What words that people mis-pronounce that drive you nuts? (1 Viewer)

[Steve Elias]

It's not the mispronunciations, it's the grammar...

As an English Professor I have to let mispronunciations slide or my head would explode. However, I do get a bit steamed when the leader of the free world mispronounces donor [dough - NOR].

On a semi-related note, I think people (especially college students) who insist on using tired cliches should at least get them right. A couple of recently received essays included "nip it in the butt" and "take it for granite".

Confession time. I seem to be accent neutral with one exception: I say warsh instead of wash. It bothers me, but I can't seem to stop my otherwise cooperative mouth from forming the improper sound.

-Steve

 

[Rob Gardiner]

When I was a kid, I used to think the Bolshevik Revolution was the Bullshit Revolution.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

When I was a kid, I used to think the Bolshevik Revolution was the Bullshit Revolution

Must try to refrain from political...trying...trying... O what the hell - IT WAS the bullshit revolution!!!

Boy do I feel better:b .

 

[Ron Etaylor]

Anybody else ever hear "kindy garden" or "kinny garden" instead of kindergarten? Maybe that's the first thing they should teach in that grade.

 

[Keith Paynter]

1. NU-CLE-AR (hey, George W.!)

2. February - Can anybody pronounce the silent 'r'?

3. Recognise - 'Reconnise' (Can't watch 'Robin Hood: POT and hear Alan Rickman's flub, when he shows Kostner the sword, that stayed in the film)

 

[Jon_Are]

Or how about people who gyp you on the 's'? I think 50 Cent can afford an 's' now.

Similarly: "It's twelve foot long."

A few more peeves of mine:

Sherbert (already mentioned, I know, but bears repeating)

Chim-ley (chimney)

Stomping grounds (stamping grounds)

Head-ick (headache)

And, in the interest of full disclosure, one I was guilty of until very recently:

For all intensive purposes (for all intents and purposes)

Jon

 

[Pamela]

Stomping grounds (stamping grounds)

According to my dictionary, it can be both:

stomp·ing ground (stmpng, stôm-)

n.

A customary territory or favorite gathering place. Also called stamping ground.

 

[Julie K]

No one ever says cen-TIM-i-ter

I once had a T-shirt with a dinosaur-like creature running around eating up small round creatures called centims. The caption was "A centim eater".

There was another T-shirt with the centims jumping up and down on a dying centim-eater which was gasping "erg". The caption "A dyne centim-eater".

 

[Brian W.]

Espresso - "Expresso."

I always want to say, "Where do you see an 'X' in that word?"

 

[Brian W.]

When people say the word escape, but they pronounce it "eck-scape", or they say especially but pronounce it "eck-specially". Where are the invisible C's coming from?!?

Yeah, the ones where an extra letter is added that isn't there just annoy the hell out of me.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

February - Can anybody pronounce the silent 'r'?
I say Fehb-rah-ree. Its even more annoying! that and "git" instead of "get".

 

[Brian W.]

February - Can anybody pronounce the silent 'r'?

Random House/Webster's College Dictionary:

"Although sometimes criticized, this dissimilated pronunciation of February is used by educated speakers and both (feb'roo er'e) and (feb'yoo er'e) are considered standard."

 

[Keith Paynter]

1. NU-CLE-AR (hey, George W.!)

In fact, I believe this is why the phrase 'Weapons of Mass Destruction" was created, because G.W.B. always said "nucular weapons" in his public addresses re:the Iraq invasion. Even the text on the back of "The Day After" now uses the abbreviation (WMD).

 

[Jeff Gatie]

In fact, I believe this is why the phrase 'Weapons of Mass Destruction" was created, because G.W.B. always said "nucular weapons" in his public addresses re:the Iraq invasion. Even the text on the back of "The Day After" now uses the abbreviation (WMD).

Yup, because the only kinds of WMD's in the world are nuclear. I think a better explanation is that WMD encompasses biological, chemical and 'nucular'.

