# Words you just have to mispronounce **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 20, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450 "2015-03-20T02:59:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 20, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/21 "2015-03-20T13:48:35Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > **Barking Dog** , I pronounce fajitas as fuh-JEYE-tis. Sounds like something you need to see a doctor for. \ [You’re really Peter Griffin, aren’t you?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyWFHOOfs20) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/22 "2015-03-20T13:58:55Z")
When it’s late at night and I’m having a soft drink and want to make sure I’ll still be able to get to sleep, I order a decapitated cola. ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/23 "2015-03-20T13:59:54Z")
I like to say catastroff for catastrophe. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/24 "2015-03-20T14:42:48Z")
To me [Rich Terfry](http://music.cbc.ca/#!/profile/Rich-Terfry) is Rich Stir Fry. And getting back the to OP, there’s a mall in town called the Cornwall Centre but to me it’s the Cornball Centre. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/25 "2015-03-20T15:01:59Z")
Years ago I was driving by a new Harris Teeter grocery store they’d just opened, but didn’t quite get the name as I glanced at it. So later I made a comment to hubby about the new Harriet Tweeter store and he died laughing. I still have trouble with the name and had to do a quick Google to correct it in the first sentence. I try to speak properly with people, but am guilty of the most appalling baby talk with my hounds. With them I’ll say things like absotively (absolutely and positively combined), budder (brother), beautimus (beautiful), teef (teeth), etc. For a while when Futurama was popular on tv, hubby and I often said “axe a question” but that’s gone by the wayside now. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/26 "2015-03-20T15:03:56Z")
I also use fuh-JEYE-tis and whores-dee-o-vores. I pronounce the “ch” in yacht. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/27 "2015-03-20T15:22:44Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > M. Night Sham-a-lam-a-ding-dong. I do that too. Also, Me’Shell Naggadoccio. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/28 "2015-03-20T16:11:00Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Ah yes, _"Pubics, where shopping is a pleasure. "_ Except we pronounce it “Pube Licks” ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/29 "2015-03-20T16:31:46Z")
Can’t remember the last time I said “sandwich.” It’s always either “sammatch” or “san-gwitch.” ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/30 "2015-03-20T16:32:12Z")
Always pronounce Socrates like Bill and Ted ---
**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:** [March 20, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/31 "2015-03-20T16:47:09Z")
I “mispronounce” Linux. I started using it waaay back when. There was a pronunciation FAQ. It basically said: Take the way you pronounce Linus and change the “s” to an “ks”. (Note that in some parts of Europe “Linus” is pronounced “Leenus”. So it’s not the same for everyone.) So that’s what I do. Somewhere a weird mispronunciation crept in and now those clueless newbies think the mispronunciation is “official”. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/32 "2015-03-20T16:50:10Z")
“Waxing elephants” for waxing eloquent. Since I do it with a straight face, I’m sure there are a lot of people who think I’m an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/33 "2015-03-20T16:51:12Z")
I always pronounce “Cicerone” “beer sommelier”. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/34 "2015-03-20T16:51:25Z")
I have several that were malapropisms from my two boys when they were little. French fries - pie pies Garlic Bread - garbage bread Spaghetti O’s - giddy hos Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde - Genghis Khan and the Mongrel Horde I’m pretty good about remembering NOT to use these in non-family groups, but I did ask someone to pass the garbage bread at a work dinner the other day. I didn’t realize I’d said it until I saw the puzzled expressions looking back at me. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/35 "2015-03-20T17:06:36Z")
There’s a street named Ximeno in Long Beach. If you refer to it with the proper pronunciation “He-MEN-o” you’ll get funny stares (not just from me, from most longtime Beachers). If, however, you pronounce like I learned it, “Ex-IM-en-o”, peopl will respond, “Oh, yeah, it’s a couple blocks west of PCH.” 😃 Owing to a reading of _Peanuts_ while very young, I tend to pronounce “gauche” as “GOW-chy.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/36 "2015-03-20T17:20:30Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > There’s a street named Ximeno in Long Beach. If you refer to it with the proper pronunciation “He-MEN-o” you’ll get funny stares (not just from me, from most longtime Beachers). If, however, you pronounce like I learned it, “Ex-IM-en-o”, peopl will respond, “Oh, yeah, it’s a couple blocks west of PCH.” 😃 Then there’s Sepple-veeda, Ca-hoon-ga, and Puh-SAD-inna. The SO was born in Port Hueneme. And a local will tell you where they live really _is_ pronounced ‘San PEE-dro’. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/37 "2015-03-20T17:26:08Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Always pronounce Socrates like Bill and Ted In somewhat of a reverse of that, my wife and I were at a local mall a few years ago and saw a glasses store called Spectacles. I remarked, “Hey look! Spec-ta-cleez, the Greek god of corrective eyewear!” That apparently tickled my wife’s funny bone because she laughed for about ten minutes. So that pronunciation has stuck. There’s a street near our house called Mayor Magrath Drive which I refer to as Mayor McCheese. My oldest nephew had trouble saying “ice cream” when he was just a youngster, instead saying “arse cream.” I mostly use that now. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/38 "2015-03-20T17:30:07Z")
February ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/39 "2015-03-20T17:33:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Then there’s Sepple-veeda, Ca-hoon-ga, and Puh-SAD-inna. > > The SO was born in Port Hueneme. > > And a local will tell you where they live really _is_ pronounced ‘San PEE-dro’. 😃 As a Seabee, I was often stationed at Port Hueneme (pronounced Why-NEE-mee). We always referred to it as “Port Who Needs Me”. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-just-have-to-mispronounce/715450/40 "2015-03-20T17:37:47Z")
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