Top 27 Mispronounced Words

[AGBF]

I was listening to the radio in the car a few days ago and someone pronounced a word differently from the way I usually pronounce it. I jotted it down to look up when I got home. Because the speaker had struck me as somewhat erudite, I did not immediately trust the dictionaries I found on-line (both of which pronounced the word the way I had). (The mystery word is "ephemera", by the way.) So, although I have a message in to my husband (he who knows Greek and Latin), I pursued my quest on-line. I am now convinced that the speaker on the radio pronounced "ephemera" correctly. (He said efem'-or-uh rather than efem-er-uh.)

We have had discussions on Pricescope before about whether people should insist on correct grammar or let language change and as linguistics says it does. We have also had discussions on regional differences in pronunciation. My little search for the correct pronunciation of "ephemera" led me to a cute (and not at all erudite) YouTube episode by two guys who claim to have compiled a list of the 27 most mispronounced English words. I enjoyed it, so I thought I would share it here.

Top 27 Mispronounced Words...

AGBF

 

[lovedogs]

lol those are GREAT!

My DH and I jokingly argue all the time about "crayon". I (begrudgingly) admit that the pronunciation is "cray-on", but I still say it as 1 syllable, like "cran". I despise that word for some reason!

 

[PintoBean]

I can't stand when people say pacifically instead of specifically. Is that the opposite of atlantically?

 

[AGBF]

I can't stand when people say pacifically instead of specifically. Is that the opposite of atlantically?

You know, that didn't occur to me! You are probably right! Those people were talking about geography!
I thought they were trying to calm me down!

Deb

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Deb, I don't know three people who could not only pronounce, but use the word "erudite" in context/in a conversation. Tonight, I called the only other person I "know" who would. Like you, she is a goodie and a smartie.

cheers--Sharon

 

[azstonie]

"Foward" instead of forward really makes my jaw tight

 

[ecf8503]

Reck-uh-nize instead of recognize. Melk instead of Milk. Warsh instead of wash. Ax instead of ask. etc...

 

[PintoBean]

Reck-uh-nize instead of recognize. Melk instead of Milk. Warsh instead of wash. Ax instead of ask. etc...

You'd better redNECKognize! Bahahaha

YES I hate when someone "ax" a question. So lumberjack of them!

 

[Kbell]

I'm from MA so tons of R dropping etc here - it's not really that we don't know the proper pronunciation. I say "orange" different than some of my friends for some reason...

I can't stand when I hear "ax"..."underwears"... "supposably"...
a friend used to pronounce halter - like halter top - without the "h"... dropped it - no idea why. I try to keep it to myself but sometimes I just have to make a correction.

 

[Puppmom]

This is especially interesting to me because I have a son in first grade. He's learning to read and spell and mispronunciations make that challenging.

I must admit when he recently spelled water WOODER, it warmed my Philadelphian heart just a little.

Overall though, I am very careful with pronunciation and spelling. No one gives you credit for getting these right but everyone notices when you're wrong! It is very distracting to me when someone is speaking and mispronouncing words (especially what I would consider everyday words or technical words in their area of supposed expertise) or when I'm reading and there are misspellings.

 

[arkieb1]

I'm an Aussie we probably pronounce most things differently

 

[MJ_Mac]

It's the pronunciation of a name that used to drive me bonkers. The name is Graham. I pronounce it "grayham" and many people pronounce it "gram".

Years ago I was speaking with my boss and he said he was going to ask "Gram" about a problem we were having. I was genuinely confused and asked him who he meant. He used his last name and I exclaimed "oh, you mean Graham". He looked at me confused and said "that's what I said - Gram". I actually repeated both pronunciations to him and he could not hear the difference. We have friends who have a son named Graham. The mom pronounces it Graham and the dad pronounces it Gram. I've learned that some people just don't hear the difference.

 

[Kbell]

It's the pronunciation of a name that used to drive me bonkers. The name is Graham. I pronounce it "grayham" and many people pronounce it "gram".

