I ran across this poetic reminder not to rely on your spellchecker and had to share. The poem's 225 words are faulty, although all are correctly spelled. The work is more than an exercise in homophonous humor. It's a wonderful example of a computer spell checkers' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupertino_effect" target="_blank">Cupertino Effect</a>.

"Candidate for a Pullet Surprise" was composed in 1992 by <a href="http://www.bios.niu.edu/zar/zar.shtml" target="_blank">Dr. Jerrold H. Zar</a>, professor emeritus of biology and retired dean of the graduate school at Northern Illinois University.

If you read aloud, you get the full impact.

<strong>CANDIDATE FOR A PULLET SURPRISE</strong>

<em>I have a spelling checker,</em>
<em>It came with my PC.</em>
<em>It plane lee marks four my revue</em>
<em>Miss steaks aye can knot sea.</em>

<em>Eye ran this poem threw it,</em>
<em>Your sure reel glad two no.</em>
<em>Its vary polished in it's weigh.</em>
<em>My checker tolled me sew.</em>

<em>A checker is a bless sing,</em>
<em>It freeze yew lodes of thyme.</em>
<em>It helps me right awl stiles two reed,</em>
<em>And aides me when eye rime.</em>

<em>Each frays come posed up on my screen</em>
<em>Eye trussed too bee a joule.</em>
<em>The checker pours o'er every word</em>
<em>To cheque sum spelling rule.</em>

<em>Bee fore a veiling checker's</em>
<em>Hour spelling mite decline,</em>
<em>And if we're lacks oar have a laps,</em>
<em>We wood bee maid too wine.</em>

<em>Butt now bee cause my spelling</em>
<em>Is checked with such grate flare,</em>
<em>Their are know fault's with in my cite,</em>
<em>Of nun eye am a wear.</em>

<em>Now spelling does knot phase me,</em>
<em>It does knot bring a tier.</em>
<em>My pay purrs awl due glad den</em>
<em>With wrapped word's fare as hear.</em>

<em>To rite with care is quite a feet</em>
<em>Of witch won should bee proud,</em>
<em>And wee mussed dew the best wee can,</em>
<em>Sew flaw's are knot aloud.</em>

<em>Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays</em>
<em>Such soft wear four pea seas,</em>
<em>And why eye brake in two averse</em>
<em>Buy righting want too pleas.</em>

In March 2007, Mark Eckman provided additional information about his role in creating the spell-checker poem. Read his account <a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/spelling/a/spellcheck.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.

"Candidate for a Pullet Surprise" endures as a cautionary tale for all of us who place too much trust in our computer's spell checker. How about you? Any "horror" tales with your spell checker?