Thanks to the magic of technology and electricity, we’ve upgraded from paper posters to bright LED and neon signs. They’re not only eye-catching but also practical, helping us spot important messages in the dark, from traffic updates to a glowing “vacancy” notice on a late-night road trip.
But because they rely on light, once it goes out… so do they. And when a letter or two disappears, the results can be unintentionally hilarious. The aptly named Reddit community “misLED” gathers the funniest of these sign fails. Scroll down to see them all and upvote the ones that made you laugh!
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I Got Offended
Home Of The Who
Bass player couldn't decide between becoming a musician and an athlete. That is an impressively high jump.
I'd imagine he was pretty high to start with...
Load More Replies...You would probably be a bit more concerned if you knew the "who does this come from". "Hey babe? does this taste a bit like a Jerry or a Harry to you?"
Load More Replies...As funny as those misLED fails are, when signs actually do their job, they’re a pretty incredible reminder of how far we’ve come as humans. Think about it, we took something as simple as light and figured out how to bend, channel, and color it into glowing words and shapes.
Even if you’re not an expert, you’ve probably admired how pretty neon and LED signs look. But the way they actually work? It’s fascinating.
5…no Wait 4…no Wait 5 Guys
Is that where you go when you desperately need a phlebotomist? BTW I used to live with a phlebotomist. Also phlebotomist is a very funny word. I use it every chance I get.
As a former phlebotomist I support this wholeheartedly. Use it any place you can
Load More Replies...When You Bring Your Phone Into Your Bathroom
Let’s start with the basics. LED stands for “light-emitting diode,” and according to Energy Star, these tiny sources of light produce illumination up to 90% more efficiently than old-school incandescent bulbs.
Instead of heating a filament like traditional light bulbs do, LEDs work by sending an electrical current through a microchip, which lights up microscopic diodes to produce visible light. The result is a bright, steady glow that doesn’t waste energy as heat.
Fair
Lsd
Specifically the classic song by Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit".
One pill makes you larger, And one pill makes you small, And the ones that mother gives you, Don't do anything at all, Go ask Alice, When she's ten feet tall.
Load More Replies...Failed Successfully
There's a place called "The Vern" Their sign got clipped by a truck years ago and the only part that worked was the "Vern" from "Tavern" It's been that way for 20+years. That's a Portland, Oregon Story for you.
You mean the terrible w@r zone where I live which is actually within walking distance of the Vern. I get there by jumping from foxhole to foxhole 🙄 FDT
Load More Replies...Somewhat famous restaurant in West L.A. known for their suzie q fries and cherry lime rickey. There was one in Beverly Hills, too which was a drive-in. Both have been torn down. I had my first date at the one in BH.
Because they don’t “burn out” the same way older bulbs do, LEDs have a much longer lifespan. They slowly lose brightness over time—a process called lumen depreciation.
As Energy Star explains, the lifespan of an LED is based on when it loses about 30% of its brightness, not when it completely stops working.
Laughed My Bum Off When I Saw This
The dentist who came out of retirement to help our rural dental practice slipped with a tool and cut my lip.
Load More Replies...Rat Beef Sandwich
The latest commercial.."Is Arbys now a steak house?" No, no it's not..
I Will Take The Ticket Please
OMG took me too long. "Click it or Ticket". I'm old enough to remember cars without seatbelts. My first car didn't have them. Wear them every time now because they DO SAVE LIVES.
Thanks, I couldn't work it out. When seat belts were made compulsory in the UK there was a huge campaign with the slogan "clunk click every trip" referring to the clunk of the door followed by the click of the seat belt. Actually that campaign, I'm sure I recall it from back in the 1970s, might pre-date the law which came into place in 1983
Load More Replies...One of the coolest parts about LEDs is how flexible they are. They’re tiny, so designers can put them almost anywhere—inside a bulb that looks like the ones we grew up with or in sleek, futuristic fixtures. They can even be built right into signs, letters, or shapes.
This versatility has made LED technology a dream for both engineers and artists, who now use it for everything from traffic lights to art installations.
Hell
Fun but unrelated fact. I was the mayor of Hell MI for a day. Yeah its a small town about halfway in the mitten. You can apply to be a mayor of Hell lol
That's Subjective
What’s The Opposite Of A Pharmacy?
What? Do you not like the Leeches and Bloodletting?
Load More Replies...Of course, even small lights can get hot. That’s why every LED setup includes a heat sink, a clever bit of design that absorbs and disperses the heat they produce.
As Energy Star points out, this “thermal management” is crucial to keeping LEDs bright and long-lasting. Without it, the light would fade faster, and your favorite glowing sign might not survive too many late nights.
Fairfield, Oh
This Gamestop
Before you BREEEEAAAK MYYY HEART!
Load More Replies...….children, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going down….
Fart City
But LEDs aren’t the only stars of the show. Long before they arrived, neon lights were dazzling cities around the world. According to science writer Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., real neon lights are glass tubes filled with a small amount of neon gas under low pressure.
When high voltage—around 15,000 volts—is applied, it gives the gas enough energy to release electrons, creating plasma that glows. That reddish-orange light we all associate with classic “Open” signs? That’s pure neon at work.
