On the one hand, a sign like this definitely did have enough room for the full spelling of “through”. There seems to be no reason to abbreviate it.
On the other hand, isn’t drive-thru just, like, its own noun now? Part of me thinks this was always spelled correctly.
It seems like shorthand for signs that has been used enough that it’s basically normal now, like “lite” instead light, or “donut” instead of doughnut.
Right, the distinction I’m making is this isn’t just “normalized” but actually the correct spelling. As in, if a newspaper editor saw it written as “drive-through” they would be obliged to correct it.
Suppose both aight?
A drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word through), is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars.
Sensational spelling is the deliberate spelling of a word in a non-standard way for special effect.
The correct way would be “drive-through.”
“Drive-thru” is purposely spelled wrong to attract attention. The same as “Krispy Kreme” or “Dunkin’ Donuts.” It’s only “correct” in that it has become ubiquitous through usage.
According to Merriam Webster, “thru” is an acceptable, albeit less common, variant of “through”. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thru
Don’t get me started on “donut” instead of “doughnut”.
I wonder what the Venn diagram of prescriptivists and graffiti artists is
Wy do yu insist so strongly on writing thre mor letters that do nothing to chang the pronunciaton of the word? Ar yu French?
If ther’s on thing I hat, it’s words ending with silent e’s. And whil we’r at it, we ned to get rid of doubl e’s as well.
I don’t mind silent e’s, they do actually change the way words are pronounced at least.
They work like an e after a vowel, making it a long vowel, but with a letter in between. They have absolutely no reason to exist as haet is pronounced the same as hate but has the letters in a more logical order.
If they are silent, they don’t chang the pronunciaton, becaus if they do they are not silent.
Dubl e’s mak sens thou. Ther’s a diffrenc between feed and fed, or between need and Ned. The dublin maks the E longer.
Americans don’t like “ou” in their words.
So it is thereby, by law, and without question, “Drive throgh”.
