# Mispronounced words and descriptions that drive you crazy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951 "2018-11-22T18:31:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/1 "2018-11-22T18:31:30Z")
Inspired by a thread on another forum about proper way to pronounce certain videogame names in their original form. What mispronounced words and descriptions drive you crazy? Here’s the top of my list: No. 1 for me…carry-oh-key! I can accept kah-ra-okay, but how in the world do you get carry-oh? In the same vein, how to you get Carry-tee as in Carry-tee Kid? Past-ta - Sorry Brits, like carry-oh-key, how in the world did you get past-ta. Okay, it may be past-ah, but I swear I hear that additional T every time. Panko bread crumbs. While the ko in panko can be defined as crumbs, flour or power, the pan 100% means bread. So people are saying bread crumbs, flour or powder, bread crumbs Sushi is just raw fish on rice and sashimi is raw fish. Sigh.There are hundreds of toppings for nigiri (the ones with the toppings and no nori -seaweed) sushi and sashimi can be any type of raw or very lightly grilled or fried (i.e. still raw in the center) seafood or meat. There’s even vegetarian sashimi made from konnyaku, a firm jello like block made from konjac root. Also, the rice in sushi isn’t just plain, it’s always prepared with at least some type of vinegar (usually mirin, sweet rice wine vinegar) and usually sugar for modern sushi and sometimes sake. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/2 "2018-11-22T18:34:17Z")
Kim chee is just Korean sauerkraut. No, no, no. This is an insult to Koreans and those of us who love kim chee. Not only is kim chee not just sour, it’s spicy hot. Also, kim chee can be made with almost any vegetable, not just cabbage. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/3 "2018-11-22T18:56:09Z")
This one has to do with proper names. One of my favorite Korean shows is Running Man which is popular worldwide. A few months ago, some of the members went to England for filming and a group of non-Korean fans were there to greet them. They were shouting one of the stars name Lee Kwang Soo with a hard L in Lee and hard K in Kwang. Despite the spelling of Lee, it’s pronounced Ee (no L) in Korean and the K in Kwang is pronounced as a flowing kg sound rather than a hard K. Kwang Soo seemed embarrassed and confused by the mispronounced shouts. People, if you’re going to be fans of foreign stars, please learn how to pronounce their names properly. Even worse was Chow Yun Fat’s appearance on a late night talk show, I believe with Jay Leno. I was okay with his saying Yun Fat (it’s actually closer to Faht), but the utter confusion and embarrassment on Chow’s face when Leno asked “Should I call you Mr. Fat?” was too much! That’s like asking someone named Billy Jo Jones if you should call them Mr. Jo. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/4 "2018-11-22T19:10:55Z")
Turmeric is having a moment, and people keep pronouncing it **TOO** -mer-ic, and leaving out the “R.” WHY?? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/5 "2018-11-22T19:13:24Z")
When foreign countries commit to pronouncing english words and names in the exact way that we do then I’ll begin to give a shit. as it standsi just don’t care. The way the english pronounce “pasta” is our english word for the foodstuff “pasta”. Our language, we get to choose the words and the way they are spoken. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/6 "2018-11-22T19:15:07Z")
I’ve never heard anyone pronounce Karaoke “kah-ra-okay”. Although looking at the word “carry-o-ke” doesn’t make sense I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/7 "2018-11-22T19:17:51Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > This one has to do with proper names. One of my favorite Korean shows is Running Man which is popular worldwide. A few months ago, some of the members went to England for filming and a group of non-Korean fans were there to greet them. They were shouting one of the stars name Lee Kwang Soo with a hard L in Lee and hard K in Kwang. Despite the spelling of Lee, it’s pronounced Ee (no L) in Korean and the K in Kwang is pronounced as a flowing kg sound rather than a hard K. Kwang Soo seemed embarrassed and confused by the mispronounced shouts. People, if you’re going to be fans of foreign stars, please learn how to pronounce their names properly. > > Even worse was Chow Yun Fat’s appearance on a late night talk show, I believe with Jay Leno. I was okay with his saying Yun Fat (it’s actually closer to Faht), but the utter confusion and embarrassment on Chow’s face when Leno asked “Should I call you Mr. Fat?” was too much! That’s like asking someone named Billy Jo Jones if you should call them Mr. Jo. Correction on the exchange between Chow and Leno. Leno asked Chow, should I call you Yun or Fat and after a moment of confusion and embarrassment, Chow replied “You can call me Mr. Fat”. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/8 "2018-11-22T19:35:39Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I’ve never heard anyone pronounce Karaoke “kah-ra-okay”. Although looking at the word “carry-o-ke” doesn’t make sense I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it any other way. Except in Japan. Japanese words are pretty easy to pronounce when written using roman letters, just by looking at them. This one seems to confuse people because of the ao combination. Unlike English, this is not a diphthong but separate syllables. Not hard to say once you wrap your head around it. The last syllable is neither “kay” nor “key” but a short “ke.” Ka-ra-o-ke. However, I think you are right, if you said it pronounced correctly in the US, most other people wouldn’t understand what you were saying. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/9 "2018-11-22T20:32:36Z")
