How important is it for you to write "LEGO" vs Lego?

[DPrime]

Just something I've always wondered when it comes to AFOLs. Seems to be a sticking point for many, though for me, other than in a very formal, professional context, writing it in all caps all the time seems a bit forced.

I also don't really have a problem with "Legos", though I try avoiding it myself. :)

[samurai-turtle]

In the forums I just cap all out. As for "LEGOs" I will say it in reality. But, I see it more of an abbreviation for "LEGO Bricks". (Get ready for the onslaught.)

[opn2]

Edited September 27, 2014 by opn2

[rollermonkey]

I got my first bricks in the 70's and nobody cared about stuff like this. I call one brick a Lego and more than one Legos. If I were writing a research paper, I'd do the all caps for proprieties sake, but in casual day-to-day it really doesn't matter to me.

[Paul B Technic]

LEGO all the way here :)

[ummester]

They call it LAYGO in South Austraylia :D

[G2lego]

I might use LEGO for emphasis at times but otherwise it's "Lego" for me.

Capital "L" as I admit to being a bit of a spelling/grammar pedant, though only with myself. Which brings me to the point that I really don't care what other people use as long as it is obvious what they mean by the context.

Am I right in thinking that "Legos" is a North American term? I can't recall hearing anyone say it here in the UK on either side of my Dark Ages. Personally I would use "Lego bricks" or "Lego pieces".

[Dennan]

According to LEGO Group it should be like this:

[MAB]

LEGO or Lego or lego for me. I don't care which. My phone corrects lego to Lego, but leaves LEGO alone. Although LEGO takes longer to write on my phone.

[G2lego]

Okay, so having read the official guidelines ("rules"?) in Dennan's post above I am minded to make the miniscule extra effort to use all capitals. As we're all for The LEGO Group protecting their brand, right?

Or as a new member am I taking this way too seriously?! Only too happy to be put right by more experienced members! Thanks.

[Gremer]

I always write 'LEGO' and say 'LEGO Bricks' out of habit.

[Dazmundo]

I feel like I should write LEGO but often just Lego very rarely lego that just looks wrong.

And never never never NEVER LEGOs! That hurts my ears!

D

[jodawill]

According to LEGO Group it should be like this:

Interesting, related fact: Duncan used to own the trademark "yo-yo," but they lost it because it became a generic term for the toy and the court didn't find enough evidence showing that Duncan had made an effort to defend the trademark. So, yeah. This actually is a very big deal for TLG.

That said, I still prefer to call them "Legos." I don't use it for any other brand. But really, what else are you going to call them? "Bricks" doesn't make any sense because most of the pieces are not bricks. You can't just call them "pieces" because that doesn't say anything about what they are. You could call them "LEGO pieces," but that's a mouthful.

[kibosh]

The mere suggestion that they be called something so crass and unrefined as "legos" instantly flares up their most primal of senses, instilling in them a desire to hunt and properly instruct some poor, misguided cretin on the only proper way to speak of the brand.

All joking aside, I never understood the pedantic need to correct someone who uses the term "legos" as a plural form of the toys, nor the insistence on consistent capitalization. I understand that the company themselves prefer for their products to be referred to in this way, but outside of formal or corporate jargon I don't see it as something that should be strictly enforced. I personally use "Lego" as an all-encompassing term in casual conversation.

Totally agree. If your life is so perfect that your biggest problem is correcting the way people refer to LEGO, you are truly blessed. I wonder how many of the LEGO police use the term kleenex to refer to facial tissue... And those that flip out over the use of "legos", get over yourself. There are obnoxious elitists in every group. If you're not aware of them, you probably are one.

They call it LAYGO in South Austraylia :D

That's how I pronounce it, too.

[alois]

Since I'm not an employee of TLC I will call the bricks by whatever name I want. BTW, in my youth in the Netherlands we called them ' laygo* ' as a non-countable word, like 'I'm playing with Lego', never in plural.

* insert Dutch g-sound

[AmperZand]

I usually all cap "LEGO" though sometimes I forget and write "Lego". I never pluralise is with an 's'.

I knowingly mispronounce LEGO, that is, I say it as most native English speakers do. My brother-in-law who is Danish and a former employee of TLG has taught me to say it properly. It should sound something like LAY-go.

[Lyichir]

I was very particular about capitalization for a brief period a while back, but I gave that up after copy editing gave me the realization that adhering to every brand's style guides for the formatting of their brand names can get slightly ridiculous. If I were writing an article for a Lego fansite or something I might still capitalize the brand name, but in casual forum posts and discussions it's not that important.

I occasionally might use "Legos" in casual speech but never typed out, unless of course I'm using it ironically.

[rollermonkey]

If the LEGO company made products unrelated to the modular building system, I might be less inclined to refer to Lego bricks as Legos. With the current product line, everything LEGO makes is related to Lego bricks, so calling those bricks Legos isn't a big deal for me. Someone correcting my usage would be pedantic and annoying because if you aren't a LEGO company employee, you have no vested interest in protecting TLG trademarks.

[CrazyDalton777]

I automatically write it as LEGO with capitals, I don't know why but I just do. I also say it like LEGO and not LEGOs as LEGO can be plural or singular.

[tedbeard]

Someone correcting my usage would be pedantic and annoying because if you aren't a LEGO company employee, you have no vested interest in protecting TLG trademarks.

I am not an employee and I have no particular interest in protecting TLG trademarks but as a known pedant I simply object because it is wrong.

The plural of moose is moose not mooses. If you can deal with that I see no reason why people have a problem with the plural of LEGO being LEGO.

[dr_spock]

I used to be in marketing. So it's LEGO® if I used on website or ads.

[Modelmaker]

I have never said or used the word legos, it's like saying sheeps

And only Lego makes LEGO. like only Sony made the Walkman and only Jeep makes Jeeps

I once almost got arrested by a traffic cop because i was driving a Jeep. He pulled me over and asked me what make of car i was driving, i told him it was a Jeep. He asked what kind of jeep? He then said something which still bugs me to this day... "My jeep is a Toyota, so what MAKE is your jeep" AAARRGH! I nearly got arrested for refusing to give information. It's these kind of people who will never get the difference between Lego and the cheap copies.

[alois]

I am not an employee and I have no particular interest in protecting TLG trademarks but as a known pedant I simply object because it is wrong.

The plural of moose is moose not mooses. If you can deal with that I see no reason why people have a problem with the plural of LEGO being LEGO.

Moose is the grammatically correct form of moose. Lego as a plural has nothing to do with grammar but all with a company trying to protect its trademark. A case can be made that 'legos' is grammatically correct, because it is a relatively new word and this is the way most users use it.

[MAB]

I have never said or used the word legos, it's like saying sheeps

And only Lego makes LEGO. like only Sony made the Walkman and only Jeep makes Jeeps

There are counter examples, of course.

Can I have two Coca-Colas, please?

or

Can I have two Coca-Cola, please?

[kibosh]

The plural of moose is moose not mooses. If you can deal with that I see no reason why people have a problem with the plural of LEGO being LEGO.

Moose is the grammatically correct form of moose. Lego as a plural has nothing to do with grammar but all with a company trying to protect its trademark. A case can be made that 'legos' is grammatically correct, because it is a relatively new word and this is the way most users use it.

I was going to make this exact point, but you beat me to it!