# 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:** 5
**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 24, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/81 "2018-11-24T20:06:20Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > I have no issue with appropriated forms of words. But I do take umbrage with the appropriated form being regarded as true to the correct form. How would you pronounce _umbrage_? What is the “correct form”? Is it the medieval French or Roman Latin? ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/82 "2018-11-24T21:28:39Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > How would you pronounce _umbrage_? What is the “correct form”? Is it the medieval French or Roman Latin? Like Um-breadge with without the ‘d’. I says it like I hears it! 😃 ---
**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 24, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/83 "2018-11-24T21:31:46Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Like Um-breadge with without the ‘d’. I says it like I hears it! 😃 Spectacularly missing the point… ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/84 "2018-11-24T21:46:55Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > But it’s not pronounced NEW-CLEAR. It’s three syllables, NEW-CLEE-AR. Agreed, but NEW-CLEAR is far better than NEW-KU-LER. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/85 "2018-11-24T22:28:41Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Spectacularly missing the point… I assure you my post was done with tongue firmly in cheek. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/86 "2018-11-24T22:48:52Z")
It ain’t **sherbert**. That’s all I got to say. ---
**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 24, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/87 "2018-11-24T23:03:11Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > I assure you my post was done with tongue firmly in cheek. 😛 Then why not address the point? > [@](#): > > …I do take umbrage with the appropriated form being regarded as true to the correct word… What do you mean, exactly? Let’s set aside the straw man that you introduced that anyone is disputing the way words are pronounced in the original language, such as the way karate is pronounced _when speaking Japanese_. We’re talking about the pronunciation of an adopted word. If you acknowledge that it’s okay for an English speaker to pronounce “umbrage” as we do - and not just okay, in fact it would be _wrong_ for a modern English speaker to pronounce it in the same way as a medieval French speaker - then why won’t you accept that the same kind of change in pronunciation may happen for more recently adopted words? ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/88 "2018-11-24T23:51:16Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > This one I am unsure of: Deputy. > > Is it dep-YEW-ty? > > Or dep-putty? None of the above. It’s DEP-u-tee. Where do you hear dep-putty?? ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/89 "2018-11-24T23:59:17Z")
> [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > Everyone, repeat after me: NEW. > > Very good. Now: CLEAR. > > Good job. Now together: NEW CLEAR. > > Faster: NEW-CLEAR. > > Faster: NEWCLEAR. > > That’s it, you’ve done it! I’m so proud of you. That’s not how I pronounce nuclear. It has three syllables: NEW-klee-er. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/90 "2018-11-25T00:14:26Z")
po·ta·ble /ˈpōdəb(ə)l: adjective safe to drink; drinkable. I hate it when people say PAWT-eh-bowl. No! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/91 "2018-11-25T03:12:24Z")
I’ve given up expecting people to know the difference between “amount” and “number”. You can’t say “the amount of people” unless you’re referring to Soylent Green. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/92 "2018-11-25T03:15:02Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > po·ta·ble > /ˈpōdəb(ə)l: adjective > safe to drink; drinkable. > I hate it when people say PAWT-eh-bowl. No! Yeah. It’s certainly better than when they say ‘Portable’ water without a hint of irony. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/93 "2018-11-25T05:55:15Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Not sure what you mean by this (link to recording?), but there are no diphthongs in Japanese. Maybe this is just my ears being unused to the vowel combination and approximating on a sound I’m more familiar with, but Japanese names like Aoi, Aoba or Karaoko all have an -ow sound in them to my ear. I’m getting a bit off track here, but stands out even more to me is that the Japanese word _hai_ rhymes with “eye”, rather than being “ha i”. But I’m neither an expert in linguistics nor Japanese, so I could easily be wrong on both counts. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/94 "2018-11-25T06:01:16Z")
Sorry, I meant “Kaoruko”, not “Karaoko”. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/95 "2018-11-25T07:01:41Z")
In [this recording](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub4wiMDQrIo) of someone saying ‘hai’ I swear I can hear two distinct syllables, ha-i. Makes me want to do a spectral analysis on some audio files to confirm it. [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zf59CpnPRU) is the same person saying 青. Anyway, I am not surprised these words, as well as karate, etc, sound completely different when spoken with a strong English accent; the phonology does not match. Reminds me of the thread where it was noted all those Californians say ‘Los Angeles’ wrong. ---
**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 25, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/96 "2018-11-25T19:52:08Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > How are you supposed to pronounce “gyros”? I thought it was “YEE-ros,” but on Diane Kochilas’ Greek cooking show (PBS), she says it “JHY\*-ros,” and she lives in Greece. > > \*JHY rhymes with SHY, and with a soft “J” as in Jesus. I think there was another thread here that claimed that even 50% of Greeks will say JHY-ro, so I’m sticking to that. ---
**Author:** ![wanderer2575](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@wanderer2575](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wanderer2575)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2018, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/97 "2018-11-26T01:21:16Z")
Not a mispronunciation, but a misuse: When people use “in lieu of” to mean “because of” and not “in place of.” A former department manager at work did this all the time in e-mail announcements – “In lieu of the holidays, this week’s delivery schedule will change.” I won’t even get started on punctuation. The same manager’s signature line included “Attitudes are contagious – is your’s worth catching?” ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/98 "2018-11-26T01:33:03Z")
> [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > Everyone, repeat after me: NEW. > > Very good. Now: CLEAR. > > Good job. Now together: NEW CLEAR. > > Faster: NEW-CLEAR. > > Faster: NEWCLEAR. > > That’s it, you’ve done it! I’m so proud of you. Back during George W. Bush’s administration, I used to fantasize that some literate member of his staff - Condaleeza Rice, say - would give him a simple mnemonic for that word: “Just remember, George: we need a _new, clear_ policy.” Easy to remember, no? ---
**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 26, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/99 "2018-11-26T02:41:59Z")
Oh, just thought of one that does really bug me: habañero for habanero (spoken or written.) No enye there, people. I know it’s ring influenced by jalapeño, but it still needles me. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2018, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951/100 "2018-11-26T05:40:27Z")
Does anybody besides newscasters say HARE-iss-ment instead of har-ASS-ment? British pronunciations that grate on my nerves: herb with the h (which I understand Brits only started doing in the mid-19th C.) and _FILL-it_ instead of _fill-AY_. Perhaps they wince when Americans and the French pronounce it correctly. 🙂 American mispronunciations I find irksome: pronouncing the final\* S\* in _Illinois_ pronouncing the initial _I_ in _Italian_ as a long _I_. There’s no such country as AY-taly, people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronounced-words-and-descriptions-that-drive-you-crazy/824951.md?page=6)