# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/121 "2012-10-24T03:51:23Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > The town of Beatrice in Nebraska is pronounced by the local yokels “Bee- AT- triss”. And the town of Norfolk NE is pronounced “Nor-fork.” Washington IA is pronounced “Warshington.” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/122 "2012-10-24T17:31:17Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > And the town of Norfolk NE is pronounced “Nor-fork.” > > Washington IA is pronounced “Warshington.” See also Vallejo, CA, Amarillo, TX, and Aloha, OR. The first two I can understand, but the Aloha really gets me for some reason. It’s pronouced “uh-LOW-uh” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/123 "2012-10-24T17:36:33Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > I heard a nurse teaching a childbirth class use that pronunciation. Indianapolis if that is a clue? The person that says it here is a born and raised New Englander. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/124 "2012-10-24T17:40:34Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > And the town of Norfolk NE is pronounced “Nor-fork.” My SIL and niece, while visiting me and others in New England, asked me how to pronounce Norfolk and Suffolk. Then they giggled because I swore. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/125 "2012-10-24T18:08:25Z")
My (Brazilian) wife was responsible for a couple of humorous ones early in our marriage. CompUSA was "com-POO-za"and the Ingles supermarket chain (which rhymes with “jingles”) she pronounced like it was obviously spelled: _inglês_. ---
**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 24, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/126 "2012-10-24T18:56:09Z")
A couple more came to mind: Brefakst - the first meal of the day - a friend just could not get the mind around that combo of letters (k to f). Pasta - in Canadian, they say it like “past-a” (as in - the past), but everywhere else I have heard it like “paust-a”. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/127 "2012-10-24T19:18:30Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Debaser, you know that quay and key are homophones, right? D’oh! I wasn’t even thinking of a quay like in sailing. The way queue was mispronounced was more like “kway”. Good catch. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/128 "2012-10-24T19:19:32Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Pasta - in Canadian, they say it like “past-a” (as in - the past), but everywhere else I have heard it like “paust-a”. It’s an otherwise good show, but the host of Restaurant Impossible pronounces “pasta” this way with a huge emphasis on the first “a” sound. Drives me nuts every time. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/129 "2012-10-24T20:03:14Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > A couple more came to mind: > > Brefakst - the first meal of the day - a friend just could not get the mind around that combo of letters (k to f). > > Pasta - in Canadian, they say it like “past-a” (as in - the past), but everywhere else I have heard it like “paust-a”. I had a coworker who pronounced it “breffest”. She also said “birfday”(birthday), batayta (potato) and"goff" (gulf) among other irritating things. Stupid Philly accent. PASta is the British pronounciation, no? It’s on the long list of words my boyfriend says “incorrectly”. He especially likes his seasoned with oreGANo. It’s a Herb, you know.:mad: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/130 "2012-10-24T20:16:04Z")
Is risotto with a short (first) O also a Britishism? It drives me nuts when Gordon Ramsey says it like that. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/131 "2012-10-24T20:36:38Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Is risotto with a short (first) O also a Britishism? It drives me nuts when Gordon Ramsey says it like that. Oh yes; that on the list. I suggest that all the people who are enchanted by the British accent spend a few [del] days [/del] years with the owner of one. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/132 "2012-10-26T12:04:12Z")
I was in the play \*Antigone \*in high school. One of the actors insisted the name Euridice should be pronounced “Uterus.” Of course, that became the kid’s nickname. And I knew a woman who called someone a “racketeer” because he loved to tell long, interesting stories (s/b raconteur). ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/133 "2012-10-26T14:11:36Z")
I knew a guy who once pronounced Betelgeuse as belch-u-geese (this predated the movie Beetlejuice). And I knew another guy who thought “ogre” and “orgy” were homonyms. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/134 "2012-10-26T17:23:01Z")
Cop: What kind of gun did you use? Criminal #1: It was a nine million meter automatic. Cop: What kind of car was it? Criminal #2: It was one of those, you know, alfalfa romeos. Both absolutely true. Heard 'em with my own ears. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/135 "2012-10-26T18:10:58Z")
Back when I was a bank teller in the South I had some favorite mispronunciations: - Recipe for receipt.“Imo need a recipe for them case quarters Ah put in” - Gardeena for guardian. “This here’s my sister. Ah’m her gardeena” I kind of miss it. ---
**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 26, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/136 "2012-10-26T19:39:02Z")
I am surprized no one has yet mentioned… Can I axe you a question? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/137 "2012-10-26T20:03:47Z")
My GPS does this all the time. Lakeshore becomse LA-key-shore Pinedale becomes Pindale Two is tuh It’s seriously distracting. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/138 "2012-10-26T20:52:23Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Is risotto with a short (first) O also a Britishism? It drives me nuts when Gordon Ramsey says it like that. I’m in the USA, and the first time I ever heard the word, it was pronounced that way in a commercial for “new Rice-A-Roni risotto”. Since [this offer](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19711103&id=nAsrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XZoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2682,1491668) expired in 1972, risotto (in some form) has been known in America for at least forty years. Apparently the British pronunciation was used before the dish became a fixture on restaurant menus and the more Italian “ri-SOE-toe” took over. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/139 "2012-10-27T02:59:40Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I had a coworker who pronounced it “breffest”. She also said “birfday”(birthday), batayta (potato) and"goff" (gulf) among other irritating things. Stupid Philly accent. I knew another Philadelphian who called it “brekfixt.” ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273/140 "2012-10-27T03:02:49Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I am surprized no one has yet mentioned… > > Can I axe you a question? After brekfixt. I have to finish my expresso, then I can excape. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-favorite-mispronunciations-that-you-have-heard/638273.md?page=8)