# Words you have to struggle not to mispronounce **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 9, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007 "2010-11-09T05:07:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/21 "2010-11-09T21:44:14Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > There’s a town halfway between Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina whose name is Greer. But pronouncing it the way it’s spelled marks you as a newbie. Folks who have been around for a while know it’s pronounced _Grrrr_. I’m from that area, and used to pronounce it Grrrrr. Now that I live elsewhere, my family uses my current pronunciation (Greer, the way it’s spelled dammit!) as proof that I have lost my southernness. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/22 "2010-11-09T21:44:17Z")
Cavalry. Lots of people say “calvary” instead because it’s hard not to for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/23 "2010-11-09T21:46:26Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Frustrate. I can never remember if it’s “frustrate” or “fustrate.” I get the same thing with defribrillate. Luckily it’s not a word that I have to say very often. ---
**Author:** ![prettydorky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@prettydorky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prettydorky)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/24 "2010-11-09T21:48:49Z")
drawer. I have such a hard time with that. Comes out “druurrr”. My son struggles with corn. For some reason he adds a syllable- it comes out “cor-in” ---
**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:** [November 9, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/25 "2010-11-09T21:49:38Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > Cavalry. > > Lots of people say “calvary” instead because it’s hard not to for some reason. And vice versa. There’s a big church here in Charlotte called [Calvary Church](http://www.calvarychurch.com), and it’s not at all uncommon to hear people call it Cavalry Baptist. Oh, and FWIW, Calvary Church used to be a very bright pink, which led to its nickname, the Mary Kay Cathedral. “Yes,” I think, “Cavalry Church, where you can get saved. By people riding horseback over the hill, blowing bugles.” ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/26 "2010-11-09T21:50:33Z")
I have given up trying to pronounce “exclamation” in general conversation. It always comes out _explanation_. Thankfully it’s not a word I need to say regularly. ---
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/27 "2010-11-09T21:54:11Z")
Caput succedaneum - yeah, I know, not something you say very often. But when I recently gave a presentation on birth injuries and had to say it multiple times in a 20 minute period it became a problem. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/28 "2010-11-09T22:09:17Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Frustrate. I can never remember if it’s “frustrate” or “fustrate.” I’ve known three people in my life who say “fustrate”. They all knew it wasn’t the right way to pronounce it but had all long given up attempts to correct themselves. It’s a weird word. Myself, I struggle with _opaque_. I was forty-something when my brother heard me say O-Paig for opaque in the middle of a conversation.. He looked at me askance for a bit and then asked, “Did you mean O-Paik?” I said, “What did I just say?”. He pointed out my mispronunciation and sparks and sizzles were flying in my speech centers. Assuage, guage, vague, opaque: They don’t rhyme?! Ever since that day when I speak the word opaque the memory of that scene flashes briefly in my mind. Who knew? Apparently I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Snifit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@Snifit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snifit)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/29 "2010-11-09T23:05:28Z")
> [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > Assuage, guage, vague, opaque: They don’t rhyme?! I’m not…sure if that’s a whoosh or not. Assuage and gauge rhyme, but they don’t rhyme with vague. One word I have to think about every time I read it is “analyze”. The “anal” always jumps right out at me. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/30 "2010-11-10T00:21:00Z")
> [@Snifit](#): > > I’m not…sure if that’s a whoosh or not. Assuage and gauge rhyme, but they don’t rhyme with vague. > One word I have to think about every time I read it is “analyze”. The “anal” always jumps right out at me. No whoosh. Probably a regional accent thingie. ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/31 "2010-11-10T00:28:11Z")
Manure. Always want to say man-yur instead of man-oo-er. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/32 "2010-11-10T00:34:31Z")
> [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > No whoosh. Probably a regional accent thingie. I think you have another [couple](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gauge) of[entries](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assuage) for this thread. My brother’s dog is currently on Presnidone. Predsnid - Predsin… ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/33 "2010-11-10T00:44:12Z")
Crispspspsps. My daughter has a mental block on ‘chemistry,’ pronouncing it with a sound like in chalk. > [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > Manure. Always want to say man-yur instead of man-oo-er. Just pretend you’re British. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/34 "2010-11-10T00:58:28Z")
Specificity. I had a professor in college who always pronounced it “speficicity” and that’s what is stuck in my head. ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/35 "2010-11-10T01:18:51Z")
> [@prettydorky](#): > > drawer. I have such a hard time with that. Comes out “druurrr”. My son struggles with corn. For some reason he adds a syllable- it comes out “cor-in” Regarding “cor-in”, I’ve noticed a lot of people seem to have trouble with certain consonant pairs, usually involving a “k” or “c” sound followed by another consonant. I hear people pronounce “crazy” as “kuh-razy”, for instance. Klonopin? “Kuh-lonopin”, etc. I’ve been wondering if there’s a name for this phenomenon, but I have no clue how to google it, my google-fu fails me. Regarding the OP, I can’t think of any specific words that always give me trouble. I did, however, make a conscious and concerted effort to not pick up certain regional pronunciations when I was growing up. I notice myself drifting toward non-rhotic pronunciations sometimes when I’m overtired, speaking quickly, or hanging out with my dad. Dad and I tend to have a constant, ongoing dialog when watching a baseball game for instance, and I’ll find myself saying things like “well, he’s a good batta, y’know, but he’s a terrible fielda if you ask me”. Normally I’d pronounce these as “batter”, “you know”, and “fielder”. ETA: I grew up in Rhode Island, so a Southern New England dialect is what I’m referring to here. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/36 "2010-11-10T01:59:02Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Frustrate. I can never remember if it’s “frustrate” or “fustrate.” My husband says “flustrate,” which seems to me to be a useful combination of “fluster” and “frustrate.” At least in the context in which he says it. I, also, cannot pronounce “rural” correctly. And I’ve had a lisp (or a “lithp,” as I say it) for my entire life. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/37 "2010-11-10T02:45:36Z")
The one I always mess up is, of all things, “noodle.” I always pronounce it “noo-ul.” If I really focus, I can say it NOOD ULL, as if it’s two different words. But in casual conversation, it’s “noo-ul.” My husband makes fun of me for it. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/38 "2010-11-10T04:43:40Z")
Palatable. I didn’t find out how it was pronounced until about 5 years ago. At least, that’s the first time I recall anyone correcting me. I thought it was pronounced pa-LAT-ah-ble. And now, every now and again, the damn word pops into my head for no reason to remind me how it’s actually said. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/39 "2010-11-10T06:35:29Z")
Wow, I have gone my whole life til now without ever running across another person who has trouble with “rural.” Amazing! (Heh, recently a friend of mine mentioned to me that she has this weird sneezing reaction when she looks at the sun – thanks entirely to the SDMB, I was able to tell her that she was not alone.) Also, “cookie,” when it’s cold. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/40 "2010-11-10T06:41:59Z")
I have a lot of trouble with the anatomy term “anastamos.” I got it now, but for a long time I mispronounced it in a way that my mind has defensively blocked out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007.md?page=3)