# Word errors you discovered embarrassingly late in life. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 23, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604 "2009-01-23T07:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/41 "2009-01-23T18:30:56Z")
> [@Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_on\_This\_Site](#): > > Reading this this thread, I now I have always been pronouncing Niger incorrectly. Well, there’s Nigeria to confuse things. It’s a former British colony and is pronounced “nigh-jeer-ee-ah”. But Niger was a former _French_ colony and as such is pronounced more in the French manner: “nee-zhair”. The pronunciations didn’t make any sense to me until I learned about their history. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/42 "2009-01-23T18:34:44Z")
Up to the age of 18, I thought that you pronounced “epitome” as “ep-eh-tome”, until I actually used it in a sentence and was mocked thoroughly by a friend. Over 10 years later, and he still won’t let me live it down. So. Embarassing. ETA: At least it looks like I’m not alone. Phew. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/43 "2009-01-23T18:41:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > More recently, I learned that the nation “Niger” is pronounced “KNEE-zhair”. But all my life I’ve heard it pronounced “NIGH-jer”, and I’d always heard it pronounced that way. (And poems implied that pronunciation). Similarly, no one ever seemed to say “Qatar”, so we all apparently thought it should be pronounced “ka-TAR”. Until our recent military actions brought it to the fore, and a lot of us learned that it’s more like “cutter”. I think in both of these cases, the older pronunciations you are familiar with are perfectly acceptable Anglicizations. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Alan\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Bird)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/44 "2009-01-23T18:49:34Z")
First time I came across “ethereal,” I had to look it up to find its meaning. Unfortunately, I didn’t look at the pronunciation. Of course, when I pulled it out to impress someone I was talking to about a book, I pronounced it eth-uh-real. The person I was trying to impress corrected me. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/45 "2009-01-23T18:57:03Z")
> [@friggae](#): > > Who’da thunk that “acknowledge” wasn’t spelled “ignologe”? “Ignologe” actually sounds like the opposite of “knowledge.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/46 "2009-01-23T19:13:17Z")
> [@Martiju](#): > > That said, to avoid looking sanctimonious, I still have to check myself (in my mid-thirties now, so probably for ever) when it comes to ‘catastrophe’. To me, it will always be ‘cat-a-stroff’ - probably because I came across it when reading at an early age and it made sense. Oddly, I don’t do the same with ‘apostrophe’. If you ever say it wrong, just claim you’re doing a Jimmy Durante impression. He said it that way! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/47 "2009-01-23T19:54:36Z")
A couple years back, I learned that brassiere and brazier are not homophones. Led to some good burning bra jokes, though, so it’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/48 "2009-01-23T20:26:17Z")
Put me in on desultory, too. For extra Dunce Cap points, I had to look up the meaning of the word–based on the prefix/root I would have thought the word meant ‘dismissive’. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/49 "2009-01-23T20:31:40Z")
It was well into college before I connected the spoken and written forms of ‘epitome,’ ‘segue,’ and ‘paradigm’. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/50 "2009-01-23T20:36:01Z")
A kind-of co-worker has, for the almost 11 years I’ve known her, recommended a particular online travel site, which is, apparently for her, Irish. Travel O’City. ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/51 "2009-01-23T21:00:47Z")
Being a perfect human being, I have never done this. Or at least, I can’t think of an instance right now. But during a 6 week period between jobs, I took a really, REALLY crappy part time job, where I had this conversation with an esteemed co-worker. Me: Hi! What do you need me to do? Her: Huh? Me: Well, I’m here, what should I do? Her: Have you been assigned a pacific area? Me: Excuse me? Her: Well, you should get a pacific area, then you’ll go work there. Pacifically. I thought she was going to send me to Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/52 "2009-01-23T21:04:33Z")
I didn’t say it out loud, but I was reading the other day and came across the word “rearms” course I read it as one syllable and thought “what the hell does that mean?” Had to look it up. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/53 "2009-01-23T21:13:00Z")
> [@Martiju](#): > > That said, to avoid looking sanctimonious, I still have to check myself (in my mid-thirties now, so probably for ever) when it comes to ‘catastrophe’. To me, it will always be ‘cat-a-stroff’ - probably because I came across it when reading at an early age and it made sense. Oddly, I don’t do the same with ‘apostrophe’. Well, that is the French pronunciation! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/54 "2009-01-23T21:13:48Z")
My roommate in college had a really cute boyfriend who was not the sharpest crayon in the box. We were discussing a mutual acquaintance one day and he said, “with her, it’s all a facade”, but he pronounced it fuh/kade/ee. We both looked at him and each other 😕 and then we got it. We roared. He had other words, but I can’t recall them just now. ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/55 "2009-01-23T21:25:54Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > My roommate in college had a really cute boyfriend who was not the sharpest crayon in the box. We were discussing a mutual acquaintance one day and he said, “with her, it’s all a facade”, but he pronounced it fuh/kade/ee. We both looked at him and each other 😕 and then we got it. We roared. > He had other words, but I can’t recall them just now. I totally dated that same guy. He once told me he was going home to watch “Acropolis Now.” ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/56 "2009-01-23T21:31:34Z")
I think the first of many times this happened to me was when I was in grade school and my mother and I were shopping for a table cloth or some such thing. I proposed that we buy a “vinn-yl” tablecloth. Oops, it’s actually “vine-yl.” The most recent I can think of was accenting the wrong syllable in “integral.” I thought it was pronounced “in-TEH-gral.” My grandmother always told the story of the adults around her laughing their heads off when, as a young child, she announced that she hurt her arm and she was in “a-GOAN-ee.” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/57 "2009-01-23T21:40:11Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > The most recent I can think of was accenting the wrong syllable in “integral.” I thought it was pronounced “in-TEH-gral.” You’re not the only one–newscasters and other public speakers do this all the time. > [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](#): > > The best place to discover that gaol is pronounced the same as jail is not whilst reading your essay on _The Ballad of Reading Gaol_ to an English professor at university. On a less public scale, I had the final line in either an act or the whole play “The Importance of Being Earnest” and exclaimed “IN-famous!” (Luckily it was just in front of my family as we were running through it in preparation for seeing it.) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/58 "2009-01-23T21:42:47Z")
To this day, when I read the word “annihilate”, in my head I hear “ann uh hill ee yate.” I realized “annihilate” is the word it is probably sometime in college. It was funny, because I thought there were these two words meaning the same thing, one spelled “annihilate” and pronounced “annuhhilleeyate,” and the other pronounced the way annihilate is actually pronounced, and it never occured to me to wonder just exactly how you _spell_ the latter word. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/59 "2009-01-23T21:51:00Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > You’re not the only one–newscasters and other public speakers do this all the time. What exactly is the mistake? Webster’s has both ‘IN-teh-gral’ and ‘in-TEH-gral’ listed as valid, the former used primarily in the mathematics sense. ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604/60 "2009-01-23T22:06:10Z")
I’ve been guilty of “aw-ry”, “miss-happen”, and “mischie-vi-ous” too. My pronunciation of mischievous seems to be a regional thing (WI), because the only people I hear saying it the “correct” way are teachers from out of state, audiobooks, etc. I also feel rather lucky that I haven’t had the opportunity to embarrass myself over “desultory” before today. The other thing that this thread reminded me of is chemistry. Not a week ago my organic chemistry professors assured us that “amide” could be “a-MID”, “a-MIDE”, “AY-mid”, “AM-id”, etc., just as long as you say it with confidence! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-errors-you-discovered-embarrassingly-late-in-life/482604.md?page=4)