# Words you mispronounce on purpose for a hunnert, Alex **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963 "2006-08-23T23:18:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/21 "2006-08-24T03:30:56Z")
I am going to = I’ma all of the time = all’d time I picked those up from characters I liked in various movies and TV shows. Although I guess that’s slurred speech moreso than it is mispronunciations. I have been known to say character with a ch rather than a hard c too. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/22 "2006-08-24T03:36:32Z")
I do couple of the things other people do, like skissors and musckles and such. I also say uncley instead of uncle. I don’t know why! And my husband and I put random "en"s into some words, like sun-en-glasses, and our favorite TV show X-en-Files. And yes, we always say them that way. And "ma"s too, like heli-ma-copter. Someone else mentioned that great French store tar-ZHAY, but there is also hoo-TAIRS, since my town got a Hooters last year. On the other hand, we do pronounce the t in Home Depot and Office Depot. And we always say Wallymart. I can also be really bad at exaggerating my accent, which is a bit hick and long on the i’s. It’s one of those things that started as a joke, but now I can’t stop myself on certain words! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/23 "2006-08-24T03:38:55Z")
'Pacific" for 'specific, ’ and ‘ve-ha-cle’ for ‘vehicle.’ Both impressed me as a young cadet as part of the Army Creole. Cool stuff when you are a cadet. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/24 "2006-08-24T03:40:28Z")
**Haste** -ah man- **yan** -ah. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/25 "2006-08-24T04:03:49Z")
My husband and I often say yoo-bi-QUISH-ous for ubiquitous, as a joking reference to a friend’s dad. We have also been known to say poisonberries and olips instead of boysenberries and olives, because our toddler is just so darn cute. In order to make my husband scream, I sometimes say tak-ee-era instead of taqueria, because that’s how I used to think it was pronounced, and it drives him crazy. He speaks fluent Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/26 "2006-08-24T04:05:51Z")
Just remembered another one - gour-MET, especially in a self-deprecating or tounge-in-cheek context. As in, it’s never a gourmet pizza, it’s ALWAYS gour-MET. And the Ins key on the keyboard is the Insect key. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/27 "2006-08-24T07:05:01Z")
[QUOTE=RachelChristine] I also say uncley instead of uncle. I don’t know why! [/QUOTE] We say “Unkey” Winn after “Unkey Herb” on the Simpsons… [QUOTE=Agonist] Also “ossifer” instead of “officer” especially when mimicking a drunk and/or stupid person who’s been caught by the cops. [/QUOTE] My father, holding a half-empty quart mason jar of burboun-coke: “But ossifer! I only had (holding up three fingers) two jinks!!” (not to a cop, at a party, and he drove later) ---
**Author:** ![Whifton\_Polekitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/97f17d/32.png) [@Whifton\_Polekitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whifton_Polekitty)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/28 "2006-08-24T07:19:41Z")
Thanks to my ruddy bastard of an ex-roommate, 9 times out of 10 when the telephone rings I’ll say “Teflon!”. I’m fairly certain that my co-workers are going to lynch me for this soon, too. From at least one old Bugs Bunny “Stra-TEE-gee” instead of “Strategy”. I can’t say Barbra Walters’ name without saying “Bahbwa Wawtas”. God forbid I should ever meet the woman. An old friend of mine married a Japanese woman who passed on “Totarry” for “Totally”. From my childhood, “Helicopter” and “Monkey” will always be “Hoptitopter” and “Gicky” respectively. “After answering the teflon on the hoptitopter, Bahbwa Wawtas torray reassessed her straTEEgee regarding interviewing the gicky trainer.” ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/29 "2006-08-24T11:04:45Z")
When I play poker I bet, “TREE FIDDY!” ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/30 "2006-08-24T12:17:52Z")
[QUOTE=Nic2004] Not really a mispronunciation but when our four year old came up with this we adopted it for exclusive use. Something took place yesterday but more towards the night time. Me: Do you mean what happened yesterday? him: No. It was yesternight daddy. Makes more sense to me than yester_day_ in one use and last night in the other. Yesternight. [/QUOTE] Yesternight’s an actual, if archaic word, akin to yesteryear and, of course, yesterday. Mayhap you should get a better dictionary. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/31 "2006-08-24T12:34:31Z")
Mines are oddvious ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/32 "2006-08-24T12:40:25Z")
I’ll avoid “correct” pronunciations I regard as silly, such as “im-pee-yus” for “impious”. I pronounce it “Im-PIE-us” every chance I get. Which is practically never. Another is “primmer” for “Primer”, which all rational beings can see should be pronounced “PRY-mer”. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/33 "2006-08-24T13:47:32Z")
sometimes “perhippsile” or “perhippity” instead of perhaps. on-yone for onion like the cajun cook, natch. “a rubber derchie” for “arrividerci”. Sometimes I’ll say “para-dig-em” for paradigm but if you don’t know your audience, they’ll just think you’re a retard. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/34 "2006-08-24T13:51:24Z")
[QUOTE=Nic2004] Reminds me of a trip to Ms.Nic’s family in Tennessee Jeet yet? (Did you eat yet?) Nup. Yon’t to? I love that stuff. [/QUOTE] Don’t forget the word that follows Y’ont to: Skweet. (Let’s go eat) ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/35 "2006-08-24T14:10:47Z")
The Denver Bonkers football team. The Denver Lugnuts basketball team. Perzackly. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/36 "2006-08-24T14:11:48Z")
There’s a senior creative director at one of the big ad firms who, despite being a native speaker, has a grasp of English that ended somewhere around 7th grade. He insists that copy should be peppered with as many SAT words as possible, but then proceeds to score a 200 when it comes to meaning, spelling or pronunciation. It came to a head when he was describing what he wanted for a particular car ad. He was pacing around, waving his arms, searching around for the word he wanted, when a sudden inspiration struck. He whipped around to face us and said with a grin of proud achievement: "It has to be… **GRAN_DOYCE!_** My boss and I nearly shit ourselves right there. Somehow, we managed to keep from laughing out loud, but neither of us remember much after that. Since then, ‘grandiose’ has always been ‘grandoyce’ in our office. ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/37 "2006-08-24T14:14:30Z")
“poin-sett-i-a” “ba-log-na” “Scra-ge-dy” (Bugs Bunny’s “strategy”) because they annoy my mother, the english teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/38 "2006-08-24T14:18:30Z")
Just remembered how someone once typed “It has a certain…GENASAQUA” at me. I don’t have a lot of occasions to use the phrase je ne sais pas, but whenever I do…Midwestern accent, one word, three syllables. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/39 "2006-08-24T14:35:26Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Kuh-nife (knife) [/QUOTE] It’s _kuh-niffy._ 'Round my house anyway. Similarly, _sammich, animule, mazagine, Saabaru, bananana, prevert_ (I recall Cecil using this)… ---
**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:** [August 24, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963/40 "2006-08-24T14:37:58Z")
_Woostasoostasoostashire_ for worcestershire sauce. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-mispronounce-on-purpose-for-a-hunnert-alex/369963.md?page=3)