# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/41 "2012-04-12T01:31:15Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I refuse to use the “correct” pronunciations of _Nevada_, _Oregon_, and _iron_, because they just sound stupid to me. I’m actually not sure which are the “correct” pronunciations of the first two. I know at least two acceptable pronunciations of those and alternate between them. I don’t know any other pronunciation for “iron” except for something that sounds like “I earn.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/42 "2012-04-12T01:32:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t know any other pronunciation for “iron” except for something that sounds like “I earn.” I pronounce it like “I run,” with the stress on the _I_. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/43 "2012-04-12T01:35:17Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I pronounce it like “I run,” with the stress on the _I_. Well, I was able to guess how you’d pronounce it. I’ve just never heard anyone doing so in a serious manner. ETA: Except speakers for whom English was not their first language. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/44 "2012-04-12T01:41:47Z")
I know the word is Realtor, but I and everyone I know pronounces it Real-uh-ter. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/45 "2012-04-12T01:43:38Z")
There’s a beautiful liebarry across the street from my office building where you can check out books for free. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/46 "2012-04-12T03:02:11Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I struggle to say gyros correctly. I grew up saying jye-rows. Everybody I knew called them jye-rows. I know intellectually that it’s supposed to be yee-rows, but it’s haaaard. ☹ Hmm. I would tend to pronounce it rhyming with guy-rows, unless I thought about it first. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/47 "2012-04-12T03:07:46Z")
When I was young, I thought it was pronounced “jute box.” Later on, when I learned how it was spelled, I realized people were saying “juke box.” I say it like that now, but it still sounds odd. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/48 "2012-04-12T03:26:43Z")
Where to start? [ul] [li]_Quay_, which I always pronounced “kway”. I hear it’s pronounced “key”, but I have to think about saying it that way. Mostly I skip the mental stumble and use pier or dock, instead.[/li][li]_Palatable_, which I used to pronounce “pah-LAH-tih-bull”. My mother only recently set me right on that one![/li][li]_Often_, which I still pronounce “OFF-tin”, because that’s a valid pronunciation, damnit![/li][li]_Hors d’oeuvres_, which for years I was mentally saying as “whores dee overs”, and never connecting with the “or-dervs” that people serve before a meal.[/li][/ul] A couple of childhood mispronunciations I still occasionally use are _pahsketti_ and _capper-tiller_. ---
**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 12, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/49 "2012-04-12T03:38:29Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > When I was young, I thought it was pronounced “jute box.” Later on, when I learned how it was spelled, I realized people were saying “juke box.” I say it like that now, but it still sounds odd. That’s funny, I always say it (and spell it, in my head) “jupe box.” ---
**Author:** ![living\_in\_hell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/50 "2012-04-12T03:39:20Z")
I don’t know about myself but when people say “anyways” I want to kick them. And point-set-ee-uh. That’s annoying too, even if legit. And “sherbert” deserves a smack. One more: “for all intensive purposes.” USA!USA! ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/51 "2012-04-12T03:47:38Z")
I gotta go with _dour_. The way I say it, it rhymes with _sour_, but it’s not supposed to. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/52 "2012-04-12T03:52:51Z")
Dysentery = DIS-en-tree. I think it’s supposed to be DIS-en-terr-ee, at least in American English, but the first time I heard the word was from a British speaker and it stuck. Fortunately, I have little cause to use the word except when discussing Oregon Trail. I also have some spelling hang-ups. Words like labelled, travelled, cancelled, etc. must have a double-L. It’s another Britishism, but having only one L looks wrong to me. Edit: Second _dour_. I just avoid the word, because pronouncing it as “door” just feels wrong, but no one else seems to know what I mean when I say “dow-er.” And is it “on accident” or “by accident?” I say the latter, but it seems like a lot of people say the former. