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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"In honour of you guys, we're naming this band'' 'Ironheade'. ''With an 'e' at the end, so people know we mean business!"''|'''Eddie Riggs''', ''[[Brütal
▲{{quote|''"In honour of you guys, we're naming this band'' 'Ironheade'. ''With an 'e' at the end, so people know we mean business!"''|'''Eddie Riggs''', ''[[Brütal Legend|Brutal Legend]]''}}
The tendency for common words describing fantasy concepts to be deliberately misspelled, typically:
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A [[Super-Trope]] to [[Magick]]. Sometimes happens as a symptom of [[Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe]].
''Also known as phantassie spælling, pfant'see pspaëllynnge, or fantaſy ſpelling.''<ref>Or "a pain in the ass to keep consistent without a spelling checker."</ref>
{{examples}}
== [[The Fair Folk|Fairy/Phaery/Faerie]] ==
* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' lampshades it:▼
{{quote|'''Tea:''' Fairies? Faeries? Phayrighies? It doesn't matter; they all mean the same thing. }}▼
=== [[Literature]] ===
* ''Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater''.▼
* ''[[The Faerie Wars Chronicles]]'' by James Herbert Brennan is odd in that it uses two spellings ("fairy" and "faerie") depending on who is saying the term, most probably to distinguish between the "real" thing and the more mainstream usage.
** Also that Faerie is simply a humanoid race—fairy is the word confused humans have for them when they come into our world and grow wings as a result of the transportation (we do the same when we transport there).
** Along with "faerie," there are uses of both "Hael/Hell" and "Haven/Heaven" at various points in the series. Almost always, the Phantasy Spelling is used by faeries and the normal spelling is used by human characters, although Mr. Fogarty switches over to the faerie spellings after moving to the Faerie Realm.
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** There's at least one of [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s "Puck of Pook's Hill" stories, set in Sussex, where a farmer uses "Pharisees" in this sense.
* Also lampshaded in [[Kim Newman]]'s [[Diogenes Club]] story "The Gypsies in the Wood", featuring a series of children's stories about faeries (including ''The Aerie Faerie Annual''). One character rhetorically asks what's wrong with the word "fairy".
* Averted in ''[[Goblin Moon]]'' (the first volume of Teresa Edgerton's ''Mask and Dagger'' series), where "fairy" is the name of the race, while "Fae" and "Farisee" are apparently two different ''nationalities'' within that race. (The Biblical overtones of the latter may be intentional, as some of [[Teresa Edgerton]]'s nonhuman cultures are analogs to real-world human cultures.)
* In ''[[Wicked Lovely]]'', they are commonly
▲* Extremely common in general in fantasy stories that mention fairies. They will usually be spelled Faerie or Faery.
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
▲* ''Shelley Duvall's [[Faerie Tale Theater]]''.
=== [[Web Comics]] ===
▲* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' lampshades it:
▲{{quote|'''Tea:''' Fairies? Faeries? Phayrighies? It doesn't matter; they all mean the same thing. }}
=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
* In ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', it's faeries.
* Both ''[[Changeling: The Dreaming]]'' and [[Changeling: The Lost]] go for "faerie" or "fae." In ''Lost'', it's divided up amongst "faerie/fae," lowercase (to refer to all things that draw power from the Wyrd), "Faerie," uppercase (to refer to [[Eldritch Location|Arcadia]]) and "the True Fae" (to refer to [[The Fair Folk|the Gentry]]).
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* The older 8-bit ''[[Phantasie]]'' game series.
* ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]''.
== [[Our Vampires Are Different|Vampire/Vampyr(e)]] ==
=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* Parody in the "Storyteller" episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': "Buffy, Slayer of the Vampyrs". Andrew [[AcCENT Upon the Wrong SylLABle|actually pronounces "Vampyr" slightly differently]] to make the point, putting the stress on the second syllable rather than the first.▼
* One ''[[Blade (character)|Blade]]'' series implies that vampires and vampyres are actually different things.▼
** Later, in an episode of ''[[Angel]]'' he even [[Got Me Doing It|gets Angel pronouncing it that way]].▼
* In the latest{{when}} ''[[The Tomb of Dracula]]'' series, starring Marvel horror mainstay Blade, it's indirectly implied that a vamp''y''re is
** Also, in the pilot there was an old-looking book titled ''Vampyr''.▼
* Also parodied in ''[[Carpe Jugulum]]'':▼
=== [[Literature]] ===
{{quote|Vampyres are just the same, the only real difference being that they can't spell correctly.}}
▲* One ''[[Blade]]'' series implies that vampires and vampyres are actually different things.
* The [[Ravenloft]] campaign setting makes the distinction explicit: vampyres are living, predatory humanoids who consume blood and have the ability to supernaturally dominate the minds of their prey; vampires (generally) follow their traditional depictions.▼
** That setting did the same trick with "goblin"/"goblyn", making them two different monsters.▼
* The Usenet group alt.vampyres.▼
* The first vampire novel published in English, ''[[Varney the Vampire]]'' [http://varney.50megs.com/varney/images.htm spells the word in two ways]; one cover uses "vampire" while the title page reads "vampyre".
