# What happens when Wheel of Fortune is wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097 "2017-06-28T23:28:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/1 "2017-06-28T23:28:32Z")
I just tuned in to _ **Wheel** _. Did tonight’s winner not say “ **GOLF** stream waters” instead of “\*\*GULF \*\*stream waters”? Or am I losing my hearing now that I’m past 60? :dubious: 😕☹ I swear, this is \*\*not \*\*the first time I’ve heard a contestant call a letter and seen both Pat Sejack and the judges mishear it! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/2 "2017-06-28T23:51:16Z")
I am in a dialect region that doesn’t differentiate between the two. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/3 "2017-06-28T23:56:17Z")
They’re phonetically so similar I cannot see how you could claim someone definitely said one over the other. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/4 "2017-06-29T00:09:28Z")
Watch with subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/5 "2017-06-29T00:24:01Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > They’re phonetically so similar I cannot see how you could claim someone definitely said one over the other. You can’t hear the difference between **“golf”** and **“gulf”**?!? :dubious: Your hearing must be even worse than mine! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/6 "2017-06-29T00:25:46Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Watch with subtitles. Wouldn’t help. You think they’d put a mistake like that on the screen?!? **DUH!** :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/7 "2017-06-29T00:30:04Z")
That depends on your dialect. Can you hear the difference between “Mary”, “marry”, and “merry”? How about “cot” and “caught”? “Aunt” and “ant”? “Pen” and “pin”? For each of those, there are some dialects which distinguish them, and some which don’t. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/8 "2017-06-29T00:31:36Z")
\*\*Golf: \*\* gɑlf **Gulf:** gʌlf Clear as night and day to me! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/9 "2017-06-29T00:38:40Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > They’re phonetically so similar I cannot see how you could claim someone definitely said one over the other. Her dialect/accent was no different than mine. I would never confuse the two. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/10 "2017-06-29T00:58:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > \*\*Golf: \*\* glf > > **Gulf:** glf > > Clear as night and day to me! Galf? Hahahahahaha!!! Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk Why did you edit your post? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/11 "2017-06-29T01:04:48Z")
I once had a dinner table debate with my sister over the names Aaron and Erin. I was the one who thought they were pronounced differently, and my mom agreed. Dad didn’t weigh in. But she stubbornly stuck to her guns that she didn’t hear a difference even when I tried pronouncing them the way I knew. So I definitely understand where this is coming from. Not sure about this particular example, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/12 "2017-06-29T01:07:06Z")
We need a clip. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/13 "2017-06-29T01:12:03Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I once had a dinner table debate with my sister over the names Aaron and Erin… I believe I pronounce these differently too. I also believe I pronounce marry, Mary, and merry differently. But it is subtle. Same with golf and Gulf, although I think that’s a bit more pronounced. Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk ---
**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:** [June 29, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/14 "2017-06-29T02:54:46Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I once had a dinner table debate with my sister over the names Aaron and Erin. I was the one who thought they were pronounced differently, and my mom agreed. Dad didn’t weigh in. But she stubbornly stuck to her guns that she didn’t hear a difference even when I tried pronouncing them the way I knew. So I definitely understand where this is coming from. Not sure about this particular example, though. Yeah, for me, Aaron and Erin are pronounced the same. Same with names like Carrie and Kerry. Yes, I know what the difference is and can pronounce it in careful speech, but my dialect merges those sounds, and I don’t really “hear” them. That is to say, while I do appreciate the difference and can hear it with careful listening, in spontaneous speech my brain merges them all together. It’s not a distinction in my dialect. While “gulf” and “golf” are distinct to me, I can hear it in my head in such a way where in a certain accent it may be difficult to tell the two apart. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/15 "2017-06-29T03:04:58Z")
I’m from SE Michigan. I pronounce “golf” and “gulf” almost identically. Maybe the “o” in “golf” is a little more rounded, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/16 "2017-06-29T03:06:55Z")
I’m not sure the question has a right or wrong answer. The question is just a hint to help solve the puzzle. Sometimes the answer is a play on words. It isn’t always a literal answer. ---
**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:** [June 29, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/17 "2017-06-29T03:20:33Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I’m from SE Michigan. I pronounce “golf” and “gulf” almost identically. Maybe the “o” in “golf” is a little more rounded, but that’s about it. Actually, now saying it outloud to myself, they are pretty darned close in my dialect. I think of them as being quite distinct, but actually saying it, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone mistook my “gulf stream” for “golf stream.” ---
**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:** [June 29, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/18 "2017-06-29T03:22:38Z")
OK, to the OP, what do you hear for the second pronunciation [here for “gulf stream.”](https://forvo.com/word/gulf_stream/#en) To me, I can hear it either as “golf stream” or “gulf stream,” depending on what I’m expecting to hear. Actually, even with the first pronunciation, it can be ambiguous to me. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/19 "2017-06-29T03:39:28Z")
Ahhhhh yes, accents. We should really have more threads about this. Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097/20 "2017-06-29T03:45:35Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I’m from SE Michigan. I pronounce “golf” and “gulf” almost identically. Maybe the “o” in “golf” is a little more rounded, but that’s about it. Dude, I’m also from SE Michigan and I think almost everyone says the words differently. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-wheel-of-fortune-is-wrong/790097.md?page=2)