Skip to main content
Funny storiesTyposVocabulary

The funniest typos of 2017 – Part 2

A few years back, I wrote an article for a project management website. In the final draft I submitted for publication, I left an error: Scum master instead of Scrum master. How could I have missed such an embarrassing typo? Now I know: When we read our own work, we don’t focus on the words themselves but on the message we’re trying to communicate, so our typos tend to hang on until they meet an objective eye.

My job as a freelance proofreader is to seek and destroy typos in other people’s work, but I have a nerdy hobby: I collect the funniest ones and then write blurbs inspired by them.

I presented the first half of the funniest typos of 2017 in another blog post. Here’s the second half:

Arial [Aerial] photograph

Photo with word "Arial"

Aerial comes from Latin aerius, meaning “airy, aerial, lofty, high” or from Greek aerios, meaning “of the air, pertaining to air”. An aerial photo is taken from a plane, helicopter, satellite, or drone. Arial is a font developed by Monotype, and professional designers wouldn’t have a photograph of Arial in their wallet. They actually frown upon Arial because it’s an imitation of Helvetica.

Provide piece [peace] of mind

Head made of puzzle pieces

Proofread your emails so you can have peace of mind that you don’t promise someone a piece of mind instead of serenity.

Trivia: Peace of Mind is the title of a book on mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh. Piece of Mind is an album by Iron Maiden.

Sew [Sow] the seeds

Sewing seeds

No matter whether you’re into crafts or gardening, the difference between sewing and sowing is simple: You can sew, but not sow, on a windy day. But the expression sowing the seeds (of something) means completing an action to achieve a particular result in the future.

Trivia: For anyone with 1990s music nostalgia, the song Sowing the seeds of love by Tears for Fears might spark some memories.

Hand over the reigns [reins]

Key chain with silver and gold crowns

We’re not in Game of Thrones, so hand over the reins if you mean to allow another person to control something you used to control. For a more detailed discussion of the difference between reign and reinOxford Dictionaries has a great post.

Protect your property from hags [hogs]

Witch's hat

You need some magic to protect your property from hags (witches), and a good fence to protect it from hogs.

Going to trail [trial]

Person walking to courthouse

If someone going to trial walks briskly along a trail to the courthouse, are they doing trail walking or trial walking?

Do you need a freelance proofreader to eliminate the typos in your business document? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.

Related posts:

Last revised on 21 June 2022

Cristina N.

A freelance editor and writer with a keen interest in science, nature, and communication, I love to craft articles that help and inspire people.