** However, the first vampire ''story'' published in English is called ''[[The Vampyre]]'' and uses that spelling exclusively.
* The Vampyr boss from the Sega CD game ''Vay'' (in addition to being a lame-as-hell boss) doesn't even get the courtesy of having an "e" on the end of his name.▼
* [[City of Heroes]]' [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|5th Column]]/[[No Swastikas|Council]] Vampyri are explicitly stated not be "true" vampires but the end result of a super-soldier program.▼
* Brian Lumley's ''[[Necroscope]]'' series features the classic Romanian mythological variant "Wamphyri".
* ''[[American Gods]]'' includes a very brief walk-on by a "wampyr". Mostly, this is to evoke the Slavic folk roots of the creature, and not simply to say that [[Neil Gaiman]]'s [[Our Vampires Are Different|Vampires Are Different.]] Which hardly needs saying. Neil Gaiman's everything is different, at least from the pop culture version.
* ''[[RuneScape]]'''s vampires are vampyres (noted in the quest name "Vampyre Slayer"), with the tie-in novels being the current notable exception spelling-wise.▼
** This would be because originally they were all called vampires, then the race was split into the mindless vampires and the intelligent and stronger vampyres, then in mid-2011 they were changed again so the race as a whole was called vampyre, with the intelligent ones referred to as vyres. The novels were released before the changes to spelling and terminology.▼
* The eponymous being of Meredith Ann Pierce's [[The Darkangel Trilogy]] is variously called darkangel, icarus or vampyre. As it turns out, a darkangel is a {{spoiler|human boy adopted by [[Big Bad|the witch]], raised as her son ''and'' lover. Eventually she drains his blood, gives him his wings, and gilds his heart with lead before sending him out to collect some souls for Mommy. When he succeeds, he flies home, Mommy drinks the souls like shots, as well as his own soul, which will make him a complete darkangel.}}
* ''[[The House of Night]]'' series would like to remind you that their vampyres are in fact super special. They have [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|no association with feral, violent 'vampires']] of any sort. Spelling vampyre with a 'y' both differentiates from these completely imaginary creatures and creates a cozy learning environment. The House of Night would also like to wish you a nice day.
* [[Christopher Moore]]'s ''[[Bloodsucking Fiends|You Suck: A Love Story]]'' uses ''vampire'' most of the time, but switches to ''vampyre'' for Abby's diaries, to spoof how "gothic" she is.
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
▲* Parody in the "Storyteller" episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': "Buffy, Slayer of the Vampyrs". Andrew [[AcCENT Upon the Wrong SylLABle|actually pronounces "Vampyr" slightly differently]] to make the point, putting the stress on the second syllable rather than the first.
▲** Later, in an episode of ''[[Angel]]'' he even [[Got Me Doing It|gets Angel pronouncing it that way]].
▲** Also, in the pilot there was an old-looking book titled ''Vampyr''.
=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
▲* The [[Ravenloft]] campaign setting makes the distinction explicit: vampyres are living, predatory humanoids who consume blood and have the ability to supernaturally dominate the minds of their prey; vampires (generally) follow their traditional depictions.
▲** That setting did the same trick with "goblin"/"goblyn", making them two different monsters.
=== [[Video Games]] ===
▲* The Vampyr boss from the Sega CD game ''Vay'' (in addition to being a lame-as-hell boss) doesn't even get the courtesy of having an "e" on the end of his name.
▲* [[City of Heroes]]' [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|5th Column]]/[[No Swastikas|Council]] Vampyri are explicitly stated not be "true" vampires but the end result of a super-soldier program.
▲* ''[[RuneScape]]''{{'}}s vampires are vampyres (noted in the quest name "Vampyre Slayer"), with the tie-in novels being the current notable exception spelling-wise.
▲** This would be because originally they were all called vampires, then the race was split into the mindless vampires and the intelligent and stronger vampyres, then in mid-2011 they were changed again so the race as a whole was called vampyre, with the intelligent ones referred to as vyres. The novels were released before the changes to spelling and terminology.
* While ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' has no vampires per se, the San'layn come close. One of the dungeon bosses in ''Wrath of the Lich King'', Prince Taldaram, has an attack called "Embrace of the Vampyr".
* ''[[Darkened Skye]]'':
{{quote|"You're the boss vampire?"
"With a Y. Spell vampyre with a Y!" }}
=== [[Web Original]] ===
▲* The Usenet group alt.vampyres.
== Other/Multiple ==
=== [[Literature|Lyterature]] ===
* The "Wi'tch" series of novels.
* There's some confusion over the term "Dæmon". [[H.P. Lovecraft]] will occasionally use this to refer to evil spirits (''i.e,'' Demons). ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' was a bit more on the ball with the original meaning: a shortening of the term "Agathos Dæmon", a benevolent [[Our Souls Are Different|guardian spirit]].
