A while ago, I was trying to edit a question on Web Applications, but got a rather confusing error message:
The tag [charts] is too similar to [charts]. If you think this new tag should be allowed, discuss it on meta.
I think the system is trying to tell me that the [charts] tag is blocked, but my initial reaction was "I must have made a spelling error" (and the second one "there's a zero-width space playing tricks on me"). Is my guess right, and if so, can the message be improved?
The system is not referencing blocked tags here - there is no rule blocking such a tag. The error is a result of an odd situation that has occurred on Web Apps.
Currently, there is a synonym that exists for chart that directs it to charts, but the charts tag itself has since been deleted and no longer exists, requiring it to be created again. However, because there exists a synonym, the system thinks the chart tag "exists" even in a fake way and the system does not allow non-moderators to create new tags that differ only by hyphens and pluralizations.
It is seeing the chart tag synonym, preventing the creation of charts due to similarly, and then the error message is reading out charts twice because the lookup is being redirected to the plural form making the message very confusing.
Simplest solution: delete the synonym that is no longer useful.
