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There are some phrases that just don’t make sense. They get printed on shirts, billboards, and street signs, and if you encounter one, you’ll know it. Looking thrice and turning your head upside down won’t help. Asking for a friend’s help in deciphering the message won’t do much either.

You may call these phrases cursed and you wouldn’t be wrong. But there is an online group that’s not only entirely dedicated to these nonsensical phrases, but has also defined them as a phenomenon worthy of our attention on its own. Powered by 603k members, the Don't Dead Open Inside subreddit is a place for “signs and media that read as nonsense if read normally: from left to right.”

It may sound tricky, but bear with me. Below are some of the funniest signs that require 0% common sense and to throw everything you know about sentence structure out the window. Who knew that there could be so much sense in such nonsense?!


#3

Will There Be Blood Or Not!?

Will There Be Blood Or Not!?

manby Report

Just like most things on the internet, the subreddit Don't Dead Open Inside wasn’t created out of nowhere. The trope first came to internet users' attention when its name was used in a promotional poster for the TV series The Walking Dead. To this day, the Don't Dead Open Inside poster, revealed on July 2nd, 2010, stands as one of the most recognized examples of the trope in popular culture that caused the cult following on Reddit.

According to Know Your Meme, the infamous poster featured a photograph of a double door with the words "Don't Open" written on the left side and "Dead Inside" written on the right, which should be interpreted "Don't open, dead inside" if read in the correct order. The whole fun of the trope is revealed when the reader reads the phrase line by line instead, which sounds like "Don't dead open inside."

#5

Choose Abortion Life Kills

Choose Abortion Life Kills

StrongbowPowers Report

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#6

5 Extremely Slow Children Playing

5 Extremely Slow Children Playing

dontdeadopeninside Report

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Zoe Vokes
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Used to have a sign near us “CHILDREN DRIVE SLOWLY THROUGH VILLAGE”.

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zims
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There used to be 6, that's why they had to put up a sign

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Znaya
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Drive with extreme caution .......... .. in very slow motion 😀

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Vic
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What is confusing here? The sign clearly says "5 extremely slow children playing" (probably slow loris babies)

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WholesomeArmyweeb
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those kids again?! Dang nabbitt I thought we got rid of em for once!

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PeachPossum
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, that makes them a lot easier to hit. I hate chasing down the fast ones just for a few measly points.

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Lucy Skinner
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even if there are five extremely slow children playing, you should be aware of them

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Cactuar Jon
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Slow down! These children aren't as fast as they used to be!

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Cip IESAN
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a child, I was slow, but only a bit, not extremely...

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GSMountainWolf
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There’s a line between “extremely slow” and “children playing”

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GC Rovario-Cole
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hope another extremely slow child doesn't move there. They'd have to change the whole sign.

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Dale Overturf
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had a Slow Children sign in my neighborhood where I grew up. It just happened to be right in front of the house of a developmentally disabled girl. Somebody in my family told me that she was why it was there and I still have to think twice when I see a sign like that.

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Ruth Fichter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whenever I see these signs I can't help saying "Speed the little f**kers up!"

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Cathy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was a cause of a "Slow Children Play Here" sign erected in a small nearby town

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Jon S.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like the fact that someone was so aggrieved by this sign they tried to correct it

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Marco Conti
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How about "Go slowly, children playing"? I am not even a native speaker.

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B Jones
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At least they were kind enough not to list those 5 kids names.

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Valley Girl
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not nice to point the five of them out, but if they're that slow they won't even get it.

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François Carré
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There were supposed to be 6 of them, but one didn't even make it out their bed until it was too dark again to go outside.

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S. Tor Storm
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

well, if the kids are extremely slow - makes sense to drive slow

ng avatar
N G
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the kids are that slow, it's probably safe to drive faster

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Knowing the speed things surf around social media, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a couple of users on Twitter shared their reactions to the unusual poster on social media. In the following years, “the memes based on the joke were made, with Know Your Meme user irish_swede archiving one such example on March 12, 2013,” reported Know Your Meme.

On May 17th, 2014, the subreddit r/dontdeadopeninside was created, where the community collected cases of the trope found in popular culture, design, advertising, etc. Today, it’s home to 603k members that follow a strict set of rules for submissions.

#7

Doesn’t Sound Like Fun

Doesn’t Sound Like Fun

Reddituser4678213 Report

#8

Don’t Save A Life Be Afraid To Give Blood

Don’t Save A Life Be Afraid To Give Blood

dontdeadopeninside Report

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The first and most important rule is that all posts have to comply to DDOI format. “Signs must be read correctly top to bottom, and incorrectly left to right, like any text, usually. Though it does not matter how easily you can read them, it is highly encouraged to only post images with little separation or spacing between the columns of words.”

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The community doesn’t allow both reposts and memes, and encourages users to “put the 'correctly read' way in the title, like 'DONT DEAD OPEN INSIDE.'”

#10

Guaranteed Reduced Quality

Guaranteed Reduced Quality

Maqwheel Report

#11

7 Surprising Black Ways To Use Beans

7 Surprising Black Ways To Use Beans

maximum_chungus Report

#12

Aliectass

Aliectass

_awwsmm , DrJessicaLanger Report

#15

Stand Hong With Kong

Stand Hong With Kong

pedrojalapa Report

#17

If You Were In A Car, Would You Know What Accident To Do?

If You Were In A Car, Would You Know What Accident To Do?

MrGrampton Report

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Ekate
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I usually go with spilling hot coffee on myself when the lid's not on properly.

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#21

Stop Earth The Denying Is Dying!

Stop Earth The Denying Is Dying!

SoddingOpossum Report

#23

Saw This At Work Today And Immediately Thought Of This Sub

Saw This At Work Today And Immediately Thought Of This Sub

rdeddit Report

#24

Always Forgotten - Missed Never

Always Forgotten - Missed Never

cdsackett Report

#26

Was There Even An Intended Order To Begin With?

Was There Even An Intended Order To Begin With?

plsiwanttosleep , starrthepj Report

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#29

Vote Dump Early Trump

Vote Dump Early Trump

JGolden32 Report

#30

Friend Of A Friend Got A New Tattoo

Friend Of A Friend Got A New Tattoo

drewwhis Report

#31

This Is A F**king Massacre. Thing Made Me Want To Dead

This Is A F**king Massacre. Thing Made Me Want To Dead

reddit.com Report

#35

You Think Some Tattooist Hate Their Own Work?

You Think Some Tattooist Hate Their Own Work?

Pyrox888 Report

#36

This Giant Poster In My University Dorm

This Giant Poster In My University Dorm

colonelpanic762 Report

#37

Drugs May Kill You, But Never Your They’ll Hurt Feelings

Drugs May Kill You, But Never Your They’ll Hurt Feelings

acookie2 Report

#38

Teachers Who Love Teach Children Teaching To Love Learning

Teachers Who Love Teach Children Teaching To Love Learning

tanooki_hardaway Report

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#39

Hear That Noise? We Are Growing. We Can Fix It Again. Apply Inside

Hear That Noise? We Are Growing. We Can Fix It Again. Apply Inside

armchairnixon Report

#40

My Girlfriends Kitchen Tiles. Forffee Coyou

My Girlfriends Kitchen Tiles. Forffee Coyou

Laveys_Fvcktoy Report

#45

Call Me Don’t

Call Me Don’t

RoyLifestyle Report

Note: this post originally had 70 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.