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Do you go by the name Danyell, Jessikuh, or Mykel? If so, congratulations, because you've probably had your name spelled correctly on a Starbucks cup. That's a luxury rarely afforded to the Daniels, Jessicas, and Michaels of the world, despite the typically-spelled names.

Photo credit: Dan R. Krauss / Getty Images

The frequency and sheer absurdity of misspelled names by the baristas at Starbucks has become a legend, and even spawned a theory that the company was instructing employees to purposely misspell them as a marketing ploy to get more talk of the company on social media when people posted pictures and complained. 


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In reality, there's a lot of reasons why baristas might spell your name wrong, including straining to hear you over the loud equipment, knowing someone who goes by your name but spells it differently, and just plain not thinking about spelling when they're rushing around to make drinks on a busy morning. But according to baristas on r/Starbucks, there's one way you can ensure they get it right: Choose a different name altogether. 

The idea is that you'd pick something short and simple, whether that's a name like Lisa or Mike, a common word that's easy to spell, or even your initials. Maybe you have secretly wished your parents had named you Stormy, you peaked 20 years ago when you played Orlando in the school play, or resent that you're named after your great grandma Karen. Ordering your Starbucks is the perfect time to be whoever you want to be. Baristas almost universally get a kick out of interesting names, so you might even brighten someone's day. 

If you find the whole name thing a hassle no matter what name you give them, you always have the option of ordering ahead of time at Starbucks. The computer and printer never get it wrong — unless you missed a typo, Elixabeth.