# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/41 "2016-02-18T16:10:40Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > And I’ve always pronounced it “fore-ward”, not “fo’word”. Or “For-ard”, as Horatio Hornblower would Oh, well, _him_. Sorry, couldn’t resist… ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/42 "2016-02-18T16:16:50Z")
> [@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? So on a board dedicated to fighting ignorance you want people to be more ignorant and sound more ignorant? ---
**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, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/43 "2016-02-18T16:20:48Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Often” and “comfortable” are two example of how spelling influenced pronunciation. > > The former was always pronounced “offen” – there was no “t.” But it’s easy to confuse the “ff” and the “ft” in handwriting, and for some reason (probably due to French scribes, whose influence on English was immense) someone started spelling it with the “ft”. Once the spelling error became codified, people started thinking “well, it’s spelled with at ‘t,’ to the ‘t’ must be pronounced.” You can tell someone’s linguistic ignorance if they say the “t” is the correct pronunciation. > > It’s pretty much the same story with “comfortable.” It was always pronounced with three syllables. But since it derives from “comfort,” hypercorrectors insisted it be four (the French scribes again). > > It’s very strange that people complain loudly that English spelling doesn’t match its pronunciation (“night, cough”) yet also insist that the pronunciation\* must\* match the spelling. Oddly enough, the OED and other major dictionaries disagree with you. They assert the ‘t’ was pronounced in Middle English, and the word derives from the Anglo-Saxon ‘oft’ (cognate with Old Frisian ‘ofta’). ‘Oft’ was never the same word as ‘off’; the ‘t’ was spelled as part of that word long before French scribes got involved, and the ‘t’ was pronounced by most people up until the 15th or 16th century, when the standard pronunciations of many many words started changing. ---
**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, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/44 "2016-02-18T16:24:29Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Cholmondeley I used to have a rabbit with that name–spelled wrong like the cartoon walrus, though. Thanks for the clarification, **buddha**. On a similar note: Greenwich Norwich Dunwich ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/45 "2016-02-18T16:24:43Z")
There’s not an instance where people pronouncing words correctly makes me cringe, unless they’re doing it in a way that makes it sound like they’re talking to an idiot. You know, where every word sounds like it has a period after it. I understand that there’s a difference between dialects and often have no problem when people slur words (e.g. “yanno”, “prolly”) in a conversational setting. But if you can’t shape up and properly pronounce words in a business setting, then I’m going to judge you poorly. My default is actually set to pronouncing everything correctly, and I make conscious choices to replace words with shortened stuff when I’m having a relaxed conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/46 "2016-02-18T17:41:26Z")
FebRuary ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/47 "2016-02-18T17:46:28Z")
Madame P. distresses whenever someone says “off-ten”, and yet she does not make a distinction in pronunciation between “pitcher” and “picture”. I’ve learned to cope. (People pronouncing “coupon” as “kew-pon” still set me off, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/48 "2016-02-18T18:16:11Z")
Real-a-tor ™ © ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/49 "2016-02-18T18:23:24Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > …_r_ pronounced in \*forward \*… Wait, there are people who don’t? 😕 It’s damn near impossible to correctly command “Foward March” without pronouncing (and carrying) the “r”, since the call is “Forrr Wurd… Harch!” Just trailing off the first half of the preparatory command would be wrong, and probably result you flunking out of whatever professional military training you were currently enrolled in at that moment. ---
**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, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/50 "2016-02-18T18:40:35Z")
> [@funky\_little\_lee](#): > > _Mischievous._ Yeah, I know how it’s spelled, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t say “mis-CHEEV-ee-yus.” I’ve never personally known anyone who does. Not since elementary school, anyway. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Calvary > Cavalry AARGH !!! Yes!! Easy to understand the simple mistake, but this one drives me up the wall. Especially when it’s spoken by someone who should know better. This thread is starting to make me stabby. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/51 "2016-02-18T18:58:22Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Who doesn’t say “fore-word” (or “for-werd” in my case)? ::Raises hand I say fuhwuhrd for forward and tord for toward and have to force myself to say otherwise. I also say mih-en and kih-en and won’t revise those. