# Sometimes English really sucks **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 25, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802 "2018-05-25T15:39:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/1 "2018-05-25T15:39:03Z")
I’m at a science conference. If I had a dollar for every time someone confused (in speaking or listening) hypo and hyper, I’d have…quite a lot of dollars. Likewise inter and intra. Who came up with this shit? Others? (focus on confusing terms, not stuff that’s hard to spell, say) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/2 "2018-05-25T15:40:12Z")
flammable and inflammable ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/3 "2018-05-25T15:52:13Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I’m at a science conference. > If I had a dollar for every time someone confused (in speaking or listening) hypo and hyper, I’d have…quite a lot of dollars. > Likewise inter and intra. Who came up with this shit?) In the case of hypo- and hyper-, the ancient Greeks. In the case of inter- and intra-, the Romans. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/4 "2018-05-25T16:11:04Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I’m at a science conference. > If I had a dollar for every time someone confused (in speaking or listening) hypo and hyper, I’d have…quite a lot of dollars. > Likewise inter and intra. Who came up with this shit? > > Others? (focus on confusing terms, not stuff that’s hard to spell, say) Um, they’re pronounced differently, or is that just a British thing? ---
**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/5 "2018-05-25T16:23:21Z")
Areally you old enough to remember extended and expanded memory? I never could get that straight ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/6 "2018-05-25T16:40:34Z")
Sometimes? It’s pretty bad most of the time. I’ve heard that in Spanish, \*the words are actually spelled how they sound. \* ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/7 "2018-05-25T16:53:00Z")
Effect/Affect – far too many people think they’re intrachangable. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/8 "2018-05-25T17:15:25Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Um, they’re pronounced differently, or is that just a British thing? My first thought on reading “science conference” is that the challenge is hearing one of these prefixes spoken by a non-native speaker without having heard their version of the prefix before. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/9 "2018-05-25T17:23:11Z")
“Unique” in place of “interesting” and “literally” for “figuratively”. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/10 "2018-05-25T17:52:35Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > “Unique” in place of “interesting” and “literally” for “figuratively”. Literally in place of figuratively \*literally \*makes me want to slap the speaker. Whenever I find myself using “literally” (which isn’t often) I always add “and yes, I do mean literally; I know how to use it properly” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/11 "2018-05-25T17:59:02Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Um, they’re pronounced differently, or is that just a British thing? I’m a Brit, and the conference is in the US. IME the difference for both British and American English is quite subtle, and people from both countries sometimes resort to hyperstressing the difference (hy-PO-fractionation). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/12 "2018-05-25T19:54:15Z")
When did “ironically” become a synonym for “coincidentally” ? ---
**Author:** ![SaneBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SaneBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaneBill)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/13 "2018-05-25T20:56:47Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > When did “ironically” become a synonym for “coincidentally” ? As a Canadian you should know: Alanis Morissette. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/14 "2018-05-25T21:58:37Z")
No, Bill. It’s You _Ought To_ Know. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/15 "2018-05-25T22:03:32Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Sometimes? It’s pretty bad most of the time. > > I’ve heard that in Spanish, \*the words are actually spelled how they sound. \* Very true. I have never heard anyone ask, “How do you spell your name?” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/16 "2018-05-25T22:32:43Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Sometimes? It’s pretty bad most of the time. > > I’ve heard that in Spanish, \*the words are actually spelled how they sound. \* You heard right, _hermano_. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/17 "2018-05-25T23:00:15Z")
Using _I_ instead of _me_ as an object pronoun. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/18 "2018-05-25T23:31:02Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Effect/Affect – far too many people think they’re intrachangable. +1 ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/19 "2018-05-25T23:32:48Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Literally in place of figuratively \*literally \*makes me want to slap the speaker. Whenever I find myself using “literally” (which isn’t often) I always add “and yes, I do mean literally; I know how to use it properly” then you’re _literally_ gonna hate this [According to the dictionary, “literally” now also means “figuratively”](https://www.salon.com/2013/08/22/according_to_the_dictionary_literally_now_also_means_figuratively_newscred/) > [@](#): > > But people increasingly use “literally” to give extreme emphasis to a statement that cannot be true, as in: “My head literally exploded when I read Merriam-Webster, among others, is now sanctioning the use of literally to mean just the opposite.” > Literally v. Figuratively image Literally vs Figuratively 300x300 > > Indeed, Ragan’s PR Daily reported last week that Webster, Macmillan Dictionary and Google have added this latter informal use of “literally” as part of the word’s official definition. The Cambridge Dictionary has also jumped on board. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802/20 "2018-05-25T23:36:58Z")
Sometimes? Language is so incredibly imprecise, malleable, context dependent and the words mean entirely different things (often subtly) from one person to the next. You can’t precisely translate a lot of words from one language to the next because they’re not the same word or concept, even using a damned thesaurus to find the nearest equivalent. You can only do approximates, which bork people over because they expect the translated word to mean what they think it should mean. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-english-really-sucks/814802.md?page=2)