* Don't forget about "Dwarfs ''vs.'' Dwarves" and "Elven ''vs.'' Elfin ''vs.'' Elvish".▼
** Or even, [[Fan Nickname|on rare occasions]], "[[Dwarf Fortress|dorfs]]."▼
* [[China Mieville]]'s [[Perdido Street Station]] [[The Scar|and]] [[Iron Council|sequels]] employ this trope heavily—vampirs, chymistry, elyctric elementals...
* [[Warhammer 40,000]] in an odd mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Orks ''vs.'' Orcs, Psykers ''vs.'' Psychics, Daemons ''vs.'' Demons, etc.▼
** Daemon is the Latin spelling, which is understandable because the Imperial High Gothic language is [[Canis Latinicus]]. Of course, [[Warhammer Fantasy]] likewise.▼
** Daemon comes from the Greek "Daimon", meaning minor immortal or spirit. It's the eventual root of the Christian concept of "Demon".▼
* Mention must be made of the series of young adult fantasy novels by Angie Sage whose titles include ''Magick, Flyte, Physik, Queste,'' and so on.
* The different tribes of Trollocs in ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'': Al'ghol, Ahf'frait, Bhansheen, Dha'vol, Dhai'mon, Dhjin'nen, Ghar'ghael, Ghob'hlin, Gho'hlem, Ghraem'lan, Ko'bal, Kno'mon.
* In addition to the above vampire/vampyre example, various words in the Darkangel Trilogy have odd spellings, {{spoiler|which may be justified as corruptions of the original language of the Ancient Ones}}. Squatty underground-dwellers are [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same|duaroughs]], big black birds are rhuks, scaly creatures are [[Our Dragons Are Different|dracgs]], and sweet pale-orange fruits are [[How Do You Like Them Apples?|apricoks]].
** And "lyons," "sfinxes," and (in the ''[[Firebringer Trilogy]]'') "wyches."
** Aside from the aforementioned corruptions, there is also the possibility that all of them would be, to us, [[Biological Mashup
* ''[[Discworld]]'' parodies this occasionally, not only with the 'vampyres' listed above, but also with 'magick' which is the largely-useless modern attempt at witchcraft done by the younger witches who don't understand what they're doing.▼
=== [[Tabletop Games|Taybletop Games]] ===
▲* [[Warhammer 40,000]] in an odd mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Orks ''vs.'' Orcs, Psykers ''vs.'' Psychics, Daemons ''vs.'' Demons, etc.
▲** Daemon is the Latin spelling, which is understandable because the Imperial High Gothic language is [[Canis Latinicus]]. Of course, ''[[Warhammer Fantasy]]'' likewise.
▲** Daemon comes from the Greek "Daimon", meaning minor immortal or spirit. It's the eventual root of the Christian concept of "Demon".
=== [[Web Comics]] ===
* [[Erfworld]] somewhat subverts this by [[Elmuh Fudd Syndwome|replacing many an 'r' with a 'w']], resulting in gwiffons, dwagons and spidews. When the protagonist makes note of this and asks if it shouldn't be "dragon" instead, the other characters seem to be quite weirded out by these "incredible stupid words" and state that they "really don't want to know what you call spidews in Stupidworld or whatever you call it". Note that "erf" sounds slightly like "earth". "earthworld"?
** It also has the effect of making the words sound childish, accenting the [[Crap Saccharine World|"cutesy" trappings overlaid on a rather grim world]] of [[Forever War|constant warfare]].
=== Multiple Media ===
▲* Don't forget about "Dwarfs ''vs.'' Dwarves" and "Elven ''vs.'' Elfin ''vs.'' Elvish".
▲** Or even, [[Fan Nickname|on rare occasions]], "[[Dwarf Fortress|dorfs]]."
* [[Our Gryphons Are Different|Griffins, Griffons, and Gryphons]], [[Giant Flyer]]s one and all.
** as well as griffen, griffoun, griffun, griffyn, grifo, grifon, grifyn, grefyne, gràobhín, griphin, griphon, gryffen, gryffin, gryffon, gryfon, gryphen, and gryphin.
*** Justified in Edward Ormondroyd's ''David and the Phoenix'', where gryffens (lazy, dopey, and harmless), gryffons (big, mean, and territorial), and gryffins (red-feathered and friendly) are related but distinct species.
*** ''[[EverQuest]]'' divides them into Griffawns (lowest-level), Griffennes (in the middle), and Griffons (highest-level)
▲* In the latest ''[[The Tomb of Dracula]]'' series, starring Marvel horror mainstay Blade, it's indirectly implied that a vamp''y''re is comepletely different from a vamp''i''re. From the context, they're apparently analogous to the real life vampire subculture, except they hobnob with actual vampires and are really obnoxious about it.
▲* ''[[Discworld]]'' parodies this occasionally, not only with the 'vampyres' listed above, but also with 'magick' which is the largely-useless modern attempt at witchcraft done by the younger witches who don't understand what they're doing.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:This Trope Name References Itself]]
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