Years ago I was speaking with my boss and he said he was going to ask "Gram" about a problem we were having. I was genuinely confused and asked him who he meant. He used his last name and I exclaimed "oh, you mean Graham". He looked at me confused and said "that's what I said - Gram". I actually repeated both pronunciations to him and he could not hear the difference. We have friends who have a son named Graham. The mom pronounces it Graham and the dad pronounces it Gram. I've learned that some people just don't hear the difference.

I and everyone I know pronounce graham like your boss = gram.
I'd probably drive you crazy saying things like gram cracka's... lol

 

[AGBF]

It's the pronunciation of a name that used to drive me bonkers. The name is Graham. I pronounce it "grayham" and many people pronounce it "gram".

Years ago I was speaking with my boss and he said he was going to ask "Gram" about a problem we were having. I was genuinely confused and asked him who he meant. He used his last name and I exclaimed "oh, you mean Graham". He looked at me confused and said "that's what I said - Gram". I actually repeated both pronunciations to him and he could not hear the difference. We have friends who have a son named Graham. The mom pronounces it Graham and the dad pronounces it Gram. I've learned that some people just don't hear the difference.

Hearing sounds is a different issue from knowing the "correct" pronunciation of a word in one's own language. I am married to a native Italian speaker and I learned that people who have heard different languages from birth (perhaps even from before birth, from in utero) sometimes cannot hear, let alone replicate, sounds that exist in other languages.

Sometimes it is merely difficult, not impossible, to learn how to make the sounds in a "foreign" language. For instance, for me, as an American, I have to remember to pronounce the vowels in Italian. What I would tend to give short shrift to in English, the Italians play out.

But some sounds are actually impossible for for the speakers of one language to hear in another language.

My husband had trouble for years getting the sounds of words like "ship" and "sheep" straight. For years and years I never knew if he was saying "slip" or "sleep". and I had to get it from the context. I know that I am unable to hear the differences in many words in foreign languages I study where people think the differences should be obvious to me. Sometimes I can learn. An example would be when there are two t's in an Italian word. Italian speakers assume that i should be able to hear whether there is one t or two t's in the word. But if someone is speaking quickly, I cannot.

I also wanted to comment on regional differences like "foward" and "melk", but I'll save those comments. I could go on all day and I have to do some work!

Deb

 

[MJ_Mac]

KBell - too funny . I've learned to accept it once my boss, who was a good friend by the way, pointed out he just couldn't hear the difference. FYI - I love regional accents, it's what makes us unique.

I am going to show my age with the following statement. It was in the early 80's and I remember always hearing one person call our work library a "libary". I was typing a letter for him using the word so it was the perfect opportunity to gently correct him on the pronunciation and spelling .

 

[AGBF]

I and everyone I know pronounce graham like your boss = gram.
I'd probably drive you crazy saying things like gram cracka's... lol

I pronounce the same word, spelled "graham", as "grame". I was raised in southwestern Connecticut in the United States by a woman (my mother) who also grew up here and whose mother grew up here, so I suspect it is regional.

 

[azstonie]

Californian by birth and time---"gram" for graham cracker too!

More from moi:

Or-uh-gone for Oregon.
Wuf for wolf.
in-tresting (accent second syallable) for interesting.

 

[MJ_Mac]

I hope I didn't offend anyone with Graham vs Gram. It was just a foible I had years ago and when I listened to the clip and read the thread it popped into my head.

 

[AGBF]

I hope I didn't offend anyone with Graham vs Gram. It was just a foible I had years ago and when I listened to the clip and read the thread it popped into my head.

Poodles4me-

It is highly unlikely you were capable of offending anyone by expressing an opinion on how to pronounce "Graham" and "graham". If you were able to, it will set a new record for sensitivity here on Pricescope! Maybe, then, Andrey will award you some sort of prize.

Deb

 

[MJ_Mac]

AGBF - Will you nominate me please? I'll take any award I can get .

 

[missy]

I'm an Aussie we probably pronounce most things differently

Hahaha well we have something in common though we are many thousands of miles apart. I'm from Brooklyn so a resounding yes to what you wrote except just insert I'm a Brooklynite...'nuff said.