 

[Jim_F]

I prefer "chomping at the bit" over the archaic form.

I also rhyme "route" with "boot" (1st pronunciation) "rout" with "pout", and "root" with "foot" (2nd pronunciation)

"Liebarry" from an adult with no speech impediment is maddening, though.

 

[Yee-Ming]

And BTW, offense is pronounced "AW-fence", not "OH-fence" and it is spelled with an 's'.

But it IS spelt with a "c" and not an "s"!
(Brit v. American spelling dispute rears its ugly head again...)

 

[Dana Fillhart]

A guy I worked with was from Vancouver, British Columbia -- he did pronounce "about" as "aboot", although it wasn't always obvious. I also worked with another Canadian from Newfoundland province ("NEW-fun-luhn", right? ) who also pronounced "about" as "aboot" -- his was distinctive every time he said it.
"aks" grates on my nerves probably more than any other; it's apparently quite a popular way to say it around the Baltimore ("BAHL-moh") area. Oh, speaking of Bal'more, try listening to the way the local Bal'moreze say "hon" ("You wanna go to the beach, hawwwwwuhn?").
How about "Houston"? In Texas it's "HYOO-ston"; anywhere else it's "HOW-ston" (just try and "aks" someone in Manhattan where "HYOO-ston" street is -- you'll never find it). I guess it goes along with that whole "NOO-kyoo-ler" pronunciation issue (goodness I hate it when ol' Dubya says that)...
I had lots of fun when I spent most of my 2003 year up in the Boston region for the first time in my adult life. Not everybody does the "cah" thing there, but those that do ... it's hilarious to get 'em on a roll. Listen to Paul Sullivan on WBZ (1030AM) at nights -- he's the quintessential Bostonian. Some of the pronunciation of places there are quite amusing as well: Haverhill ("HAV-er-uhll" not "HAY-ver-hill"), Billerica ("bill-RIK-uh" not "bill-uh-REEK-uh"), Dracut ("DRAY-cut", not "DRAH-cut" or "drah-CUT"), Natick ("NAY-tick" not "NA-tick" (short a)), Methuen ("meh-THOO-en" not "METH-ooh-en" or "METH-yoo-en" -- I don't think they do more drugs there than the national average, anyway), and the -ham towns were situational: Waltham is "WALL-tham" not "WALT-ham", Chatham is "CHAT-uhm", Stoneham is (I think) "STONE-uhm", Framingham is exactly how it looks, but Needham is "NEED-uhm". Oh, and it's "PEE-buh-dee" not "PEE BAW-dee" (Peabody).
'Course, Jersey has a few good ones. I've only lived right next door to it for almost four years now, but it still took me forever to find out it's "meh-TOUCH-en" not "met-uh-CHEN" (Metuchen). And it's "ISS-eh-lin" not "ICE-lin" for Iselin. Oh, it's "NEW-erk", folks, not "NEW-wark"!!
Some you can chalk up to dialect (especially names of locations), but most fall into two camps: Laziness and poor education. I'll leave it an exercise to the reader as to which group "aks" and "nuculer" fall into.

 

[Citizen87645]

Portland, OR has a couple streets that the majority pronounce incorrectly, though you'd never think to pronounce them that way.

Couch St. should be pronounced "kooch"

Glisan should be pronounced "glisten"

You can usually separate the long time Portlanders from the rest by how the streets are pronounced.

 

[Scott Tucker]

Brian x said 'Nucular' is another. There's only one 'U' in 'Nuclear' folks!

Yeah, you would think the President could pronounce that one. Drives me crazy. You would think his aides would tell him what an idiot he sounds like.

The other one that gets me is Mos-COW. My Mother always told me "There are no COWS in Moscow."

Scott

 

[Rob Gardiner]

How about "Houston"? In Texas it's "HYOO-ston"; anywhere else it's "HOW-ston"

And on the planet Krypton, it's "HOO-ston".