Names so difficult to spell you dread typing them: mine is "Rachmaninoff"

[brentspeak]

I'm a classical music fan, but whenever I need to type Rach's name online and search for his works, I feel like I'm being coerced to jump into an ice-cold lake; I usually misspell his name, leaving out an 'f' or something. Sometimes, you have to deal with the various alternate spellings of his name ("Rachmaninov" is just one).

There should be universal agreement among the entire music community that his name heretofore be known only as just "Rach".

[LynneSin]

1. How the heck do you spell Qaddaffi/Gadafi whatever that guy's name is

:grr:

[brentspeak]

2. Qadaffy (duck)

[TheMightyFavog]

11. Actually, both are acceptible.

It all depends on which Romanization system the translator is using. It's par for the course when you're dealing with languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and others that don't use the roman alphabet.

[HopeHoops]

3. These days, the record company would make him go by "R-Man".

Nothing too long - doesn't text message well.

[brentspeak]

8. Gangsta

[krispos42]

4. Tchiachofsky

Or however the damn name is spelled.

[brentspeak]

6. Here's just a few I've encountered

And they're all considered legitimate spellings:

"Tschaikowsky"

"Tchaikoffsky"

"Tchaikovski"

:crazy:

[MissMillie]

5. Zbigniew Brzezinski

:hi:

[brentspeak]

7. Forget spelling his name; how do you pronounce it?

[MissMillie]

9. I think...

Za-BIG-new Bra-ZIN-ski

[Gormy Cuss]

10. It's pronounced "Mika's daddy." n/t

[TheMightyFavog]

12. Be glad you do not live in Central Wisconsin where I have relatives and went to college.

That area was originally settled by mostly Poles. There's a lot of last names out there that are really difficult to spell.