While romanized Japanese if far easier to pronounce correctly than romanized Chinese or Korean, it’s still requires at least basic knowledge of the Japanese phonics (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko and ra, ri, ru, re, ro) to correctly pronounce karaoke. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/10 "2018-11-22T20:44:59Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Panko bread crumbs. While the ko in panko can be defined as crumbs, flour or power, the pan 100% means bread. So people are saying bread crumbs, flour or powder, bread crumbs It’s right on the box. [Panko Bread Crumbs.](https://www.target.com/p/kikkoman-174-panko-bread-crumbs-8oz/-/A-14774632?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Grocery%2BEssentials%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9033304&gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247077&ds_rl=1246978&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Grocery+Essentials+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9033304&gclid=Cj0KCQiAxNnfBRDwARIsAJlH29AGfoAql7jjlBGStmmMhl6nhV2qAFJjnKdVuXZy_Bl9l5t9gNNegMoaAkB4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/11 "2018-11-22T22:33:02Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > It’s right on the box. [Panko Bread Crumbs.](https://www.target.com/p/kikkoman-174-panko-bread-crumbs-8oz/-/A-14774632?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Grocery%2BEssentials%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9033304&gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247077&ds_rl=1246978&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Grocery+Essentials+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9033304&gclid=Cj0KCQiAxNnfBRDwARIsAJlH29AGfoAql7jjlBGStmmMhl6nhV2qAFJjnKdVuXZy_Bl9l5t9gNNegMoaAkB4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) LOL. Okay, I’ll have to cut this one a little slack since it’s not clear that it’s describing the Japanese name in English below. 😛 Still, TV chefs should pause and say, panko. \ Bread crumbs to make it clear that panko IS bread crumbs. This was a biggie that irritated me and my ex knew it. It was the only times I wanted to punch her face to make stop. Pu-ker instead of pu-kah (puka - the Hawaiian word for hole). She was born and raised in Hawaii just as I was and darn well knew it was puka, but she would say “I like pu-ker better!” :mad: ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/12 "2018-11-22T22:47:06Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Kim chee is just Korean sauerkraut. No, no, no. This is an insult to Koreans and those of us who love kim chee. Not only is kim chee not just sour, it’s spicy hot. Also, kim chee can be made with almost any vegetable, not just cabbage. I love kimchi, and calling it “Korean sauerkraut” to me is an accurate description of the food product to somebody who has no idea what it is, but understands the concept of sauerkraut. Both kimchi and sauerkraut are lacto-fermented cabbage. Kimchi has additional ingredients, but so can sauerkraut. You might want to say “spicy, garlicky Korean sauerkraut” if you want to be more precise, but that basic description is fine. As for “panko bread crumbs,” come on. “Panko” means nothing in English. It doesn’t matter that in Japanese it means “bread crumbs.” “Panko” can be used as an adjective in English to describe a particular type of coarse bread crumb. It’s like complaining about the La Brea Tar Pits, which translates as “the The Tar Tar Pits.” “La Brea” means nothing in English, so it’s used as a descriptor. This is perfectly normal and common across languages. “Kah-rah-okay” similarly does not follow usual English pronunciation patterns. I know it’s pronounced like that, but it sounds dumb to me in the midst of an English sentence, like how sometimes people drop into a Mexican/South American/etc accent out of the blue when pronouncing placenames from that area. It sounds disruptive and annoying to my ear, so I guess that fits the OP with the kind of things that drive me crazy when it comes to pronunciations. It just ruins the euphony of the sentence to me. And I do speak multiple languages, but when I speak English, I use the common English pronunciation, rather than the native one, because it just sounds _weird_. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/13 "2018-11-22T22:56:15Z")
With personal names, I agree that greater effort should be made as a matter of respect. As for the rest, what I see is OP attempting to brag about his superior knowledge of the pronunciation of adopted words in the original language; and in the process demonstrating only his poor observational skills. When a word from one language is adopted into another it _rarely_ retains the exact pronunciation of the original language. It’s particularly ironic to pick on the pronunciation of an adopted Japanese word to criticize, when modern Japanese is notable for adopting foreign words with _substantially_ modified pronunciation, using only the usual range of Japanese phonemes. > **[List of gairaigo and wasei-eigo terms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gairaigo_and_wasei-eigo_terms)** > > Gairaigo are Japanese words originating from, or based on, foreign-language (generally Western) terms. These include wasei-eigo (Japanese pseudo-anglicisms). Many of these loanwords derive from Portuguese, due to Portugal's early role in Japanese-Western interaction; Dutch, due to the Netherlands' relationship with Japan amidst the isolationist policy of sakoku during the Edo period; and from French and German, due to France and Germany's cultural and scientific prominence during Japan's modern... ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/14 "2018-11-23T01:26:05Z")
