# Words you pronounced wrong because you only read them **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 22, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607 "2011-03-22T14:33:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/121 "2011-03-23T15:07:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hierarchy, which way back when I used to think was “heerarchy.” Ah yes, and also "quay, which I forever thought was “kway.” I was landlocked until very late in life. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/122 "2011-03-23T15:42:08Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > There was a gag in yesterday’s How I Met Your Mother that Ted said “Chameleon” wrong because he only read it and never heard it. I can sympathize. I said “Omnipotent” wrong for years because I only read it. Also “Hyperbole”. That was another one. > > Any words like that for you? Lots. Can’t remember them, but yes, there were lots, especially as I read challenging stuff quite young. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/123 "2011-03-23T15:55:11Z")
I was in 2nd grade and learning phonics, when I saw a sign for pistachio ice cream. I was positive it should be “pis-ta-KY-o.” So my father started calling me “PistaKYo Pete.” I hated that. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/124 "2011-03-23T15:57:20Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > In a group in 8th grade science, I was reading aloud something about “debris” and has no clue what it was. The next person started talking about “debree” and I probably turned red. I think it was back in the 60s, when a local politician was on TV, complaining about all the “derbies” in the river. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/125 "2011-03-23T18:56:04Z")
> [@ashtayk](#): > > I don’t want to take this into GD territory - but I pronounced bruschetta correctly at first, got corrected (wronged?) by people into pronouncing it wrongly before researching and going back to the correct way. > > Interestingly the Merriam-Webster online has it with with the “sh” sound not the “k” sound. So which way is the correct way? I’ve heard it “corrected” in both directions so many times that I don’t have any idea how it’s actually pronounced at this point. > [@mambocrow](#): > > I also once thought the pronunciation for sidereal was side-real. (I still like side-real better). Huh. Who knew? I learned something today. > [@KinkiNipponTourist](#): > > Duodenal. Why can’t we say “do-ODD-eh-nal”? Why?? “Do-a-DEE-nal” sounds so affected. I hear this one a lot. I had a surgical procedure that contains the word “duodenal” so I am very familiar with the way it’s pronounced, but I’ve been “corrected” before to the wrong way. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/126 "2011-03-23T19:01:16Z")
Just last night, I discovered that Tagalog was NOT pronounced like “Tag-along” without the “n”. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/127 "2011-03-23T19:26:39Z")
For the terminally lazy and unread amonst us, please type the pronunciations for: sidereal Tagalog quay Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/128 "2011-03-23T19:49:58Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > For the terminally lazy and unread amonst us, please type the pronunciations for: > > sidereal > Tagalog > quay > > Thanks! side-ERIE-ul tuh-GAL-og Kay (I think) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/129 "2011-03-23T19:52:23Z")
I thought quay was “key.” Off to check… ETA: I believe it is “key.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/130 "2011-03-23T19:59:09Z")
That would explain southern Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/131 "2011-03-24T02:02:24Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > The first one I really remember was **Ingenue** > > Though my dad was always talking about the character Donkey Hotey, which I never connected with the book (pronounced **Don Quicksote** ) that he had in his den. There was a “Donkey Hotey” (a donkey puppet) on the old Mr. Rogers show. Quixote is of course pronounced kee-hoty, but quixotic, which comes from Don Quixote, is pronounced kwixotic. What’s up with that? When I was about 5 years old, I pronounced Panama Canal as Panamma Cannal (accent on the second syllable of Panama and the first syllable of Canal. Try it, it is quite musical.) My mother teased me about that for…well, actually she still teases me about it once in a while and I’ll be 42 in a couple of weeks. My brother called hors d’oeuvres “Whores De Ovreez” once with similar consequences. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/132 "2011-03-24T02:09:54Z")
Let’s see…I used to pronounce “Baroque” as something akin to your current President’s name. But I study music FT now, so no more. I still don’t know how to pronounce “Synecdoche” right. Some people say it the same as the city, others don’t! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/133 "2011-03-24T02:43:20Z")
Stoic ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/134 "2011-03-24T03:03:47Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > My sister Sue kept wondering why she heard about the “Sue” Indians, but heard nothing about the See-Ox Indians she kept reading about.. Heh, I pronounced that SOY-ox in the third grade. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/135 "2011-03-24T03:36:54Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Kay > > (I think) > [@Leaffan](#): > > I thought quay was “key.” > > Off to check… > ETA: I believe it is “key.” Once I finally learned to pronounce “quay,” I learned it as “kee,” but my American Heritage dictionary gives both “kee” and “kay” as proper. But it’s definitely not “kway” like I used to think. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/136 "2011-03-24T04:35:07Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > Mosin Nagant. I’ve only read it in gun forums, I’ve never heard it pronounced in person. How IS that pronounced? ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/137 "2011-03-24T04:45:16Z")
quay, key, cay- homophones. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/138 "2011-03-24T05:28:44Z")
Including some that have already been mentioned: Hors d’oeuvres - To add to my embarrassment it took me a long time to realize the word I knew by sight and the word I knew by sound were actually the same word. Dour - I finally have grudgingly accepted that it’s supposed to rhyme with sewer. But I still think it sounds better if it rhymes with sour. Nguyen - I kept trying to pronounce it the way it looked - something like na-goo-yen. I finally heard somebody pronounce it correctly. It’s nwin. Film Noir - I thought noir rhymed with more. It’s actually nwar. Agincourt - I’ve been reading military history for decades. But it wasn’t until about a year ago I found out this battle is pronounced ah-zhin-kor not a-gin-kort. Grand Marnier - I like it. But if I can’t find the bottle on the shelf myself I don’t know how to ask for it. Is it pronounced mar-nyay? ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/139 "2011-03-24T06:28:48Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > side-ERIE-ul sigh-deer-ee-ul dour = sour is fine by me. Some of these, such as misled - hitherto, sword are some others - I internally mispronounce them when reading just as an in-joke to myself. But I can easily see myself accidentally doing it out loud should the occasion arise. ---
**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:** [March 24, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/140 "2011-03-24T06:44:52Z")
> [@KinkiNipponTourist](#): > > Duodenal. Why can’t we say “do-ODD-eh-nal”? Why?? “Do-a-DEE-nal” sounds so affected. “do-ODD-eh-nal” is acceptable, so far as I know. There’s two pronunciations for “duodenum.” “due-uh-DEE-num” and (as I was taught) “due-ODD-uh-num.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607.md?page=8)