10 Mispronunciations That Make You Sound Stupid. I’m totally with them on all of those except for the “suppose to” and “use to.” If I’m just talking casually to someone, I’m not going to go to the effort of enunciating an extra “D” in there. And #9… I’m totally guilty of that one. I actually just had to look it up to make sure that “reoccuring” wasn’t a word, so strong was my conviction that I hadn’t been saying it wrong all along. But it looks like I have been.
Also, I have a few of my own that I’d like to add: “exspecially” (NO) and “respite” (it’s pronounced as “respit”). Those drive me up the wall.
Donna
August 8, 2008 — 10:09 am
I hate exspecially, too. And excape – any word like that. Don’t really care about “use to”, but I hate “use ta”, but my big pet peeve along the lines of jewellery and February is “libree”. It’s a library! There are two R’s!
crumpet
August 8, 2008 — 10:24 am
It’s not so much a mispronunciation, but every time I hear someone say “more better”, “more betterer” or similar phrases, I want to stab them in the eye.
Hearing people say adverTISEment induces a similar reaction.
Kris
August 8, 2008 — 11:16 am
That’s an Americanism though, crumpet. I often say just “advert” now, because ad-ver-tiz-mnt still sounds too poncy to me. 🙂
Rachel
August 8, 2008 — 12:27 pm
I love the word “poncy”.
I definitely do no. 9 and I think I pronounce no.10 as “mis-chee-vus” which is probably even worse as I completely mash a syllable.
I hate the australian adoption of the americanism “innernet”. What happened to the “t”?
And my husband’s pronunciation of chili con carne as “chili con carn” makes me start shouting “e e e e”. It may lead to divorce.
Tricia
August 8, 2008 — 3:14 pm
I’m guilty of #1 (realtor) and proud. The one that gets me (living in the land of the latte) is when people say expresso. It’s more amusing than annoying, though.
I like “poncy,” too. I think in the US, though, “advert” would sound poncy (if I’m using the word correctly…) 😉
Emily
August 8, 2008 — 3:37 pm
Oh, but some of these are so different in different places! Schedule (ch soft or hard), respite (I would say that respit sounds totally wrong to my UK ears), that ‘ad’ word, as you said Kris; foyer – I’d say fweye-ay would be correct, but I know it isn’t in the US; and what about forehead – I’d say forrid!
So I don’t think it works to be too categorical.
Though I can’t stand EXpresso, nucUlar, jewlERy, or a Clare spesh – triathAlon! Not that I believe it really matters big time.
Emily
August 8, 2008 — 3:39 pm
And my Dad would say golf should have a silent L, too, but I just think that sounds as if you’re trying to talk like the queen.
Rachel
August 8, 2008 — 5:28 pm
fweye-ay. excellent. I always used to laugh when my teachers at school would ask us to “gather in the fweye-ay”. Mine’s a bit of a franglais foy-yay. Foy-er just sounds wrong to me, got to have a wee bit of a french accent, non?
and res-pite, no spitting round me. Thanks
Frances
August 8, 2008 — 11:57 pm
My boss says ethenticity (eh-then-ti-city) instead of ethnicity. It drives me stark raving mad at staff meetings!
Kevin
August 9, 2008 — 7:43 am
Can I axe youse a question?
There should be another category for “10 Pronounciations that Make People Think You’re Stupid, Even When You’re Saying the Word Correcly.” For example, the word “forte” is invariably pronounced “for-tay” by people, but — unless you’re talking music — it’s just “fort.” But, say it the right way and people look at you like you’re retarded.