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63 Unhinged Signs That Became So Much Funnier Thanks To Misused Quotation Marks
We’ve probably all witnessed the havoc a misplaced comma can wreak on an innocent sentence. “Let’s eat, Grandma” and “Let’s eat Grandma” are one small mark apart, but only one of them sounds like a line from Hannibal Lecter.
But there’s another punctuation mishap we see all the time, on signs, menus, storefronts, packaging, you name it: the misuse of quotation marks. Somewhere along the way, people decided these little curls were a handy way to add emphasis. The problem? They do draw attention to the words inside them, but not in the way anyone intended. A bar advertising “happy” hour suddenly sounds a lot more depressing, while a deli promising “fresh” sandwiches has us thinking twice about ordering. There are plenty more where those came from, so keep scrolling.
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#1
Bulletin
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#2
"Officer"
#3
Beware Of Dog
Some might think punctuation marks are awfully small things to get worked up about, especially when texting seems to have made punctuation optional, at best. But as Louis Menand writes for The New Yorker, punctuation has evolved over centuries, “giving sentences rhythm, shape, and meaning.” And it turns out some of us still (over)think about punctuation a great deal. Morgan McMurrin explored this in a 2025 Parade article, even getting a psychologist to weigh in. And honestly? I’ve never felt more seen.
#4
The Quotation Marks On This Sign Gives It A Malevolent Undertone
#6
Now Im Uncomfortable
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
Ironic that "Prepare for the unexpected" is one of the bylines XD
It helps to know I’m not the only one who’s written an email or message and then sat staring at it, agonizing over its punctuation. Does that sentence really warrant an exclamation point? Should I move it somewhere else? How many are too many? You don’t want to seem “overexcited,” as Nitsuh Abebe writes for The New York Times Magazine. But the alternative isn't necessarily safer: A plain old period can seem “too brusque. Too cold. Too testy.”
#8
I "Guarantee" You're Gonna "Love" These Unnecessary Quotation Marks
“It has been this way since soon after the smartphone arrived,” Abebe explains, “when older Americans started getting the unwelcome news that ending their messages with periods was a grave faux pas.” He goes on to describe a “new tonal consensus” in which the period came to seem “pointed, stern, passive-aggressive.” In other words, it had acquired a “newfound role as a jerk.”
#10
I "Guarantee" You're Gonna "Love" These Unnecessary Quotation Marks
#11
The Authorities Have Got Wise To Our "Dance Parties"
#12
I Have So Many Questions For Whoever Made This Sign At My Work
Research suggests this perception can affect how we interpret messages. A 2015 study led by Binghamton University psychology professor Celia Klin found that text messages ending in a period were perceived as less friendly and sincere than those without one, as NPR reported. As Florence Hazrat, author of On the Mark: From Periods to Interrobangs, How Punctuation Remade the World, puts it in a quote cited by The New Yorker, “The polite way to be rude now is to use correct punctuation.”
#13
Yes, Officer, I'm "21"
The same punctuation mark one person uses to end a sentence without a second thought can leave someone else wondering whether they’ve done something wrong. As a result, as Abebe puts it, our anxieties about tone have “skipped right over the content of our messages to the characters that end them.” Suddenly, those tiny marks don’t seem so insignificant, do they?
#16
Yes, Yes. "Your Business."
#17
Man, I Could Really Go For A Starbucks, You Know?
#18
This Sign Has Been In My Family Since I Was A Kid And Was Passed On To Me By My Dad When My Wife And I Married
Quotation marks bring their own set of complications and can leave readers wondering what a writer really means. June Casagrande, author of The Best Punctuation Book, Period., touched on the issue in a column for the Los Angeles Times, noting that quotation marks are often misused, sometimes with comic effect. She also noted that single quotation marks—what she calls “quotation marks lite”—often escape the same scrutiny. “They are misused at least as often as regular quotation marks, probably more. But no one pays much attention, perhaps because these errors seem only about 50% as funny,” she says.
#19
“The Wearer Of This Helmet Still “Lives” -Wear Yours-“ 1952 Korean War
#20
Suspicious Quotation Marks
Casagrande outlines the “sanctioned” uses for quotation marks, explaining that “Regular quotation marks have several jobs.” They can indicate direct speech, draw attention to a word being discussed as a word, or signal irony. That last use is what makes some of these examples so unintentionally funny: quotation marks can make a perfectly ordinary description sound questionable, as though the writer is casting doubt on the very word they’ve chosen.
