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Typography is not just picking out a letter font and typing away; there is a whole system and a bunch of specific terms behind it. For example, a professional working with typography might use such terms as leading, kerning, foot, vertex, crotch and swash on a daily basis. Now, we are not going to drown you in stiff scientific language explaining all that, but rather show you what one of these words, kerning, means.
If you'd to check a dictionary, you'd find that kern might mean a yokel, but that's not the meaning used in typography. Kerning basically describes the horizontal spacing between two consecutive characters used in a font. When type was printed using cast metal, parts that needed to overlap adjacent letters hung off the edge. Computer typefaces might have manual, automatic, or no kerning whatsoever for every different font styles; no kerning can make it appear that there is a space between letters, while automatic kerning produces mixed results.
Still wondering why letter spacing is so important? Well, typography design fails can ruin (or make hilarious) even the best thought-out text, as the examples below demonstrate. It turns out that there is only a few millimeters difference between 'clicks' and 'dicks,' 'therapist' and 'the rapist.'
Scroll down below to see these funny fails and more for yourself!
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#1
What Style Of Massage Is This?
RELATED:
#2
Another Reminder That Yes, Fonts And Kerning Matter
AliceScharrer 10 years ago
Looking at the logo, it comes to my mind that they might have made this mistake on purpose. ;-) Nice combination of logo and spacing failure. xD
#3
I'm Sorry, What's Broken?
Onennon 9 years ago
f**k yeah, u r gretest. and yes I know i spelled those wrong.
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SusannaVesna 10 years ago
Good they said to use a finger! Imagine someone took out their Unbroken pen..is
#4
Badly Misspelled Name
SagaaboyzR 10 years ago
I wonder how the worker would call him after the beverage is ready to serve.
AndersMagrioteli 10 years ago
Maybe he'll get his/her a*s fired after yelling the order out!
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JamesFacsit 10 years ago
That's not a misspelling. Yeah, that's some douchetwat's bad penmanship spacing.
Roxie 10 years ago
My name is Lisa and when they filled out the paperwork at the dealership, apparently they wrote this way. My truck was registered to Usa.
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
It would have helped if they'd at least dotted the "i" in Clint, lol.
Rani Johnson 6 years ago
I spelled my name out for the Starbucks cashier today. He still got it wrong. R a n i = Arni.
#5
Spacing Is Important
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
Hi, yes... I'd like to return this 1 yr old male model and get the 2 yr old female instead... is that on sale this week?
Ditto 8 years ago
The level of stupidity that you have hurts my brain, have you heard of angles and position of the sun before?
Load More Replies... #6
My Math Teacher Also Taught Us The Importance Of Kerning
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
I literally read that as "a**l" the first time, and wondered what the heck the teacher was trying to say, lol.
#7
Bull Titan Us
Marcus Mansukhani 8 years ago
It took a moment but I see what happened here. They started with Bull Titan (US), then they took away the brackets, put it in capitals and then made a total disaster of spacing, seems they were going by sounds rather than English meaning.
Tina Hyatt 8 years ago
What is this even supposed to be?? I think this is a translation fail..
#8
Space Bar, You Had One Job
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
Why was Donald Trump the first person I thought of when I read that sign?
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
Was it a penis wearing a wig? Or Donald Trump? lol
Load More Replies... #9
Hey Walmart... Kerning Is Important
#10
Worst Tart Ever
JosvanHout 10 years ago
California plates have max 7 letters? Anustar - still hilarious ;-)
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AnjellyDaxMacWynn 10 years ago
This is Tobias's license plate on the TV show Arrested Development & his character is King of Kerning mistakes!!!
#11
Bad Kerning, Good 'shrooms
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
Well, if you think about where mushrooms grow, it's not that far off.
GayleWayland 10 years ago
A large supermarket near my house has a shelf tab for "S**t-Ta-Ke" Mushrooms. It's been there for a YEAR.
SissyStepp 10 years ago
err, I believe that's maybe "shiitake" ..In the Japanese, it is a double "i" sound, and not a double "t" ... :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake
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#12
My Aunt In The Philippines Made A Nice Birthday Cake For My Relative Curt
KristyStaples 10 years ago
That's a cursive lowercase "r", sorry kids, doesn't look like an "n" ... do they even teach cursive anymore (some one called it old font, lmao, cute) ?
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
She made a very pretty cake..but next time, she may want to use block lettering for the name, lol.
