When purchasing a car, obtaining a license plate is a necessary step. Often, car dealerships assist with this process, working with the DMV to ensure proper registration. While many car owners are satisfied with the standard mix of letters and numbers, some prefer to personalize their plates. Vanity plates allow for customized names, phrases, or words, but these are subject to specific guidelines.

If the desired combination is already taken or considered offensive, the DMV will reject the request. At least, that’s how the system is intended to function. Matt Pacenza, an English teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah, recently encountered a vanity license plate that he found deeply offensive.