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/52 "2016-02-18T18:59:19Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > People in S. GA, USA, pronounce the L in salmon, walk, and talk. They also pronounce the final T in literature, temperature, and mature as an T instead of the correct CH sound! This is very grating to my ears. The Cambridge American Dictionary disagrees with you on the last 3 - “tu” != “ch”. I do agree that the 3rd letter in “salmon” should never be enunciated, but in the more rural areas it’s not uncommon to hear it. As for “walk” and “talk”, I’ve always heard the south GA pronunciation as “wawk” and “tawk”, but perhaps that’s more attributable to how we hear things. This is known as [OPB](https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=define+gullible) (Otic Perception Bias) and is the idea that the brain is “trained” at an early age to interpret letter sounds in a particular way and will continue over the course of one’s life to try to fit different pronunciations into it’s preferred interpretation. This leads people to “hear” pronunciations differently depending on their early environment. OK, I made up the whole thing about OPB. Made you look! ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/53 "2016-02-18T19:17:49Z")
My in-laws used to make fun of the way I say butter…sounds more like budder…and liken it to me being born in the Maritimes. Fast forward 25-30 years and every time my husband says buTTer, it feels like he’s doing it on purpose to needle me. It’s not like I’m the only person on the planet who pronounces it that way! ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/54 "2016-02-18T19:25:22Z")
A whole segment of my family from the mid-west US mispronounces **battery**. This is [not a battery.](https://www.google.com/search?q=bat+tree&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2_cn5hYLLAhVJ-GMKHR_FDccQsAQIHA&biw=1673&bih=887). They actually mock _me_ for pronouncing the whole word. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/55 "2016-02-18T19:46:16Z")
oops ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/56 "2016-02-18T19:53:37Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > A whole segment of my family from the mid-west US mispronounces **battery**. This is [not a battery.](https://www.google.com/search?q=bat+tree&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2_cn5hYLLAhVJ-GMKHR_FDccQsAQIHA&biw=1673&bih=887). They actually mock _me_ for pronouncing the whole word. Can you elucidate? – maybe, again, British versus American English? – Brit posting here, and sorry if being thick. Your link, is to (“singularising” everything), a bat colony. Why is that, not a battery (three syllables)? The electric thing – what’s that, if not a battery? My (British) brother always pronounces the word, in that context, “battry” – which annoys me – it’s three syllables, dammit! And the legal offence, “assault and battery” – physically battering people about – is that not “battery” (three syllables)? What am I missing here? Do your family always say “battry” (two syllables) in all instances above? – re which, I agree, they’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/57 "2016-02-18T20:10:52Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > The Cambridge American Dictionary disagrees with you on the last 3 - “tu” != “ch”. I do agree that the 3rd letter in “salmon” should never be enunciated, but in the more rural areas it’s not uncommon to hear it. > > As for “walk” and “talk”, I’ve always heard the south GA pronunciation as “wawk” and “tawk”, but perhaps that’s more attributable to how we hear things. This is known as [OPB](https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=define+gullible) (Otic Perception Bias) and is the idea that the brain is “trained” at an early age to interpret letter sounds in a particular way and will continue over the course of one’s life to try to fit different pronunciations into it’s preferred interpretation. This leads people to “hear” pronunciations differently depending on their early environment. > > OK, I made up the whole thing about OPB. Made you look! Many dictionaries have the -ture pronounced as -chure. Here is a link to many dictionaries: [http://www.onelook.com/](http://www.onelook.com/) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/58 "2016-02-18T20:20:13Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Can you elucidate? – maybe, again, British versus American English? – Brit posting here, and sorry if being thick. Your link, is to (“singularising” everything), a bat colony. Why is that, not a battery (three syllables)? They pronounce battery as bat-tree (two syllables). ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/59 "2016-02-18T20:22:32Z")
> [@kbear](#): > > My in-laws used to make fun of the way I say butter…sounds more like budder… Yeah – cludder, budder, spudder, spodder – me too! ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385/60 "2016-02-18T20:29:36Z")
Being from the Northeast, I always pronounced “interesting” with four syllables (like Bugs Bunny in _[Hair-Raising Hare](http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bugs+bunny+hairdresser&view=detail&mid=DF7787CB400B6747A1D8DF7787CB400B6747A1D8&FORM=VIRE13)_ – “Yew maahnsters must meet a lot of inn-taresting people. I’m always inn-tarested in meeting inn-taresting people.”) It was some time before I realized that a lot of people consider that odd. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-make-you-cringe-when-people-pronounce-the-whole-thing/746385.md?page=4)