Do It
Dunk Nuts
“Me and my pal Rooster have this band, N******s. Straight up gangster rap”. Pandas, what TV show is this from?
Not sure what show it's from but it's a lyric to the timeless rap hit, The Humpty Dance. Lol. edit: spelling
Load More Replies...70 Years Of Goo
In Hindi ‘goo’ means s**t which makes this either better or worse
Different gases can create different colors. Helmenstine explains that helium glows pink, krypton is green, and argon shines blue.
Sometimes, the glass itself is coated with phosphor, which glows in different colors when energized. That’s how we get the rainbow of glowing signs lighting up downtown streets, each color a little chemistry experiment.
Lizzard Warning
Maybe it's that thing in Florida where iguanas freeze and fall out of trees?
Lies & Fish
No Frills At This Institution
Interestingly, neon lights have been around since the early 1900s. Georges Claude, often called the father of neon lighting, first showed off his creation at the 1910 Paris Motor Show.
The glowing tubes caused a sensation, and before long, they were everywhere, from shop windows to movie theaters. Even today, that retro glow has never lost its charm.
Toot
The fact the letters don't line up with the windows Makes this look photoshopped.
Are They Hiring?
I Don’t Know If I Can Type This One Out
Why, this is a great idea. I’d totally exchange, for example, Netanyahu for Einstein.
I’d even take Fran Drescher over Netanyahu, fake accent included.
Load More Replies...The man's almost 100...you call that slightly used?
Load More Replies...So the next time you walk past a flickering neon sign or an LED that’s missing a letter, take a second to appreciate the science behind it.
Sure, the fails are hilarious—that’s why misLED exists, after all—but the fact that a few volts of electricity and a clever bit of chemistry can light up our nights (and our sense of humor) is pretty amazing.
The Pirate Store
Where did the pirate get his couch? A yaaaard sale. Sorry, I'll get my coat. 😳
Great Vest Bro
Finally an establishment addressing the dire lack of compliments for men
Oh, their bread is *SO* good! I LOVE the white chocolate berry swirl!
Boop
Crash
Technically True…
Evil Gas Station
𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐊
It's really late/early and I haven't slept and this made me laugh way harder than it should have.
Now I wanna see what Dragon King is. Is it like Burger King but a Middle Eastern/Asian Restaurant?
Advance Disco Parts
If you're looking for mirror balls and light-up dance floors, this is the place to go
Technically Still Correct
Nothing Special. Just A Buffet
It's a large building full of sick people, but that's not important right now.
Load More Replies...Three Brothers Grill Me Food
When You Have Primal Cravings For A Burger
💬 No
Men’s Warhouse!
You mean the party that's ended eight wars in the last ten months.
Load More Replies...Wet End Luber
Reminds me of Soren Larsen Road, when some wag painted over the L and the Ns.
Haha we had a local restaurant called Black Angus, (a type of cow) and some wag kept blacking out the G. Haha
Load More Replies...The Spag Fact. Tell Me Your Best Spag Facts In The Comments!
Spaghetti means little strings in Italian. The Egyptian version is rishta, which comes from the Persian for string
For the unaware, in Australia, Spaghetti Bolognese is often shortened ('cause it's what we do) to "Spag Bol" or "Spag Bog"
I remember going to a store called Spag's. It was in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Ozone
Oh great, now that's in my head. I hope you're happy! 😂
Load More Replies...Hawaiian Popeyes LOL
I was thinking more along the band Yes. When you walk through the door you get that synth sting from Owner of a Lonely Heart instead of a bell.
Load More Replies...On a trip once and my wife asked me to stop at Pope Yes and I can never unsee that on thier signs.
Popeyes is disgusting. I wasted $ on a plate from them that the veggies were so salty that I spit them out. The chicken was VERY greasy and salty also. I'm surprised the 1 here in Graham, NC is still open and I wouldn't try any other locations.
Dolla Pee
Now I'm wondering whether the founder of Dollar Tree wrote an autobiography called "I, Dollar Tree" 🤔
Clever, Bruce! I wonder if they have a golden calf for a dolla? Haha
Load More Replies...I spend way too much time with teenagers based on how funny I found this
Eatme
Guess I Won’t Buy As Much
I think ive seen this actual location. I used to work in that mini mall (plaza)
Redit Union
Where people on Redit go to complain about their jobs instead of the actual platform (misspelled on purpose)
Dollar Dollar
Where Do The Pirates Shop?
Golden Oral
F
Gay
The Gaylord, on Wilshire. It's "bachelor apartments" (no kitchens, shared bathrooms), or it was 20-some years ago.
Two Wrongs Make A Right
A Funny Coincidence, Seeing As It's Almost Halloween
You Go
🧛🏽♂️
My Mom Was Not Amused When I Told Her To Check This Place Out If She's In Need
My N's
I’ve Got The Angers
Gae
Icup
Disco Groce
The funniest sign I saw was from "Shoe Show." The "S" & "e" were burned out so it was the "ho Show. This was before cell phones.
honestly why would you go to that trouble. This happens often enough on it's own
Load More Replies...The funniest sign I saw was from "Shoe Show." The "S" & "e" were burned out so it was the "ho Show. This was before cell phones.
honestly why would you go to that trouble. This happens often enough on it's own
Load More Replies...
