see it as a problem, which is even more annoying, because I have no idea where they've got the wrong spelling from.

I went through a phase in my teenage years of not responding to anyone who addressed me as Clare. I still find it incredibly rude.

CherryDolphin · 20/10/2014 11:07

YANBU. I have a name that nearly everyone spells wrong. My name is not unusual however there are two spellings and one just happens to be a lot more common than the other. Unfortunately for me I have the not so common spelling so I'm used to people spelling my name wrong on a regular basis.

I actually don't mind if people are just writing it down but it's when it's written right in front of them yet they still get it wrong! I actually have a certificate from school with both my surname and my first name spelt wrong! I mean surely they would of looked at the register?

SaucyJack · 20/10/2014 11:12

Doesn't annoy me really. I have a very VERY common name with two or three accepted spellings although mine is the traditional spelling. I still occasionally get it spelt one of the other ways and it's yet to bother me. Is a bit odd though- granted.

Wowthishurtsalot · 20/10/2014 11:14

It makes me laugh when I get an email at work misspelling my name as my email address is one of those first.sirname@company types so to get the thing to me they have to have spelled it right at least once!

FartingIsntSwearing · 20/10/2014 11:19

I once (in the throes of grief mind!) emailed a psychic Blush to arrange a reading.

I decided not to bother when the email back was to someone different!

BackforGood · 20/10/2014 11:28

I would take the message in the spirit it is sent, rather than being pedantic about the spelling (and yes, I have one of those names that can be spelt in different ways so often get things incorrectly addressed, but it's not really important).

ElephantsNeverForgive · 20/10/2014 11:29

I think with first names people tend to revert to the one they know best, which is fairly forgivable. DD was more amused than annoyed that her HT spelt her name the way his DN did.

Admin staff changing my unusual maiden name into 2 commoner ones, when I'd spelt it or written it in careful block capitals.

One miss spelling changed the first letter, bloody brilliant in world of alphabetic filling and university pigeon holes.

manchestermummy · 20/10/2014 11:43

YANBU.

I have a very, very common popular first name, and my surname is also really, really widespread. Not Smith but of that ilk.

People get my first name wrong all the time. It's been made worse by the fact that we have a new 'big' boss who has the same name but spelled differently (think Claire/Clare). Mine is the more usual spelling. Because the big boss spells her name one way, colleagues have taken to spelling my name the same as hers: she's the boss, so she must be right Hmm.

My maiden name, now, that was a cause for consternation. I was told I was spelling my own name wrong frequently. I was also pronouncing it wrong. Files etc. with my name on were always put in the wrong place.

DH's surname was the deal-breaker in our relationship Grin

manchestermummy · 20/10/2014 11:48

I was at school with someone who had a first name that was quite unusual then (quite popular now but not in the early 90s). Poor bloke got told on more than one occasion that it "couldn't possibly be his name as no-one is called that". Fortunately by the time he got to be over 6 ft tall the teachers could cope...

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 20/10/2014 12:38

There's an 's' on the end of my surname. When I win the lottery I'm going to employ a big chap with a hammer to make sure it's never left off again.

kentishgirl · 20/10/2014 12:42

I also hate the idea of winning/losing a 'battle with cancer'.

No one says you lose the battle against kidney failure, or win the battle against a heart attack.

It makes it sound as if people will survive if they fight hard enough. You win/lose a battle through your own efforts. Cancer - it's pot luck.

BaffledSomeMore · 20/10/2014 12:46

Yanbu.
It does seem daft that if people profess to care enough to be posting RIP on fb that they can't be arsed to check the spelling.
I had a Linda on my fb earlier so I'm going to see if it's Herbie's post :)

BaffledSomeMore · 20/10/2014 12:48

No not Herbie

Thurlow · 20/10/2014 12:49

YANBU. Another one here with a name than can be with or without an 'e'. I don't mind if someone hears the name and then takes a punt, there are hundreds of names with slightly different spellings (Stephen/Steven, Claire/Clare, Anne/Ann) but I HATE it when someone has the bloody name in front of them and still don't seem to notice how to spell it.

coldwater1 · 20/10/2014 14:16

At work the other day i got an email from a colleague 'Dear Abbey...' My first name is not Abbey and neither is my surname, although spelt similar.

Hatespiders · 20/10/2014 14:44

I have a very posh and nice first name, but nobody has called me that since I was about six. My nickname can be a man or a woman, and I get the most weird spam asking me if I'd like to enlarge my organ or need a hot date with a sexy lassie with huge boobs etc. I'm an elderly lady, so they're way off track!

ProudAS · 20/10/2014 16:47

YANBU - I spell mine out and people still get it wrong or seem unable to copy it correctly - something I would expect the average 6 year old to be capable of