Spoopy and creppy

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Grammarist

Spoopy is a new word that first appeared on the internet in 2009. We will examine the meaning of the word spoopy, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

Spoopy is a word that describes something that is scary and funny at the same time. The word spoopy began as an internet meme. The most popular definition of the word meme is a video, image or idea that spreads exponentially across the internet by sharing and repetition, often with slight alterations to the original image, video or idea. The origin of the term spoopy is a misspelled Halloween display in a Ross’s department store in 2009. A Flickr user uploaded an image of a sign made from plastic bones that spelled spoopy instead of the word spooky. The image was reposted on Tumblr and other social media platforms, and the word spoopy came into general use. Another misspelled word, creppy, is sometimes seen, but it is not nearly as popular. Creppy is a variant of the word creepy, most often seen on an image of a Halloween cake. For the most part, spoopy is only seen at Halloween time. The Oxford English Dictionary has not added the new word as of yet, though it is watching the evolution of the word spoopy.

Examples

We know that these ingredients don’t look particularly spoopy (except for maybe the lime) but when they are combined together they make a truly fantastic Halloweekend drink. (The UConn Daily Campus)

Inspired by the show’s 5 spoopy Halloween episodes, here is a last minute, helpful Halloween costume guide brought to you by our favorite characters from “The Office”. (The UWM Post)

In 2013, a Halloween cake iced wrongly so it read “creppy” not “creepy” went viral on Tumblr, but the word hasn’t lasted. (The New Statesman)