Skip to main contentRecently I saw a standard, nonpersonalized Oregon license plate that featured the three letters "FUG." I was amused, but it made me think: There must be combinations of letters the DMV skips ("FAG," "DIK," etc.). Is there an official list?
—Joshua G.
Before I answer your question, Joshua, I'd like to take a moment to commemorate the fact that this is, by my count, the 300th iteration of this column. Let's hear it for Stockholm syndrome! Please send Scotch.
To be clear, this isn't the well-trodden "rejected vanity plates" story where we yuk it up over "DIKLIKR" and "LV2FART." We're talking about the three letters that, along with three numbers, form the standard "123 ABC" Oregon plate format.
Some combos do get spiked. However, the DMV doesn't maintain a complete list. Instead, each combination is reviewed as it comes up (we're currently up to the J's) by an eight-member review board.
I obtained a partial list of all possible combinations so far, along with the number of "no" votes each got. One no vote is enough to censor any given combo.
The clear winner was "ASS," with all eight reviewers giving it a thumbs-down. (Before you ask, the portion of the computer file where "FUK" should be was corrupted—thanks, NSA—so we'll never know how it fared.) Close behind, though, was "FCK," with seven nays.
In third, with six, was "DAM," beating out—bizarrely—"CUM," "FKR," "GUN," "JAP," and "BRA," all of which tied for fourth with five each.
I sympathize with the DMV's desire to avoid complaints from bitchy church ladies, but some of the bans seem like overkill. What's so heinous about "DEW," "BAT" or "CAN?"
Luckily, the combination "FUR" didn't get flagged, so whoever has "FUR 314" is still just one easily added decimal point away from sticking it to The Man. Think about it.
WWeek 2015