50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should Avoid

Daily Writing Tips ^ | December 2, 2008 | Maeve Maddox

[EveningStar]

Fred Astaire drew laughs back in the Thirties with his song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" in which the lovers can't agree on the pronunciation of words like either, neither, and tomato.

On a personal level, I cringe when I hear someone sound the "t" in often or pronounce pecan with a short "a," but I have to acknowledge that both these pronunciations are widely accepted alternate pronunciations that can be justified by the spelling.

Alternate pronunciations, however, are a different matter from out-and-out mispronunciations. The latter, no matter how common, are incorrect, either because of the spelling that indicates another pronunciation, or because of what is widely agreed upon to be conventional usage. Word of caution: I'm writing from an American perspective.

Here are 50 frequently mispronounced words. The list is by no means exhaustive, but provides a good start.

[Charles Martel]

It’d probably be interesting - and a bit sad - to do a study on how the various English accents are changing, or fading out altogether. I suspect that the East End doesn’t sound like that anymore.

[Charles Martel]

Another interesting project is the upcoming Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planet live-action movie. That one is really an enigma to the American audience, being based on a 50-year-old *French* comic book series (and subsequent Japanese anime adaptation). The European-influenced anime projects can be very interesting - and sometimes unintentionally comical.

[Rollee]

Back on the old “PASSWORD” tv game show the password was deer. The celebrity gave the clue “doe”. The contestant answered “knob”

That story reminds me of a recent ”Family Feud episode. Steve Harvey said "name something that goes with pork." The contestant said "cupine."

[TexasTransplant]

No one agrees ... we just deflect and approve or disapprove

[dfwgator]

Whoever wrote this needs to STFU and make me a sammich.

[Arthur McGowan]

She missed a few:

The number “20” does not rhyme with “bunny.”

[Arthur McGowan]

She gives the correct pronunciation of jewelry, but fails to condemn specifically the pronunciation JOOLERY.

[Arthur McGowan]

I’ve been hearing this a lot:

His original approach didn’t work, so he decided to take another TACT.

[Freedom56v2]

Bookmark

[Centaur]

In late, but my cringer is people who write/say ‘would of’ instead of would have for would've.

[Castigar]

The one that gets ME is H-I-L-L-A-R-Y. It’s pronounced Criminal!

[Albion Wilde]

In Philadelphia, masons often pronounce “masonry” as “masonary.” Sort of like the way many Fluffyans pronounce the name of the Acme grocery store: “ACK-a-mee.”

[Albion Wilde]

Wipped cream...or Whipped cream?

Wip creem.

[Albion Wilde]

I warrsh my squarrsh.

That's fine for you; but many natives of Washington, DC pronounce it "Warshington." That's gratingly disrespectful of our first president.

[Albion Wilde]

I think a lot of these are not so much mispronunciations as they are non-standard pronunciations, or regionalisms, or pronunciations based in dialect. I remember “bob-wire” was common where I grew up in southern Illinois.

They forgot to include "duck tape" (duct tape).

[Albion Wilde]

I’ve noticed lately that “pundits” is being pronounced “pundants.”

Trump says that a lot. He also says "phenomena" when he means "phenomenon."

[Albion Wilde]

Michigan ··· mitch-chikan
Buffalo ··· Boo-follow

I heard an European tourist on his cellphone telling someone he was in TUCK-sohn. (Tucson, AZ)

We have a town in Maryland called Havre de Grace that has several longstanding local pronounciations, accompanied by longstanding feuds:

1) HAVE-er-dee-grayce
2) HAVE-ah-dih-grass
3) HARV-dih-grahs
4) HAHV-dih-graw

[Daffynition]

Isle au Haut, Maine

I’ve heard it pronounced, Il da Ho

Linda Greenlaw of *Perfect Storm* fame, lives there.

[Albion Wilde]

Is your wife from the Philadelphia area because "crowns" instead of "crayons" is prominent there. I can attest that it is difficult to stop that one.

As is "shtreet" instead of "street."

[Albion Wilde]

UHMbrella, or umBRELLA?
INsurance, or inSURance?

AM-byoolence, or AM-byoo-LANCE?