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/53 "2012-04-12T03:54:51Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I struggle to say gyros correctly. I grew up saying jye-rows. Everybody I knew called them jye-rows. I know intellectually that it’s supposed to be yee-rows, but it’s haaaard. ☹ I used to say it correctly in the USA the Greek way, then when these places exploded in Trinidad EVERYONE said jye-row so now by force of habit I say jye-row because once the guy running the jye-row cart thought when I said yee-row I was saying euro as in the currency.:smack::smack: Forget about asking for tzacki sauce, you’ll get watery mayo mm mmm.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/54 "2012-04-12T05:10:43Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > Edit: Second _dour_. I just avoid the word, because pronouncing it as “door” just feels wrong, but no one else seems to know what I mean when I say “dow-er.” Wait, it’s pronounced “door”?? Oh, fuck that noise. Okay, okay, I guess it makes sense in terms of words like “pour,” and “four,” but boy does that ever sound weird. And the one I originally came in to post was “meme.” I hear it is pronounced “meem.” I think this is completely stupid and will continue to insist upon pronouncing it like the French word “même,” which rhymes (roughly) with “them.” I don’t care if this is pretentious, it sounds better that way and I refuse to change. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/55 "2012-04-12T07:43:05Z")
For many years I whimsically changed chutney to chuckney, but now I think I’ve outgrown that. I spent most of my life thinking that the first syllable in knowledge is pronounced the same as the word now, and was horrified to discover the correct pronunciation is not a diphthong (vowel sound as in knot, minus the -t). Even though nah-adays I force my mouth to say nah-ledge, in my mind it’s still now-ledge. The non-diphthong may be correct, but it just seems so very very wrong nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/56 "2012-04-12T09:27:25Z")
I purposely mispronounce all French words whenever possible, because my ability to speak/read French is so poor I might as well have some fun with it. It’s not a word that I ever use, but I’ve always found the official pronunciation of “microscopy” (something like my-KRAW-skup-ee) horribly pretentious. I would much prefer it to be pronounced like “microscope” with a “y” on the end. ---
**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 12, 2012, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/57 "2012-04-12T09:37:00Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Where to start? > > _Hors d’oeuvres_, which for years I was mentally saying as “whores dee overs”, and never connecting with the “or-dervs” that people serve before a meal. I’m personally fond of calling them “horse doovers” and seeing who figures it out. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/58 "2012-04-12T10:23:45Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > Wait, it’s pronounced “door”?? Oh, fuck that noise. Okay, okay, I guess it makes sense in terms of words like “pour,” and “four,” but boy does that ever sound weird. People have brought this up before, but dower is an acceptable pronunciation. In fact, the only people I’ve ever heard pronounce it door are the people who tell me they used to pronounce it dower but were told it was wrong. My word is hyperbole. It just sounds stupid with that ee sound at the end. It’s something about how it doesn’t take an indefinite article that makes that -ee sound wrong. And, I’m sorry, but I can’t stop saying anyways. It just makes more sense to me. It’s like the difference between beside and besides for me. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/59 "2012-04-12T12:41:24Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > OTOH, I am one of the few people in the US that pronounce “Linux” correctly, and I’m proud of it. I always pronounced it “lie-nux” because it was named after Linus Torvalds, which most people would pronounce as “lie-nus.” However, most people (including Mr. Torvalds himself) pronounce it as “li-nux.” I assume that is because that is how his name is pronounced. Conceding that I am not infallible, I switched to “Li-nux,” and haven’t looked back. [Mr. Torvalds prouncing Linux in English and Swedish.](http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/SillySounds/) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459/60 "2012-04-12T12:51:15Z")
> [@living\_in\_hell](#): > > And “sherbert” deserves a smack. Ah, that’s one. I always pronounce “sherbet” as “sherbert.” I literally do not know a single person who doesn’t, and if I pronounced it without the second “r,” I’d expect most people to look at me funny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-know-youre-pronouncing-wrong-but-still-do/618459.md?page=4)