NioYganaTumamak 10 years ago
Our elem. teachers used to force us writing in cursive and in Philippines cursive is formal to look at. hahahhah but still i laughed at this. :)
KatyStraw 10 years ago
'Curt' looks like a slightly different dirty word. (C U Next Tuesday)
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JaninMatuschak 10 years ago
It doesn't. Look at the 'r' in Birthday. She wrote it in an old font which makes the 'r' look like an 'n'.
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#13
Sign Above The Megaflicks Store
AnastaciaBurns 10 years ago
LOL I lived 15 miles from that store. It's been gone for years now. Too bad this pic was taken during the day, because when it was lit up at night it was awesome!! XD
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
If someone were to spray paint the word "one" between that sign and the next, it would be even more interesting... "Megaf**ks"... One.... Dollar ;)
#14
Maybe They Should Pick A Different Font Next Time
KarinMorris 10 years ago
This one is pushing it, I had to actually think of bad words to see it here
#15
Lego Click Brick
PhilMurphy 10 years ago
Is this d is based on the shape and size of the c ?
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JaphyWitte 10 years ago
there are alphabets that utilize a true circle and therefore do look that way,... but more importantly, I'm reading " d**k brjck " .... must be from Norvay.
JaphyWitte 10 years ago
there are alphabets that use a true circle and make larger letters... though, what I'm seeing is d**k brjck.... must be in Norvay.
#16
Ooh Errr
Final score:
34points
JaphyWitte 10 years ago
so confusing.... they have an American flag.... their name is New York New York Ltd. and they charge British Pounds.....
#17
Lightpost In The Way = Very Awkward Abbreviation!
Final score:
33points
MichaelWilliamson 10 years ago
In the Commonwealth, "a*s." is association, "a**e" is the posterior. So this is only funny to Americans and some Canadians.
#18
Fast Food
#19
Somehow I'm Not Surprised They Went Out Of Business
Marcus Mansukhani 8 years ago
The branch closed but the business is still around. I've used them a few times.
#20
Falmouth Based Company Pendennis... Getting In Wrong
Final score:
25points
JoséGinésJiménezNoguera 10 years ago
It's not the "I" photoshopped, as Marcia says, but part of the "D"
BlakeElliott 10 years ago
It's a sliding door the rest of the D is at the front it's just when it life's back it lave all its letters ENNI and part of the D are behind the door no photoshop people.
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#21
A Traditional Barber Shop
Final score:
23points
#22
Letter Spacing Can Make All The Difference
FrederickPortillo 10 years ago
think the employee that posted the letters for this sign was trying to pull a "fhritp"?
JamesFacsit 10 years ago
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Acronym's don't have to be for everything.
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MichaelBurns 9 years ago
Do you Americans not have spotted d**k? This is a genuine food here guys haha
#23
Erm? No Thanks..
Final score:
8points
#24
Wtf? What Does This Asian Restaurant In Germany Offer?
Final score:
2points
CindyLou-Who 10 years ago
An Asian Restaurant supposedly in Germany........... that writes in American /English
Inga (Submission author) 10 years ago
it was in Paderborn, Germany, I took the picture myself
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Miyu Rosewood 4 years ago
looks like they forgot spelling midway.. kinda like I some time was struggling with "coockies"
#25
Experience Anu's Passion!
Final score:
2points
#26
For Those Whose Needs Go Beyond Justice Cream Alone
JohnFalkenrich 10 years ago
I'm thinking it's more the angle the photo was taken at than anything.
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#27
They Pay You To Buy Them!
Final score:
-1point
Crep 105 3 years ago
The whole thing is that it looks like it says 150% off. It doesn't.
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#28
A Test Image
Final score:
-3points
Greg Benson 3 years ago
I think the web developer literally left in the test image from when they were creating this list.
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Michael Hope 6 years ago
It appears you are going to get a 150% discount instead of 50%. I think it said Buy 1 get 1 fifty percent off. but the 50% was too close to the 1. so not only was it free they were going to pay you half more to take it. haha.
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EdwinnaSkipper 10 years ago
Yes, keening can make all the difference, especially with wider fonts.
Michael Hope 6 years ago
It appears you are going to get a 150% discount instead of 50%. I think it said Buy 1 get 1 fifty percent off. but the 50% was too close to the 1. so not only was it free they were going to pay you half more to take it. haha.
Load More Replies... EdwinnaSkipper 10 years ago
Yes, keening can make all the difference, especially with wider fonts.
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