Fresh research reveals which misspelled brand names work best

Academic researchers investigate considerations when choosing a misspelled brand.

The safest thing to do when choosing a brand is to choose one that’s spelled correctly. But as Reglike readers know, many firms choose alternative spellings when selecting a brand. This can be since the domain they want isn’t obtainable, or when there are trademark conflicts.

A fresh academic study sheds light on how brand-name misspellings affect consumer perception and which types of misspellings have the most detrimental effect. It also explains how firms can improve perception when they choose a misspelled brand.

The research, published in the Journal of Consumer Research by Leah Warfield Smith (University of Arkansas) and Annika Abell (University of Tennessee), tested consumer reactions across nine categories of misspelling, ranging from simple compounds (AutoZone) to phonetic tweaks (Froot Loops), abridgments (Crumbl), alphanumerics (Timbuk2), and leetspeak (E11EVEN).

The study showed that processing fluency, or the ease with which consumers recognize and understand a name, changes the more a name deviates from the normal spelling. Simple compounds are easy; abridgments and leetspeak are difficult.

It also showed that there are ways to dampen the negative effects of misspellings, such as when the misspelling correlates with the product. As an example, the two os in Froot Loops look like the cereal. Portmanteaus like Instagram can also create fresh meaning, making better brand names. Even graphical elements can play a role.

Of course, misspelled names can become understood over time and with enough repetition. I suspect few people misspell Lyft these days, or have a negative association with the misspelling.

My biggest takeaway: if you’re going to use a misspelling, keep it as close to the original word as possible, and give consumers a reason to embrace it.