# Share your favorite mispronunciations that you have heard **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273 "2012-10-19T20:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/181 "2012-10-31T21:01:20Z")
I don’t even have a middle vowel in there, I just say Florda (i.e. floor-duh). ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/182 "2012-10-31T21:09:51Z")
Years ago, I worked with a young woman from the middle of the Ozarks. She was a college graduate, but her common sense did not extend to the breadth of her book **lernin’**. One of her favorite types of places to eat was **eye-talian** food. One day we went to eat mexican food and she inquired of the waiter what **ja-lap-a-noes** were, and then preceded to order a **kima-chang-a**. I have no idea where she is today. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/183 "2012-10-31T21:22:51Z")
> [@Ludovico technique](#): > > Actually, even in careful pronunciation, it’s more like “FLOrihduh”, with the “ih” sounding like the “i” in “in”, and the “uh” like the “u” in “function”. Except in quick pronunciation both are almost or are a schwa. But definitely not an EE like in Easter or an AH like in what you say for a tongue depressor. I think you got that incorrect - all the east coast retirees call it FLAH-riduh (as in “flat”). ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/184 "2012-10-31T21:50:47Z")
> [@Clarisse\_McClellan](#): > > Had a second great teacher who pronounced ‘island’ with a short ‘i’ and pronounced the ‘s’. Nevertheless, you should consider yourself lucky to have had at least two great teachers. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/185 "2012-10-31T22:24:42Z")
From an old Jack Benny radio show: “Cimanum” instead of “Cinnamon”. And Worcester. I still don’t understand why it’s pronounced “Woster”. (And don’t much care.) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/186 "2012-10-31T23:32:36Z")
Juh-lap-in-ohs… Oh, you mean jalapeños…:smack: …And Arnold and California is a definite culture clash. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/187 "2012-11-01T03:18:04Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Years ago, I worked with a young woman from the middle of the Ozarks. She was a college graduate, but her common sense did not extend to the breadth of her book **lernin’**. One of her favorite types of places to eat was **eye-talian** food. One day we went to eat mexican food and she inquired of the waiter what **ja-lap-a-noes** were, and then preceded to order a **kima-chang-a**. > > I have no idea where she is today. Hopefully not in Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/188 "2012-11-01T11:15:46Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hopefully not in Mexico. Well, even a perfect pronunciation of “chimichanga” will provoke only blank stares in about 80 percent of Mexico. ETA: Sorry to ruin your funny post with a stupid nitpick! Feel free to rant about some American-Thai-restaurant-only “Thai” dish or other. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/189 "2012-11-01T14:56:49Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’d pronounce it “die-ASS-ih-tile”. I think there’s a big UK/US split in chemical pronunciations, though. We in Britain say methyl and ethyl as “MEE-thile” and “EE-thile”, but to Americans they are pronounced like a couple of old ladies, Methel and Ethel. I think maybe you’re on to something, with this. I use the words Methyl and Ethyl daily, in the “American” (I’m Canadian) way you suggest. Seems to pretty much be an industry standard. For diacetyl, I say die-uh-SEE-tul, mainly based off the root of acetic, which is uh-SEE-tic. I think when it comes to esoterica such as this, that there really isn’t a single “right” pronunciation. ETA: it just occurred to me that acetate does not follow from the root stressing of acetic, as it is pronounced ASS-uh-tate. English is pretty screwed up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/190 "2012-11-01T15:10:20Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > For diacetyl, I say die-uh-SEE-tul, mainly based off the root of acetic, which is uh-SEE-tic. I think when it comes to esoterica such as this, that there really isn’t a single “right” pronunciation. > > ETA: it just occurred to me that acetate does not follow from the root stressing of acetic, as it is pronounced ASS-uh-tate. English is pretty screwed up. 🙂 I used to pronounce acetyl as “uh-SEE-tile”, on the pattern of acetic acid, but when I went to university I found that everyone in the chemistry department called it “ASS-ih-tile”, so I adapted. Then of course there’s the debate over, e.g., ethanoate. Is it eth-uh-NO-ate or ih-THAN-oh-ate? (Trick question, of course - it’s pronounced “ASS-uh-tate” 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/191 "2012-11-01T16:17:44Z")
**Colophon** , I directly supervise blue-collar guys, and their struggles with some of the nomenclature (petroleum-derived industrial solvents, mostly) can be quite amusing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/192 "2012-11-02T01:12:24Z")
This is a bit of a tangent but I feel it is appropriate; I find it funny when people have “selective accents” when pronouncing certain words, whether they be foreign locations or English _words_ for foreign _things_, concepts, etc. The reason you hear “Pakistan” often being pronounced “_pauck_-is\*-_staun_” is because that word is being said by a person _of foreign descent!_ :smack: NOT because that is the “official” pronunciation of the country’s name. No, the _American_ pronunciation of “Pakistan” is “_pack_-is-_stan_”. When you say it as someone from India might say it, you sound douchey. (And yes, I know President Obama even does this). ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/193 "2012-11-02T01:21:00Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > This is a bit of a tangent but I feel it is appropriate; I find it funny when people have “selective accents” when pronouncing certain words, whether they be foreign locations or English _words_ for foreign _things_, concepts, etc. The reason you hear “Pakistan” often being pronounced “_pauck_-is\*-_staun_” is because that word is being said by a person _of foreign descent!_ :smack: NOT because that is the “official” pronunciation of the country’s name. No, the _American_ pronunciation of “Pakistan” is “_pack_-is-_stan_”. When you say it as someone from India might say it, you sound douchey. (And yes, I know President Obama even does this). (Sorry, if it wasn’t clear I am referring to Americans here. I know not everyone here is from the U.S.) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/194 "2012-11-02T08:58:26Z")
I’ve heard **All sorts of colitis** for “ulcerative colitis.” On a Librivox recording I listened to recently, I heard what sounded like **drought animal**. I surmise the American reader was confused by the British spelling “draught” (pronounced “draft”). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273.md?page=9)