History Main / CensorshipBySpelling

** "Wow, just take a look at those E-A-R-S..." (which is then completely undone when one of the other elephants, not understanding, thinks it over and then [[WhatAnIdiot blurts out: "Oh! EARS!"]])

-->'''Henry:''' It's time to take ruff to the V-E-T for his booster shots.\\

* Annie tries this and fails in the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS6E01Ladders Ladders]]" when she says Abed is not comfortable with C-H-A-N-G-E; Abed understands it perfectly, while Chang thinks she's talking about him and gets offended.

* From the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode "Rainbow Bridge", after Hawkeye tells Frank Burns to surrender his handgun to the Chinese doctor they're doing a prisoner/patient exchange with:

* Annie tries and fails it in the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode ''[[Recap/CommunityS6E01Ladders Ladders]]'' when she says Abed is not comfortable with C-H-A-N-G-E: Abed understands it perfectly, while Chang thinks she's talking about him and gets offended.

** In "The Ghost At Dawn's House", Mrs. Newton tells Claudia that Jamie has had a long day and should go to bed S-O-O-N. Jamie cries out, "No fair spelling, Mommy!"

* In ''Film/MrsBrownYouveGotALovelyDaughter'', a neighbor tells Herman, "You know what that welfare lady said. Gran ought to go to the old people's H-O-M-E." Gran, who was listening from the other room, yells, "I'm not going to any bleeding old folks' H-O-M-E!"

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in [[Film/RoleModels Role Models]] when Wheeler and Danny are arguing on the elevator in front of a mom and her young son:

** In at least one other book, Jamie cries out "No fair spelling, Mommy!"

* Annie tries and fails it in the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode ''[[Recap/CommunityS6E01Ladders Ladders]]'': when she says Abed is not comfortable with C-H-A-N-G-E: Abed understands it perfectly, while Chang thinks she's talking about him and gets offended.

** [[https://garfield.com/comic/2016/12/20 Jon tries it again during the 2016 Christmas season,]] again while on the phone with Liz.

-->'''Simon:''' And most importantly, I need to be someone who does D-R-U-G-S//
'''Will:''' Shhh! My mum is home.
'''Simon:''' So?
'''Will:''' She can spell

'''Will:''' Shhh! My mum is home.//
'''Simon:''' So?//

'''Son:''' That's I-N-T-E-L-L-E-C-T-U-A-L-'''[[SpellingNazi L]]'''-Y!

* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'', while trying to avoid the C word which causes the Dormouse to go berserk.

* In ''Film/OneHundredAndTwoDalmatians'', Chloe did not want to offend the [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer spotless dalmation Oddball]] by mentioning spots, so she uses S-P-O-T-S in a scene when Oddball is with her.

** Inverted in one book: Kristy takes her dog for W-A-L-Ks, so that she can say “walk” in normal conversation.

* PlayedForDrama in ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "100". Hotch is on the phone with his wife Haley after learning that she and their son Jack are held in hostage by [[spoiler:George Foyet a.k.a. The Reaper]].

-->'''Marion:''' Every time humans take an animal to the so called V.E.T.S. they end up...at the vets.

'''Apple:''' That's knife you idiot. He's not supposed to mention the... wait a second, I'm gonna get knifed!?

-->'''Cosmo:''' What? Doctor? I thought she was spelling plumber. It's worse than I thought!

'''Krusty:''' The Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down.

-->'''Mrs. Featherby:''' There was an emergency phone-call. The workers at the skateboard factory are on S-T-R-I-K-E.\\

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': Hector Salamanca, by virtue of his stroke, can only communicate "yes" or "no" by ringing a bell, and conveying his requests through an alphabet board. In the season 4 finale, he agrees to help Walt get rid of Gus Fring, by luring him into a trap. This means asking to be taken to the DEA to speak to Hank. Once Hank shows up, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGQapTlrsR4 Hector]] begins answering, using this laborious communication to spell out things like "S-U-C-K-M-Y" before being cut off, then "F-U-C-"...

* This exchange from the classic ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial ''The Sun Makers'':

* Famously in the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode, "When She Was Bad":

* Sybil in ''Series/FawltyTowers'' says they might have to put Manuel's rat "to S-L-E-E-P," to which Manuel responds, "Spleep?"

'''Quiko:''' ''Caja!'' [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar C-A-G-A,]] [[note]] Quiko spelled caga, a verb that translates to "to shit."[[/note]] ''caja!''

* Music/BritneySpears ''tried'' to [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar get crap past the radar]] with her DoubleEntendre-laden song "If U Seek Amy", which contains the line "All of the boys and all of the girls are beggin' to If U Seek Amy." People quickly figured out that it sounds like "F-U-C-K Me" when sounded out. It became a big deal (on FOX News), and most radio stations in both America and the UK do have the song edited to either remove the "eek" in "seek" (making it "If you see Amy," which, in the context of the song, makes no sense whatsoever) or get rid of the "If You" ''and'' the "eek" part in "seek" to make the song about seeing a girl named Amy).

'''Baby:''' ''[spelling out with alphabet blocks]'' THEY THINK I CANT SPELL

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in [[Film/RoleModels]] when Wheeler and Danny are arguing on the elevator in front of a mom and her young son:

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in RoleModels when Wheeler and Danny are arguing on the elevator in front of a mom and her young son:

* In Literature/Room, Ma's lawyer says that somebody has sent F-E-C-E-S. Young Jack says "why has someone sent us poo?" "He's a good speller," Ma tells him.