# Words that make you cringe when people pronounce the whole thing! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385 "2016-02-17T22:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pianodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e79b87/32.png) [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/1 "2016-02-17T22:48:44Z")
Hi SD, It bothers me when people say often as “off-ten” or forward as “fore-ward”. It’s always been “offin” and “fo’word” for me. What are some others, that when people pronounce the whole damn word, you cringe? They make you sound pretentious! Is there a name for words like this? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/2 "2016-02-17T23:39:56Z")
> [@pianodave](#): > > Hi SD, > > It bothers me when people say often as “off-ten” or forward as “fore-ward”. It’s always been “offin” and “fo’word” for me. What are some others, that when people pronounce the whole damn word, you cringe? They make you sound pretentious! > > Is there a name for words like this? [Hypercorrection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercorrection)? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/3 "2016-02-17T23:42:54Z")
Wed nes day ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/4 "2016-02-18T00:11:45Z")
> [@pianodave](#): > > Hi SD, > > It bothers me when people say often as “off-ten” or forward as “fore-ward”. It’s always been “offin” and “fo’word” for me. What are some others, that when people pronounce the whole damn word, you cringe? They make you sound pretentious! And my long-ago elementary teacher would have told you that “offin” was a lazy pronunciation marking one as uneducated. Different strokes for different folks, and certainly many dialects don’t pronounce words the same way. In fact, the ‘t’ is in that word’s spelling because the original pronunciation included it. At some point, it disappeared from Standard English, but it survived in some dialects (or was revived) and most modern dictionaries say both pronunciations are equally acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/5 "2016-02-18T00:25:31Z")
The example I though of from the OP’s title was “perquisite” when almost everyone shortens it to “perk” to such a degree that we’ve virtually forgotten that there was an original longer version of the word. But when I’m writing I feel like it ought to be abbreviated “perq,” which looks wrong… so especially in written communication I avoid the word altogether in every form. That’s not exactly the same kind of example as the main body of the post, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/6 "2016-02-18T00:53:52Z")
Mine’s the opposite. I make my other half cringe when I say “forrid” instead of “forehead”. Growing up with the dueling pronunciations, my daughter took to saying “forehorrid” at one point. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/7 "2016-02-18T01:04:35Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I make my other half cringe when I say “forrid” instead of “forehead”. :eek: If I ever meet you, I hope we NEVER discuss anyone’s brow-to-hairline area. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/8 "2016-02-18T01:06:15Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > The example I though of from the OP’s title was “perquisite” when almost everyone shortens it to “perk” to such a degree that we’ve virtually forgotten that there was an original longer version of the word. But when I’m writing I feel like it ought to be abbreviated “perq,” which looks wrong… so especially in written communication I avoid the word altogether in every form. > > That’s not exactly the same kind of example as the main body of the post, though. I’ve been messing around with Edward Gibbon recently, and my favorite word this week is “[ambuscade](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ambuscade)”, which has replaced “ambush” in my vocabulary. So, yet another thing that makes me sound like a twit. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/9 "2016-02-18T01:20:39Z")
During the Jeopardy tournament of college scholars answering high school questions, Trebek took pains to always say “sophomore” as _SOFF-oh-more_, with an over-enunciated precision that sounded pretentious to me. As usual, in his case. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/10 "2016-02-18T01:35:08Z")
I recall that the cast of _Firefly_ gave Sean Maher a hard time because he would enunciate the ‘p’ in “ship”, so that it was almost two syllables. Therefore, that is how I have pronounced it ever since. I get a lot of funny looks sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/11 "2016-02-18T01:50:31Z")
There should be a _t_ pronounced in _often_ and an _r_ pronounced in \*forward \*although neither should receive emphasis. The _w_ in _sword_ should be silent. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/12 "2016-02-18T02:04:36Z")
Coo-whhhip ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/13 "2016-02-18T02:15:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > :eek: If I ever meet you, I hope we NEVER discuss anyone’s brow-to-hairline area. AT our meeting, I intend to discuss that facial region EXCLUSIVELY and shall be investing several weeks beforehand into researching the history of the forehead, its social, physiological and medical significance, and I shall work on developing extensive free-form verse about it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/14 "2016-02-18T02:24:51Z")
Forecastle Botswain ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/15 "2016-02-18T02:44:00Z")
Cholmondeley ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/16 "2016-02-18T06:59:11Z")
Comfortable ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/17 "2016-02-18T07:01:22Z")
There could be regional pronunciations, of course. In Texas, they might look at you funny if you fully pronounced “barbed wire”. To them, it’s just “bahr-wahr”. And we all know that “double-you” is “dubya”. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/18 "2016-02-18T07:31:56Z")
oh-pe-ning par-lya-ment ve-je-tables penn-gwin jof-frey sell-tics ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/19 "2016-02-18T07:35:49Z")
Let me guess: How many get peeved when someone actually pronounces: Veterinary and temperature correctly? (Mother was “English Teacher Fromm Hell”; I dread hearing ‘vetinary’ and "tempsure’. Hicks, every last one of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/20 "2016-02-18T07:39:23Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > oh-pe-ning > par-lya-ment > ve-je-tables > penn-gwin > jof-frey > sell-tics ?? I get parliament, and vegetables, but how do YOU pronounce opening and penguin? And what words are joffrey and selltics? Never heard of them. :dubious: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385.md?page=2)