All too often I hear someone come on the public address system at the main hospital where I work to call for _Respitory_ Services" (instead of Respiratory Services). Evidently, even nurses don’t know how to pronounce or spell the word. Somewhat more amusing is the one operator who announces various events and emergencies occurring in the “Main Pervilion”. I suppose the Main Pervilion is for visitors who like to drop their pants and moon patients and staff. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/15 "2018-11-23T01:58:38Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > With personal names, I agree that greater effort should be made as a matter of respect. > > As for the rest, what I see is OP attempting to brag about his superior knowledge of the pronunciation of adopted words in the original language; and in the process demonstrating only his poor observational skills. When a word from one language is adopted into another it _rarely_ retains the exact pronunciation of the original language. It’s particularly ironic to pick on the pronunciation of an adopted Japanese word to criticize, when modern Japanese is notable for adopting foreign words with _substantially_ modified pronunciation, using only the usual range of Japanese phonemes. > [List of gairaigo and wasei-eigo terms - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gairaigo_and_wasei-eigo_terms) I apologize if I come across as trying to display any type of superior knowledge. I probably mispronounce more non-Asian words than most people in the mainland U.S.! A big part of my gripe is that living in Hawaii, with our large multi-cultural mix and heavily Asian, we tend to pronounce Asian words closer to the native tongue. So kah-rah-oh-kay is the preferred form and I’ve been with groups where any other pronunciation stops the conversation dead in its tracks. As for kim chee, panko, sushi and sashimi, my main gripe are chefs (who are often viewed as authorities of food knowledge) whose limited definitions continue and validate those limited definitions to the public. “Well, XXX chef says sashimi is JUST raw fish, so it must be true!” ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/16 "2018-11-23T02:09:21Z")
As one who has worked in the communications field all his life, I am especially cognizant of mis-pronounced and mis-used words. The word “often” is correctly pronounced with the “t” silent, as in “OFF-en.” “OFF-ten” rankles me, especially when I hear it in movies or in a TV show. The word “presently” correctly means “in the very near future.” It does not mean “now.” If you mean now, say now. People who say presently instead of now are just being pretentious. Can’t stand it when I hear people use “a” like “ay” and “the” like “thee.” Like “Thee cat has run up ay tree.” It sounds like the person is still in first grade and I can’t see how someone gets to adulthood still saying those simple words the wrong way. And this has no real connection with the question, but I live in an area where people can’t say “I saw.” It’s “I seen,” as in “I seen a red Buick today.” Drives me up thee wall. I’m willing to give people a pass on “often” and “presently,” as the correct pronunciation and meanng are probably considered arcane, but “ay/thee” and “I seen”…never! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/17 "2018-11-23T02:13:31Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Can’t stand it when I hear people use “a” like “ay” and “the” like “thee.” Like “Thee cat has run up ay tree.” It sounds like the person is still in first grade and I can’t see how someone gets to adulthood still saying those simple words the wrong way. The majority of the time I hear this, they are emphasizing the article for a purpose, and it doesn’t sound all that great to say “THUH” or “UH” when the words are emphasized. ---
**Author:** ![Stuntman\_Mike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stuntman_mike/32/334_2.png) [@Stuntman\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuntman_Mike)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/18 "2018-11-23T02:13:42Z")
Melk. It’s milk! Say it right. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/19 "2018-11-23T02:19:41Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > The word “presently” correctly means “in the very near future.” It does not mean “now.” If you mean now, say now. People who say presently instead of now are just being pretentious. [Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/presently) refutes you… > [@](#): > > Usage note > The two apparently contradictory meanings of presently, “in a little while, soon” and “at the present time, now,” are both old in the language. **In the latter meaning presently dates back to the 15th century.** It is currently in standard use in all varieties of speech and writing in both Great Britain and the United States. **The sense “soon” arose gradually during the 16th century.** Strangely, it is the older sense “now” that is sometimes objected to by usage guides. The two senses are rarely if ever confused in actual practice. Presently meaning “now” is most often used with the present tense ( The professor is presently on sabbatical leave ) and presently meaning “soon” often with the future tense ( The supervisor will be back presently ). The semantic development of presently parallels that of anon, which first had the meaning, now archaic, of “at once, immediately,” but later came to mean “soon.” (my bolding) For my own pet peeves, I will submit ‘esspected’ for ‘expected’ (I’m looking at you, _Coldplay_), ‘vunnerble’ for ‘vulnerable’, and others of that ilk. It also sets my teeth on edge - and I freely admit this is just a personal bugbear - to hear ‘uzzz’ for ‘us’ ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/20 "2018-11-23T02:25:00Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > . . . Can’t stand it when I hear people use “a” like “ay” and “the” like “thee.” Like “Thee cat has run up ay tree.” . . . I’m guessing you don’t have a whole lot of James Taylor records. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951.md?page=2)