# The Word "Frustrate" has TWO "R's"!!!!!

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [November 21, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491 "2003-11-21T14:14:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/1 "2003-11-21T14:14:05Z")

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Okay, it’s been a few weeks since we had a “stupid ways people talk/write” thread.

But what is UP with this word? I was watching one of the Discovery Channel’s forensic science shows tonite and two of the darn MEs on the show consistantly pronounced this word “fustrate”.

I’ve also heard the related “f **l** ustrate”. And not from uneducated or mush-mouthed, mumbling teens either, from presumably educated people.

Good heavens folks ENUNCIATE!!!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Anyone else???

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### Author: ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/2 "2003-11-21T14:32:31Z")

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Don’t get me going with nuke-u-lar…

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### Author: ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/3 "2003-11-21T14:38:19Z")

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I received a professional email today about ‘loosing business!’.

And ‘congradulations’. That bothers me immensely.

Ava

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### Author: ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/4 "2003-11-21T15:01:16Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by avabeth \*  
> \*\*I received a professional email today about ‘loosing business!’.
> 
> And ‘congradulations’. That bothers me immensely.
> 
> Ava \*\*

ARggggh, Loosing. You had to remind me. I belong to a fitness/weight loss board.

There are always people talking about how “I want to loose X pounds”. I always get the disgusting mental picture of them setting free jiggly fatpounds that they set “loose” and they fly off into the sunset.

UGGGGGHHH. 😃

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### Author: ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/5 "2003-11-21T15:43:13Z")

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**Canvas** , let me _axe_ you a question…

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### Author: ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/6 "2003-11-21T15:52:09Z")

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But what I want to know is, does “anal retentive” get a hyphen? :dubious: 😛

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### Author: ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/7 "2003-11-21T16:32:21Z")

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Some stupid twat on “The News Hour” keeps talking about **impordant** rulings by the Supreme Court. Drives me fuckin’ nuts! Its not **impordant**!! Its _ **important**!!!_

* * *

She told me she loved me like a brother. She was from Arkansas, hence the Joy!

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### Author: ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/8 "2003-11-21T16:34:32Z")

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Unless you are the **Pwincess Pwecious**. “Oooooh, I’m soooo fwustwated! I’m gonna stamp my itty-witty footsies _soooo_ hard!”

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### Author: ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/9 "2003-11-21T16:35:40Z")

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I used to work a steady 8 1/2 with a woman who was often “fustrated.” I didn’t realize that it was a common mispronunciation.

No matter how much I pointed and laughed, (and I’m not shy about teasing people who abuse their natal tongue,) she remained “fustrated.” It’s possible that she became even _more_ fustrated, because her attempts to communicate her problems to me always ended up with me giggling like a loon.

(Years later, I still have that reoccuring dream in which I’m trying to drag her into a liberry and end up being taken away in an amblience.)

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### Author: ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/10 "2003-11-21T16:39:03Z")

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Whereas ‘frustrate’ has two Rs, ‘familiar’ only has one! So stop saying ‘fermilyur,’ people!

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### Author: ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/11 "2003-11-21T16:42:12Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Dolores Reborn \*  
> \*\*Don’t get me going with nuke-u-lar… \*\*

God help me, but unless I am consciously paying attention, I can’t tell the difference. Someone could pronounce the word either way and I have no idea which way they said it … _unless_ someone actually points it out and then I’ll think about what was just said and go “oh yea …”. I even suspect that on occasion I have said “nook-yoo-ler” without even realizing it. The shame!!

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### Author: ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/12 "2003-11-21T16:45:48Z")

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You better leem them alone, or they burning you dog!

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### Author: ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/13 "2003-11-21T17:02:14Z")

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Many people in Ireland say “Chicargo”.

Ship’s cargo =\> Chicargo. I guess…

They also say “col-yoom” for “column” but I guess that’s an allowable dialect thing, even though it drives me up the fucking wall.

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### Author: ![grump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8491ac/32.png) [@grump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grump)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/14 "2003-11-21T17:45:13Z")

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“Nuptial” is almost always mispronounced (nup-shoo-ul), even by news anchors. Irritates me to no end.

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### Author: ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/15 "2003-11-21T19:01:01Z")

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According to some posters on other boards I frequent, **frustrate** is spelled with 2 r’s AND 2 e’s: frusterate.

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### Author: ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/16 "2003-11-21T19:18:13Z")

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[slight hijack]

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Eve \*  
> \*\*Unless you are the **Pwincess Pwecious**. “Oooooh, I’m soooo fwustwated! I’m gonna stamp my itty-witty footsies _soooo_ hard!” \*\*

I was watching Dr. Phil the other day and I swear I was thinking, “This has got to be the woman who works with Eve!” This woman was on there because she wanted to know if it was normal that she baby-talked _all the time_. She said stuff to her husband like, “Pwetty pwetty pwease with spwinkles” and “You horted me…” all in the most annoying whine. It was hard to watch.

[/slight hijack]

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### Author: ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/17 "2003-11-21T19:56:08Z")

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I worked for a guy who, when he felt somone was taking too long on a particular project, would say “hurry up, it’s not the bleeding sixteenth chapel.” He really didn’t know, and I didn’t tell him.

The usage that kills me, aside from disorientated, is the way many people use the word vicariously. You can just say vicariously, bud, you don’t have to say vicariously through…

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### 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: [November 21, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/18 "2003-11-21T20:01:02Z")

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There is no “q” in “coupon” and no “r” in “Washington”.

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### Author: ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/19 "2003-11-21T20:20:52Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> There is no “q” in “coupon” and no “r” in “Washington”.

There most certainly is! Merriam-Webster lists both of those as valid pronunciations (and I agree with them, being a native Texan and all).

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### Author: ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491/20 "2003-11-21T20:28:12Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> You can just say vicariously, bud, you don’t have to say vicariously through…

You can? Seriously?

I’m thinking of a sentence like:

“The dad lived out his dreams of playing baseball vicariously through his son.”

Technically you don’t have to have ‘through his son’, unless you want to specify how it’s vicarious. You can also leave in the ‘through his son’ phrase and take out ‘vicariously’, but both still seem to work together. Now, apparently ‘through’ can be removed?

“The dad lived out his dreams of playing baseball vicariously his son.”

Mmmn, nope. ‘Through’ is sort of needed. Unless you’re talking about not having that last part:

“The dad lived out his dreams of playing base vicariously through.”

I dunno…people ‘mispronounce’ and ‘misuse’ stuff all the time, but it’s a rare thing when someone so obviously mangles syntax like that, _and_ knows the word vicariously. :dubious: What context do you see this alleged misusage in?

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-frustrate-has-two-rs/214491.md?page=2)
