July 11th, 2010 | EarthBound, Uncommon Knowledge
Even though official releases are usually pretty polished, most text-heavy games will have the occasional misspelling or typo or whatnot, and EarthBound is no exception. For example, there’s the well-known “unverse” typo:

I know that sometimes you can get the game to refer to Paula as a “he”, and I think there might’ve been a typo in some of Ruffini’s end-game text. Have you come across any misspellings/mistakes in EarthBound? If so, tell us – and provide a pic if you can, I’ll add it to this post!
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44 Comments to EarthBound Misspellings & Mistakes
this has nothing to do with the post,so only mato should read this. mato,I don’t want to ack like a jerk, but I would really like it if you would show updates of the mother 1 and 2 gba translation and earthbound vs mother 2 again. I know your a busy guy and can’t work on those projects,but there’s got to be someone else to help you with those projects. thank you for reading this comment.
I only remember unverse. But I have this nagging feeling I’m forgetting two. Something in my head screams Twoson but I don’t know where it could be.
And for my lack of memory, I’ll insult the groups collective I.Q. of 80. Not the smartest name for an attribute.
When you miss sometimes, the game says,”…narrowly missed hitting the target!” The “n” in “narrowly” should be capitalized. Also, before fighting the dept. store spook, he says something like “Gwaaaa!.” Notice the period after the exclamation point.
I’ve never noticed any actual spelling errors, which is unusual since I normally pick up upon and subsequently RAAAGE about these things quite easily; it’s almost as if I overlook EarthBound’s errors simply because… well, because it’s EarthBound. 😛 I have, however, made note of some unusual punctuation and grammar choices on occasion, and of course I’ve heard about the existence of occasional typographical errors.
“Paula prayed from bottom of her heart!”
lol for some reason I had to read that at least 3 times.
@Steak
Same here. My brain just automatically adds in the missing “the”. lol
@linkdude20002001
I totally understand that, I hardly ever even notice that. Hell I think I have noticed the “unverse” misspelling like once because I automatically add the i.
I found out if you use the Yogurt Machine on the lady in Fourside that wanted it. Use it on her not talk to her. It says something like the broken tube didn’t work.
I’ve never really noticed any typos… Not even that universe one in the picture way up there.
I noticed unverse on my first playthrough, but I can’t remember any other typos.
I remember one guy in the north part of Fourside had a really weird sentence, but I’m not sure what it was. I might power through to that point later on and get a pic.
Trying to equip a weapon that a character cannot use while in mid-battle yields something along the lines of “[Jeff] cannot equip the [Sword of Kings]. [Jeff] switched to his revious weapon, instead.” The typo being “revious”. I’ve never seen anyone else mention this.
I think that every time I got an I.Q. capsule it would say something like “you found a I.Q. capsule” or something like it.
if a healing item or lifeup restores all your health, it says “ness’s hp ARE maxed out.”
it should be “ness’s hp IS maxed out.”
![]() | resetsurvivor said on Jul. 12, 2010 |
Are there any known spelling mistakes in the Japanese version?
Actually it should be “Ness’s hp ARE maxed out” because hit-points is a plural noun.
![]() | LakituAl said on Jul. 12, 2010 |
Make Paula use the ruler and she’ll be trans-gender for a few seconds.
I’m sure everyone knows this but you if try to have someone other than Jeff use a bottle rocket (outside of battle) it will say “(Ness) couldn’t use the (broken trumpet) very well.” The name and the item change depending on the character changed depending on who it is and which type of bottle rocket.
If you call your mom around Moonside, when Paula’s gone, she says something about Ness having a girlfriend and her standing right beside him. But the only one there is Jeff. Makes you think a little bit…
@Flaminshrooms
Jeff always struck me as a tad more “Feminine” for whatever reason… I have no clue why though.
Also, when in battle, there’s often a LOT of missing “the”s when you use an item.
Ex: “The New Age Retro Hippie used Ruler!”
Not a biggie, but still an error nonetheless.
![]() | Paul Kuliniewicz said on Jul. 12, 2010 |
When you’re mushroomized, the Status screen for the character says “Mashroomized”.
@PsiWolf674: Maybe it’s Tony’s influence. Actually, Jeff usually seemed like the man in their relationship.
I don’t remember the exact line, but I know there is one instance where there are two consecutive spaces before the word “Tenda” somewhere in the underworld. So it looks something like “I’m a Tenda.”
LOL. It wouldn’t let me post a double space for some reason. Oh well. You get the point. “I’m a(space)(space)Tenda.” LOL.
I haven’t really noticed any in the game itself but I have noticed some stuff in the players guide. At one point they get the trillionage sprout mixed up with SHROOOM!
![]() | Kyoo said on Jul. 12, 2010 |
strange as I never caught these. heck even when I read the screen shot before i read the article. I didn’t catch it. but when I read the article. I was like. WOW! my brain spell checks for me when I read so I don’t see them miss spelled.
I don’t know of any in the game, but the strategy guide has quite a few errors/typos.
In one of ChuggaaConroys videos of Magicant he does show this and a few more typo errors in Earthbound the game as well. Also what is the deal with Threed when the lady at the Pizza place says “We deliver pizza’s only” and there is a menu of items above her.
@Ssen.
Maybe it’s so people can go there, order, then go back home to wait…? lol
Coincidentally the new enemies in Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep are named “Unverse”.
Never noticed any,most of the time I was listening to music(System of a Down at the time),instead of reading,I was head banging,naughty me. =P
Fun fcat, as lnog as the frist and lsat ltrets of a wrod are crceort, msot polpee can ‘Gseatlt’ Tiher way toruhgh a snatnece wiouhtt mcuh of a pboelrm.
I never noticed any typos. I think in Magicant, I’m too caught up in the story that I don’t notice ‘unverse’
It seems that EarthBound had one of the better english translations so there really don’t seem to be a lot of typos.
wow, there are a lot of typos. i guess i’m just always too absorbed into the story to notice.
now i want to play earthbound again. i’m moving to a new house so it’ll be a week or two before i can play again. unless i play a rom, but that’s just not as fun.
It’s funny how everybody thinks Jeff and Tony are in a relationship, but I seem to remember a trigger-able typo in the desert between Threed and Onett involving fighting the Mad Buffalo and Desert Wolf at one time.
Ruffini has a typo You’re right. Instead of comments she says coments. :/
People think Jeff and Tony are in a relationship? As far as I know, nothing in the game implies this(though hilariously due to oversights there are implications that Ness and Jeff are in a relationship). All the game implies is that Tony has a crush on Jeff.
Lyrositor informed me that some shops say this line if your inventory is full: “You’ve already have got enough junk!”
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Hm…can’t think of any other typos, mostly because I read (read: skim) the text so fast I’d only catch the most glaring of typos. Oh, well.