this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2024
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[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 102 points 4 months ago (3 children)

On the one hand, a sign like this definitely did have enough room for the full spelling of "through". There seems to be no reason to abbreviate it.

On the other hand, isn't drive-thru just, like, its own noun now? Part of me thinks this was always spelled correctly.

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 55 points 4 months ago (5 children)

It seems like shorthand for signs that has been used enough that it's basically normal now, like "lite" instead light, or "donut" instead of doughnut.

[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 34 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (7 children)

Right, the distinction I'm making is this isn't just "normalized" but actually the correct spelling. As in, if a newspaper editor saw it written as "drive-through" they would be obliged to correct it.

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 months ago

Suppose both aight?

drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word through), is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars.

Sensational spelling is the deliberate spelling of a word in a non-standard way for special effect.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago (6 children)

I still call it an air-port.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 months ago

All my homies call them aerodromes.

[–] CoggyMcFee@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago (2 children)

My kid calls it a plane station and frankly it’s growing on me

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[–] lseif@sopuli.xyz 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

"lite" has a different meaning (or at least connotation) to "light"

[–] then_three_more@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

Ohh I thought donut was the American spelling of doughnut.

[–] DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 4 months ago (3 children)
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[–] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

According to Merriam Webster, “thru” is an acceptable, albeit less common, variant of “through”. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thru

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. They don't decide if something is "acceptable", just if it is widely used enough to report. If a mistake becomes common, it will enter the dictionary.

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[–] Drusas@kbin.run 60 points 4 months ago (5 children)

Don't get me started on "donut" instead of "doughnut".

[–] BigFatNips@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 months ago

Deez nuts are my favorite

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[–] idiomaddict@feddit.de 45 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I wonder what the Venn diagram of prescriptivists and graffiti artists is

[–] dogsnest@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago
[–] brotundspiele@sh.itjust.works 42 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

Wy do yu insist so strongly on writing thre mor letters that do nothing to chang the pronunciaton of the word? Ar yu French?

[–] funnystuff97@lemmy.world 20 points 4 months ago (5 children)

If ther's on thing I hat, it's words ending with silent e's. And whil we'r at it, we ned to get rid of doubl e's as well.

[–] Nelots@lemm.ee 17 points 4 months ago (8 children)

I don't mind silent e's, they do actually change the way words are pronounced at least.

[–] eatham@aussie.zone 6 points 4 months ago (5 children)

They work like an e after a vowel, making it a long vowel, but with a letter in between. They have absolutely no reason to exist as haet is pronounced the same as hate but has the letters in a more logical order.

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[–] thetreesaysbark@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

Magic Es they taught them to me as. Come to think of it as an adult a magic e could mean something entirely different...

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[–] Enzy@lemm.ee 19 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (5 children)

Americans don't like "ou" in their words.

So it is thereby, by law, and without question, "Drive throgh".

[–] zbyte64@awful.systems 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)
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[–] Liz@midwest.social 6 points 4 months ago (3 children)
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[–] Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca 19 points 4 months ago (4 children)

If you want to be more accurate it is a Drive Next to, unless you drive through the building to get your food.

Oil change places where you don't get out of your car are drive through, everywhere else is a drive next to.

[–] Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You drive through the line not the building

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[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 13 points 4 months ago

For a moment, I thought, this was a misprint and they had to officially get out a spray can to complete the word...

[–] user1234@lemmynsfw.com 11 points 4 months ago (8 children)

Loved the show Dress to Kill by Eddie Izzard. He thought thru was much better than through coming to the conclusion that through should be pronounced like thruff.

[–] Whelks_chance@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago (4 children)

You say erbs, and we say herbs. Because there's a fucking h in it.

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 27 points 4 months ago

I don't think the British need to pick the "who's worse about skipping letters" fight. Lol

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[–] notsure@fedia.io 11 points 4 months ago (2 children)

there are two "l"'s in cancelled, i will die on this hill.../s

[–] Stoney_Logica1@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Merica gave England that other L.

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[–] QaspR@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Darn. They missed the hyphen.

[–] Godnroc@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Ah, yes, the drive thro-ugh

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[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Kinda sad where you live in a state where every little misspelling or mangled punctuation causes such stress.

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[–] marius@feddit.org 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Sounds Canadian.

[–] tacosanonymous@lemm.ee 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Thru /throo͞/

preposition, adverb & adjective

  1. Through. 

preposition

  1. Alternative spelling of through

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik

[–] Anyolduser@lemmynsfw.com 12 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Just a quick reminder that dictionaries are descriptive, they document existing language use rather than set down rules.

If enough people break an existing rule often enough, it makes it into dictionaries. Just ask anyone who doesn't think that "ironic" should mean "coincidental".

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[–] Geometrinen_Gepardi@sopuli.xyz 4 points 4 months ago (2 children)
[–] Drusas@kbin.run 5 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Aluminum came before aluminium.

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