I like WordPress. Always have.

At the turn of the century when I first started blogging (that sounds like a really long time ago, doesn’t it?), there were a plethora of platforms and I tried them all. WordPress always, for me, was the most “natural” and therefore my choice.

Now, having given the disclaimer, let me say there is one thing about WordPress that drives me bonkers – quote marks.

Something so simple but so frustrating.

Because of my early experience last century in graphic design and even earlier in typography, I developed a love of the “correct way” of working with type (letters). The quote (“”) and half quote (‘’) are to be “curly,” not straight. “Straight” hails from the days of the typewriter, not the printing press (the “true” way of setting type).

WordPress doesn’t always get it right; in fact, it acts like a typewriter most of the time. And, there isn’t an end in sight according to the talk in the support forums.

So, what‘s a curly quote guy supposed to do?

The workaround (if it bothers you as much as me) is to enter the “text mode” in the text editor. When editing your post, click the “Text” tab on the upper-right above where your post content is. Then, replace the mis-transformed quote with the one of your choice by ending this code (below) in its place. When adding it, do not include the space between the & and the #. I’m doing so here so it won’t convert it into a quote instead:
& #8217; for a closing curly single-quote ( ’ )
& #8216; for an opening curly single-quote ( ‘ )
& #8220; for an opening curly double quote ( “ )
& #8221; for a closing curly double-quote ( ” )

This magically generates the correct quotes.

Hopefully, someone will find this satisfying; but even it not, I sure feel better.