# Words you know you're pronouncing wrong, but still do **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2012, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459 "2012-04-11T11:47:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/1 "2012-04-11T11:47:52Z")
Inspired by [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=647835) I’m well aware that “draught”, as in beer or checkers, is simply the British spelling of “draft” and is meant to be prounced as such. Nonetheless, I can’t help but pronouncing it “drawt” anytime I see it, or reading it that way in my head. Likewise, there’s “pho”, the Vietnamese noodle soup that’s become all the rage lately. I know it’s pronounced “fuh”, but I always end up calling it “foe”. Anyone else find themselves knowingly mispronouncing words? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/2 "2012-04-11T12:12:59Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Likewise, there’s “pho”, the Vietnamese noodle soup that’s become all the rage lately. I know it’s pronounced “fuh”, but I always end up calling it “foe”. I guess I’ve been unknowingly mispronouncing it then, at least mentally (I don’t think I’ve ever said it out loud). I assumed it was pronounced like Wat Pho in Thailand, i.e. “poe”. “Hyperbole” I always mentally pronounce like “hyperbowl”, although if I’m reading aloud I’ll usually catch it in time. Same with “epitome”. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/3 "2012-04-11T12:48:53Z")
I know the state which contains Las Vegas is supposed to be pronounced “Nev-aaa-da” but I’m going to keep saying “Nev-ah-da”. It just sounds better. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/4 "2012-04-11T13:11:28Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m well aware that “draught”, as in beer or checkers, is simply the British spelling of “draft” and is meant to be prounced as such. Nonetheless, I can’t help but pronouncing it “drawt” anytime I see it, or reading it that way in my head. This. Plus, I pronounce “queue” “kweewee.” And the French words that I pronounce the way they’re spelled. (Can’t think of any good examples right this minute.) ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/5 "2012-04-11T13:18:52Z")
I pronounce February as “Feb-you-ary.” This used to drive my third grade teacher up the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/6 "2012-04-11T14:02:03Z")
I know that “vegan” is pronounced “vee-gan,” which I refuse to acknowledge. The few times I have to say it, I use “veh-jan,” to sound like “vegetables.” I don’t care \*what \*people eat, really, but if they insist on that pompous, nonsensical pronunciation . . . Do they only eat _vee_-ga-tables? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/7 "2012-04-11T14:13:24Z")
I had a boss (we didn’t like each other) whose name was Melanie but who insisted it was pronounced Mel-AH-nee. I suppose people are entitled the the pronunciation of their own name, but I just couldn’t bring myself to use hers. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/8 "2012-04-11T14:17:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > . . .And the French words that I pronounce the way they’re spelled. (Can’t think of any good examples right this minute.) How 'bout ‘avoirdupois?’ The noted pronunciation in my Merriam-Webster indicates a heavily anglicized “A-ver-duh-POIZ.” I pronounce it more closely to its French origin “a-VWAR-doo-PWAH” (not that it’s a word that comes up often in conversation). ---
**Author:** ![mrbruce56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mrbruce56](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrbruce56)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/9 "2012-04-11T14:23:28Z")
My son used to pronounce crayons as crowns as a child. Now, he has his own son and he does the same thing. It drives him crazy. I can’t say our correctly. I just say “are” but, that is probably because I am from the South. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/10 "2012-04-11T14:27:52Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I know the state which contains Las Vegas is supposed to be pronounced “Nev-aaa-da” but I’m going to keep saying “Nev-ah-da”. It just sounds better. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > This. > > Plus, I pronounce “queue” “kweewee.” > > And the French words that I pronounce the way they’re spelled. (Can’t think of any good examples right this minute.) In northern Nevada (pronounced like the exclamation), there’s a lake with an endangered species of fish called the cui-ui (pronounced “kweewee”). It’s all tied together! ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/11 "2012-04-11T14:35:45Z")
I pronounce “Java” (the programming language) “Ja-va” rather than “Jah-vuh”. The latter just sounds so pretentious. Somewhere back in the day I learned to pronounce “clique” as “kleek”. Finding cliques in a graph is an interesting problem in Computer Science. But somehow CS has decided it is now pronounced “klick”. The dictionary has both (my American Heritage has “kleek” first even). But you have to say “klick” amount CS folk or else you get funny looks. This is a problem for me. OTOH, I am one of the few people in the US that pronounce “Linux” correctly, and I’m proud of it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/12 "2012-04-11T14:44:02Z")
As a birder, I know that a buteo refers to a hawk. Now, which of the following two pronounciations strongly suggests a big macho winged killing machine… Boo-TE-o Beeu-tee-O …and which one suggests a feminine hygiene product? ["Beeu-tee-OH’s! For that time of the month!] Yet the dictionaries insist that the latter is correct, but I’ll never say it that way until they pry the binoculars from my cold dead hands. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/13 "2012-04-11T15:01:42Z")
I also say “draught” as as “drawt” despite knowing better, and “Febyuary” (which is a dialect variant rather than an outright error). My individual one is colonel, pronounced “Connell” in my head. I don’t know why: I assume it’s because I knew it wasn’t col-oh-nell and couldn’t quite bring myself to say “kernel.” ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/14 "2012-04-11T15:20:29Z")
Hmm. I say “kleek” for clique and I hear “draught” in my head as “drawt” - I can’t grasp how “aught” can sound like “ffft”. I say Jah-lah-pen-ohs as a joke - I know it’s pronounced “halapeenos”, but when ordering nachos I always say “Noooo jah-lah-pen-ohs!” I also say “lou-ten-ant” for Lieutenant - I’ve heard it pronounced “Lef-ten-ent” and can’t figure out where the “ff” sound comes from. “Lou” on “Rescue Me” was so nicknamed because he was the Lieutenant, which makes me think it’s a British/Canadian/American thing. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/15 "2012-04-11T15:23:27Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I know it’s pronounced “halapeenos” No it’s not, it’s “ha-la-PEN-yos”. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/16 "2012-04-11T15:31:00Z")
Wrong ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/17 "2012-04-11T15:31:22Z")
Any word that, in learned English, is pronounced with the Latin most common noun (nominative) plural forms, I always “mispronounce” – that is, I pronounce them as I was taught to in 8th grade Latin class, rather than how most English speakers pronounce them. That is, the feminine _-ae_ is usually pronounved “-ee” by English speakers, but I was taught to pronounce it “-ah-y” (as in “tie” or “buy”). And, the masculine _-i_ is usually pronounced “-ah-y” by English speakers, but I was taught to pronounce it “-ee”. You can see both forms in, e.g., the pair “alumnae/alumni” (plurals of “alumna/alumnus”). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/18 "2012-04-11T15:32:38Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Wrong 😕 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/19 "2012-04-11T16:18:31Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > 😕 That’s a word I’m pronouncing wrong, and intend to keep doing so. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/20 "2012-04-11T16:20:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > That’s a word I’m pronouncing wrong, and intend to keep doing so. Now I get it! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459.md?page=2)