“AM-blee-ance”
“puhss-GEH-tee”
“pee-buh-JEH-wee”
These are pronunciations a toddler might use for “ambulance,” “spaghetti” and “peanut butter and jelly.” Ok, I’m talking about my toddler specifically — and yet, I know exactly what he’s referring to when he says these words.
As we become more familiar with language, we learn phonics, spelling and eventually how to read — on paper and aloud. We learn some pretty conflicting rules about pronunciation due to both language of origin exceptions (we have a lot of English words that have been borrowed or derived from other languages) or “i before e” types of spelling rules that can stump even the most educated adults.
Turns out there are some commonly mispronounced words we may not even realize we are saying incorrectly.
I’ve come across a handful of these sorts of lists and articles online lately, and the comments with each of them stirs a lot of debate. Simply, there are dialectical differences that lead to some of the lists’ “incorrect” pronunciations — and does that make them “correct” if you’re on the same page, phonetically speaking, with everyone else that lives around you?
In any case, here are the “greatest hits” with incorrect vs. correct pronunciation (or at least those that seemed the most widely agreed upon) from articles I’ve found lately, plus some thrown in as personal favorites:
1. ARCTIC
Incorrect: are-tick
Correct: ark-tick
2. ASTERISK
Incorrect: ass-tricks or ass-ter-ricks
Correct: ass-ter-isk
This one is just more fun to say wrong, but now you know which version is legit.
3. CACHE
Incorrect: cash-ay
Correct: cash
Yep, it’s French, and no, the “e” isn’t necessary.
4. CELTIC
Incorrect: sell-tick
Correct: kell-tick
You can get away with the incorrect version if you’re talking to a Boston Celtics fan, but not if that person is Irish.
5. COMPTROLLER
Incorrect: comp-troll-ur
Correct: con-troll-ur
6. ELECTORAL
Incorrect: eh-leck-TOR-ul
Correct: eh-LECK-tor-ul
7. ESPRESSO
Incorrect: ex-preh-so
Correct: eh-spreh-so
There is no “x” in this word, people!
8. ET CETERA
Incorrect: ex-SET-err-uh
Correct: eht-SET-err-uh
Again, no “x.”
9. FEBRUARY
Incorrect: feb-you-air-ee
Correct: feb-roo-air-ee
However, Merriam-Webster, American Heritage and dictionary.com say the incorrect example is more widely used and should also be considered correct:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/54846/whats-correct-pronunciation-february
10. GIF
Incorrect: gif
Correct: jif
This is “official,” coming from Steve Wilhite, the creator of the gif:
But just don’t ask him how he pronounces “gig” or even “graphic,” which the “G” stands for in this acronym.
11. GYRO
Incorrect: gee-roh or hee-roh
Correct: yee-roh
12. HIERARCHY
Incorrect: high-ark-ee
Correct: high-er-ark-ee
13. LIBRARY
Incorrect: liberry
Ok, this is probably going back to my toddler pronunciation key, but you’d be surprised how often this can still be heard coming from adults!
14. MAYONNAISE
Incorrect: man-ayze
Correct: may-oh-nayze
15. MINIATURE
Incorrect: min-ih-chur
Correct: min-ee-ah-chur
16. MISCHIEVOUS
Incorrect: mis-chee-vee-us
Correct: mis-cheh-vus
If you spell this one correctly, you can probably “get” it. But drawing from my Southern roots, I always want to add extra letters to the spelling — and extra syllables to the pronunciation — resulting in the incorrect version!
17. NUCLEAR
Incorrect: new-kyoo-lurr
Correct: new-klee-ur
We can thank George W. Bush for this one!
18. SHERBET
Incorrect: sure-burt
Correct: sure-bit
19. SPECIES
Incorrect: spee-sheez
Correct: spee-seez
There is no “h” in this word.
20. TRIATHLON
Incorrect: tri-ath-a-lon
Correct: tri-ath-lon
Bonus round. Celebrity names you’re probably saying wrong:
21. DR. SEUSS
Incorrect: soos
Correct: soys (rhymes with “voice”)
Mind blown! The college roommate of Dr. Seuss even made up a rhyme to illustrate:
“You’re wrong as the deuce
And you shouldn’t rejoice
If you’re calling him Seuss.
He pronounces it Soice!”
Although, rumor has it Dr. Seuss was ok with the Anglicized version of “soos” because it rhymed with Mother Goose.
22. SHIA LeBEOUF
Incorrect: shee-ah La-BO (or even La-BOOF)
Correct: SHY-uh luh-BUFF
23. RALPH LAUREN
Incorrect: la-REN
Correct: LAW-ren
Just like the girl name, no sophisticated accent needed.
24. MARTIN SCORSESE
Incorrect: scor-SAY-see
Correct: scor-SEZ-ee
Straight from the man himself here:
25. CHARLIZE THERON
Incorrect: there-on
Correct: thrown
Ever notice how finalists in the National Spelling Bee sometimes cup their hands over their mouths when they repeat words back to themselves before spelling aloud? That’s because sometimes correct pronunciations give us the “road map” when it comes to correct spellings, and vice versa.
Maybe we keep getting a lot of these pronunciations wrong because sometimes the incorrect version is that ubiquitous — or maybe it’s just more fun to say.
We welcome comments and alternate viewpoints below!
Sources:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/22-common-words-youre-probably-pronouncing-wrong.html
http://my.xfinity.com/slideshow/entertainment-celebpronunciation/1/