#22
This Sounds Like A Secretive Way To Tell Me To Poison Someone
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
This is apparently at a grocery store called Tom's Mad Pricer in Illinois. I am somehow not surprised that a man with a revolver is the mascot for a grocery store in Illinois.
#23
Ah, Yes. “Ice” For My “Iced” Drink. Definitely Not Anything Else…
#24
"Patients"
Take a word that usually inspires confidence, for instance. Put it in quotation marks, and suddenly that confidence can evaporate. The marks might suggest the writer is being ironic, is using the word loosely, or is casting doubt on the claim altogether. Of course, the person who put them there may have intended none of these things. But as readers, we don’t have access to that intention; we can only interpret what’s in front of us—and sometimes, a pair of tiny punctuation marks can cast an unexpectedly large (and hilarious) shadow of doubt.
#25
There Were Little “Notes” Like This All Over The “Airbnb” My “Friend” Stayed At Lmao
#29
"Banned"
#30
I’m Not A Fan Of Rabbit “Teeth”
Bill Swallow 1 day ago
Then there was the time Mike was already reaching into the Russian Hamster's cage while asking 'Does it bite?' A second later, he had a set of hamster teeth embedded in his finger. Naturally, he recoiled, and the hamster came along for the ride, losing its grip and sailing in a graceful arc to make a soft landing on the very plush carpet. Answering Mike's question, 'Does it bite?', Kevin replied '... Does it have a mouth?'
#31
I "Need" This "Poster" To Use "Quotation" Marks "Correctly"
#32
At Least We Know It'll Be Professionally Done
#34
As Opposed To The Meat Filled “Avocados”?
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
Well, if you know the origin of the word "avocado", then yes, there ARE meat-filled "avocados" out there XD
#36
Found This At The Secondary School I Had To Drop Out Of Due To Bullying
The Goo King 1 day ago
This is correct. They are quoting their Ofstead rating, and as it's a quote of the final score, it belongs in quotation marks.
#37
How?
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
I would love to name a boat or a restaurant or something "Frank's Accidental Salmon" XD But apparently it's a reference to some Tesco marketing campaign where your friend and mine, Frank, accidentally broke a whole salmon fillet, but rescued it by turning it into some sort of salmon Wellington abomination, as seen in the photo.
#40
This Is True Of Most Of The Truck Drivers... At Least Where I'm From
#41
Ummm... Nope... I'll Hold It For The Real Restrooms
#43
Some Folks Who Really Don't Want You To Touch Anything But They Are Not That Committed To Being Polite About I
#44
You Know
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
I'm more irritated by the use of superscript on one date but not on the other!
#45
Norwich University: Their "Limits" Can Be Stretched
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
So many bad things went through the gutter that is my mind upon reading this one XD
#46
Have A "Safe" 4th Of July Everyone!
#50
Mmm. "Coffee"
#51
Ummmmm
#52
Don’t Use Your “Feet” Please
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
Okay, I'll use my shoes. They happen to be ON my feet, but I'm not USING my feet!
#53
I "Guarantee" You're Gonna "Love" These Unnecessary Quotation Marks
#54
I "Guarantee" You're Gonna "Love" These Unnecessary Quotation Marks
#55
Til That A Strawberry Is Not An Actual Berry But A Banana Is
#58
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
That tacked-on "laughter" at the end feels more like a slash command in an MMO or an RP action like ::laughter:: or /laughter.
#59
Every Man Knows What This Really Means
#61
Hmmm
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
Nope, doesn't belong on this list. That's a slogan or motto, not suspicious quotations around one word that changes the meaning of the entire phrase.
#63
"Fast Frank" Electric Hot Dog Cooker
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What do you think ?
Lyone Fein 1 day ago
This list is so much better than all the articles about awful people being awful.
Slop Generator 1 day ago
It's also funny when someone uses "air quotes" without realizing what they actually mean
Lyone Fein 1 day ago
This list is so much better than all the articles about awful people being awful.
Slop Generator 1 day ago
It's also funny when someone uses "air quotes" without realizing what they actually mean
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