Merriam-Webster asked people to share their mortifying typos, and they really stepped up – 27 cringe-inducing errors

Anyone who has never made a typo has never typed. If you think you’ve never been affected, we have bad news …you just didn’t notice.

Typos can happen due to autocorrect, wide fingers, or not paying enough attention, and they’re – as Douglas Adams might have said – mostly harmless.

Merriam-Webster wasn’t interested in the harmless ones. This is what they were looking for –

Ok, who has the most mortifying typo in an email/text?

Please show your work.

Top 3 get an M-W Sweatshirt.

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) September 21, 2026

Because everyone has a typo story, tweeters stepped up, and some were, indeed, truly mortifying.

Let’s dive in.

1.

I tried to email my accountants whilst hurrying onto a bus to say, "Great, thanks." For some reason I still can't fathom given it's not a phrase I have ever said, my phone corrected it to "Great, try anal."

I did not notice in time. Never in my life have I wanted to crawl into…

— Gytha Lodge Author (@thegyth) September 21, 2026

2.

To an associate about the boss. pic.twitter.com/ere5djLNAw

— MissAnthropic (@MissAnthropic48) September 21, 2026

3.

https://t.co/plaFDHRszM pic.twitter.com/zcqb6cqoQW

— winter (@missdelululemon) September 21, 2026

4.

My gardener using “Vagina Creeper” instead of “Virginia Creeper” (a type of ivy) pic.twitter.com/BHS3W3y0NP

— Blue Fox (@FroxxenHaus) September 21, 2026

5.

When I worked in a place in Costa Rica a colleague sent an email to the whole team, opening with "Good morning gays"

— Kenny G (@ken_gilmour) September 21, 2026

6.

typing ocunterparty instead of counterparty

AND

go titty instead of got it ty https://t.co/w6q9xuKh8k

— step (@wanderIeave) September 21, 2026

7.

I'll make you sure to keep you in poop https://t.co/wJYcSNrnOP

— 'Tunbosun Paul (@tunbosunpaul) September 21, 2026

8.

Expect an update shorty. https://t.co/gZPYepKoG9

— Miloh (@oyinakindele) September 21, 2026

9.

Went out to a customer and all their IT staff. pic.twitter.com/9GGah6mMLm

— Wow Neato Cool (@NonceReuse) September 21, 2026

10.

Someone at work misspelled my name as Anal instead of Amal on a big email chain… pic.twitter.com/hHnN3z2XKl

— trouble (@m_Amo_Lady) September 21, 2026

11.

The first time I reached out to my fav podcaster @DeafMango (on LinkedIn, cuz I wasn't on any SM back 😭), it so happened to be the day of his wedding, and instead of starting my msg with "Dear Behram", I typed "Dead Behram" 😭😭 https://t.co/2ArEAGYle3

— Aswath Govindarajan (@lexicon_luther) September 21, 2026

12.

It was back in 2015 or 2016 and the subject line for my nightly report that I needed to send to corporate was supposed to say "Night Shift Study" I wrote "Night Shit Study" No one noticed! I showed the other Sup the next day and he died laughing 😂💀 https://t.co/1oXFdgJ1le

— Spite & Caffeine (@unlicWizkid) September 22, 2026

13.

My friend to *her daughter* about a “smog check”: 💀🤏🏽🍆 pic.twitter.com/37A4koVYkk

— jill (@jilita19) September 21, 2026

14.

Client messaged me, I promptly replied, "Hell". O

— Suzanne (@sciencelives) September 22, 2026