# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/41 "2010-11-10T06:52:27Z")
Oh, there is one word that is my nemesis. Equilibrium. I hate that word so so much. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/42 "2010-11-10T07:37:02Z")
My nemesis (a word I can say just fine) is ‘business’, which comes out ‘bih-nis’ if I’m not careful. My wife and daughter, although not related, both have trouble with the same words. I love to tease them by saying “Ominous, anonymous anemone phenomenon\*” three times fast. \*Band name! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/43 "2010-11-10T11:25:06Z")
My mother passed on two inexplicable mispronunciations to me: WADE (as in “let’s wade in the shallow water by the shore”) – she pronounces it “wad”, like “shoot your wad.” MARINATE (as in “let’s marinate some salmon in wine and herbs, then grill it”) – she pronounces it as “MARE - EE - UN - ATE” I would discuss this further, but I’m busy – I’m going to go wadding in the water, then marianate some chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/44 "2010-11-10T12:26:25Z")
I can handle anonymous and unanimous, but when it comes to anonymity, forget it. I trip on it each and every time. Anoniminity, Anononmitiny, anominity,anonimoniminonty…just can’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/45 "2010-11-10T13:02:20Z")
I cannot say Swarthmore, as in the name of the college. The w, r, and th so close together give me fits. It always comes out like Swath-er-more. It wouldn’t be so much of a problem except that at work, we’re in the middle of a collaborative project with Swarthmore College, and part of my job is giving presentations about it. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/46 "2010-11-10T13:19:35Z")
There’s a hymn or two that contain the word _prostrate_ within, as in “prostrate before the Lord” Each and every single time I sing those lines in church, I find myself thinking “prostrate or prostate?” over and over again, watching with a degree of nervousness as the P word approaches rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/47 "2010-11-10T14:36:19Z")
Loyola I have to say it _VERY_ slowly, or I can’t say it at all… Loy - oil - ah ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/48 "2010-11-10T15:05:07Z")
I couldn’t say ‘rural’ if my dog’s life depended upon it. Don’t even try anymore. Me: “He lives in a countrified area.” That’s a physical issue, though. My mental block is indict. Every time I read the work, my brain goes, “He was in-dickted/in-dited on fraud charges”. Lastly, is it Gavelston or Galveston? I dunno. I couldn’t tell you without looking it up. And I’ve looked it up more than once in the past. mmm ---
**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 10, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/49 "2010-11-10T15:25:09Z")
> [@Meatros](#): > > Loyola > > I have to say it _VERY_ slowly, or I can’t say it at all… > > Loy - oil - ah I’ve always pronounced that “loy - OLE - ah” Is it supposed to have both the “loy” and the “oil”? ---
**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:** [November 10, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/50 "2010-11-10T15:34:57Z")
Sherbet. (I always want to pronounce it as “sherbert.”) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/51 "2010-11-10T15:39:15Z")
I’m one of those annoying people who pronounce _mischievous_ as “mis-CHEE-vee-us.” I know it’s wrong, but I usually don’t catch myself. More obscurely, _Agamemnon_ has always given me trouble. My Father-in-law pronounces _restaurant_ as “rest-ernt.” I’d never heard that before, but then I noticed that my wife’s uncle says it that way too. He’s an uncle by marriage, so not related to FIL, but they’re both native Floridians. I wonder if that’s a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/52 "2010-11-10T16:30:10Z")
I have a particularly hard time with “particularly”. I always end up sounding drunk. I also can’t pronounce the plural version of words that end in “th”, like “moths” or “truths”. If I’m with the boyfriend I’ll say “monts” or “troots” like Joe Pesci in “My Cousin Vinny” (“the two youts” ). Burning question: is it “preventive” or “preventative”?. It seems redundant to have both those words in the dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/53 "2010-11-10T16:42:04Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Sherbet. > > (I always want to pronounce it as “sherbert.”) I pronounce it sherbert, as do a host of other people. It’s a perfectly acceptably alternate pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/54 "2010-11-10T16:46:26Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Burning question: is it “preventive” or “preventative”?. It seems redundant to have both those words in the dictionary. If you use both, use the former as an adjective, the latter as a noun. > [@](#): > > Preventive medicine regards vitamin C as an effective preventative against colds. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/55 "2010-11-10T16:50:25Z")
[quote=“spark240, post:54, topic:560007”] If you use both, use the former as an adjective, the latter as a noun. Good to know. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/56 "2010-11-10T17:10:30Z")
My wife can’t pronounce “vanilla”. It always come out as “valinna”, which I actually find _more_ difficult to say than the correct way. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/57 "2010-11-10T17:14:10Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Sherbet. > > (I always want to pronounce it as “sherbert.”) This is my pet peeve. I once got into a heated argument with a guy who insisted it was pronounced - and spelled - sherbert. I told him to Google it. He did. I laughed my ass off at the response: "Did you mean _sherbet_? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Nya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@Fish\_Nya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Nya)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/58 "2010-11-10T17:33:30Z")
Anxiety. I always want to say “an-next-tee” or something. But, I understand the word anxiety when spoken, and say it, just I am always messed up by reading it. There are a lot of words that I just can’t get right, but I can’t think of them on the spot, as I try to ignore them. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/59 "2010-11-10T17:39:32Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I pronounce it sherbert, as do a host of other people. It’s a perfectly acceptably alternate pronunciation. It is? Since when? ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007/60 "2010-11-10T18:05:26Z")
Rural, juror, Drury, drawer, etc. Rs give me fits. Also, I say [sherbert](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sherbert?show=0&t=1289412257), which is listed as an alternate pronunciation in Merriam Webster. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-have-to-struggle-not-to-mispronounce/560007.md?page=4)