Personal HUGE pet peeve: the mispronounciation of "nuclear." (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

God, this bugs me! People who are in the best position to know better are constantly saying "nu-cu-lar," and it seems like pure ignorance. Michael Douglas, the producer of THE CHINA SYNDROME, pronounces it wrong about five times in that movie. The p-r-e-s-i-d-e-n-t does this. Makes me grit my teeth.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

The p-r-e-s-i-d-e-n-t does this. Makes me grit my teeth.

Yeah, new KEY er. That was my favorite of Jimmy Carter's enunciations. Now, Governor Arnuld will give us no end of amusing contorsions.

 

[ChrisMatson]

This is like the grammar thread...sure to be divisive.

Jimmy Carter pronounces it "nuculer," as Dick mentioned. The funny thing is that he is quite intelligent and served as an engineer on one of the first nuclear submarines in the Navy.

 

[John Watson]

Here's to...unclearity

and the hilarity which ensues

 

[Jerry F]

I hate this, too. My other one is "Jewlery". God help us if we ever invent nucelar jewlery.

There is a prominent jeweler who has been on the radio for as long as I can remember here in Atlanta that ALWAYS says jewlery. AAGGHHH.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Hey don't make this into a Southern thing. (You may get your ass kicked.) There are plenty of words that are mangled in Chicago, New York, and Boston.

 

[Michael Reuben]

I'm not sure, but this may now be an accepted alternate pronunciation. Wouldn't be the first time. How many of you pronounce the first "r" in "February"?

M.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Volts-wagon

Jimmy Carter pronounces it "nuculer," as Dick mentioned. The funny thing is that he is quite intelligent and served as an engineer on one of the first nuclear submarines in the Navy.

Maybe he in improving, but over four years he was consistent, or my ears need adjusting.

 

[Tim K]

Homer Simpson:
"Its NUKE-U-LER....NUKE-U-LER"

 

[Sam Posten]

Up here in NJ lots of people pronounce Washington as Warsh-ing-ton

 

[Malcolm R]

Some of my father's mispronounciations that drive me batty:

Phil-a-del-thia (instead of Philadelphia)
chimley (instead of chimney)
mold (instead of mole, "He's got a mold on his face.")
Wal-Marts (instead of Wal-Mart, "I stopped at Wal-Marts today.")

 

[Jack Briggs]

I do, buddy!

 

[Eric Kahn]

I thought it was "filthydelphia", that is what my brother called it when he lived there

 

[Brandon_T]

I had a co-worker that would always say "last night I went to The Home Depote". You know, nothing silent, just says it. And yes, I know it is spelled Depot.

Brandon

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I always call it the Home Despot....

 

[Glenn Overholt]

It isn't 'new-clear'?

I can see where the Wal-Marts comes from. It is just a multiple referring to the many Wal-Marts nearby.

glenn

 

[Patrick Sun]

I still can't say "chevrolet"

 

[Bill Griffith]

I remember living in Maine, and saying Worchester for the first time. Who the hell would think that that word is pronoucned Woo-ster, instead of War-chest-er. How the hell do you get woo out of Worche? It makes no damn sense.

How about Wednesday, How many people pronounce it Wins-day as opposed to Wed-nes-day. Is it supposed to have a silent d.

So how are supposed to pronounce Nuclear, Nuke-U-ler, Nuke-lee-er, or some other strange derivation.

 

[Jacinto]

It should be pronounced "new-klee-ar". My dictionary actually has a note saying DO NOT pronounce it "new-kyoo-lar".

One that's always driven me batty even though it's acceptable (two of my dictionaries say unacceptable, the other says it is the alternate pronunciation) is "kyoo-pon" for coupon. There's just no other example of the letters "c-o-u" being pronounced "kyoo", as in "He showed substantial amounts of 'kyoo-rage' when attacked by the 'kyoo-gar'."

 

[Steve Felix]

My family thinks I'm crazy for saying "koo-pon" but, I agree, the other way is worse.