Unconventional spelling has long been a popular selection for start-ups looking for a name that will likely be each recognizable and unique.
Sometimes it really works. Companies like Lift, Grindr AND Script we have built firms memorable enough that we know the right way to each write and pronounce them. Meanwhile in the world of consumer brands Krispy Kreme, Cheez-ToAND Chik-fil-A additionally they did quite well.
While startup naming trends come and go, misspelled nicknames have proven to be enduring. A few years ago, they were so popular that we frequently saw multiple firms with the same names running spell checkers in the Crunchbase dataset.
Nowadays, nevertheless, newer startups don’t seem so thrilled with the unconventional spelling. Overall, we’re seeing a significant shift towards more serious-sounding names. In a tough fundraising environment, founders are looking for names they think will appeal best to investors.
I still see a few spelling mistakes
This does not mean that incorrectly spelled names will likely be removed. Crunchbase’s evaluation of funded firms launched over the past few years found quite a few examples, including the 15 highlighted below.
At the top of our list is one of the best-funded seed firms in the world: Skillful artificial intelligence. In July, the Pittsburgh-based company raised $300 million to build “robot brains.”
Other examples include Odysseycreator of AI decision-making tools for the aviation industry, Get offAI image maker app and FiberAI personalization platform for brands.
The availability of domains has historically been one of the aspects contributing to the long-standing popularity of unconventional spellings. Securing a domain for a accurately spelled common noun is either not feasible or too expensive.
A fading trend?
However, in an age when people are increasingly using voice searches on the Internet, misspelled names have their drawbacks.
That’s the perception Bruno Benedinifounding father of a branding consulting company Tail lights. He noted that while a name like Lyft performs perfectly well when typed into a search engine, a voice search will likely return results written as “lift.”
For established brands, voice interfaces needs to be advanced enough to deliver results with unconventional spellings. However, Benedini said that for little-known startups, unusual spellings may be a problem.
Additionally, there is research showing that buyers prefer conventional spelling. AND test by marketing professors at Ohio State University AND University of Notre Dame found that individuals were more enthusiastic about trying a recent drink called “Clear” than an similar one under the “Klear” brand.
Consumers also selected products with familiar spellings, with brands labeled Distilled and DSTLD to decide on from. Some study participants later told them that the unusual spelling seemed like a marketing gimmick.
He went like this
Looking ahead, it seems unlikely that misspelled startup nicknames will disappear completely, especially in the crowded English language name market.
You must also take into account that even without brands, English accommodates a lot of homophones, i.e. words that sound exactly the same but are spelled otherwise. Think about it and hear it, about the nose and the naked, and the weather, and the list goes on.
It’s not that reading English is all the time phonetically logical. As such, we are able to expect that those communicating in a language that already accommodates a lot of unconventional spellings won’t be surprised when brands follow suit.