# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/141 "2011-03-24T06:57:21Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > Quixote is of course pronounced kee-hoty, but quixotic, which comes from Don Quixote, is pronounced kwixotic. What’s up with that? “Don Quixote” is a Spanish name, while “quixotic” is an English word, of course. But big points for anyone who manages to work “Quixotic” (pronounced like the name) into a conversation to mean _like the book by Cervantes_. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/142 "2011-03-24T07:19:44Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > How IS that pronounced? I don’t know! And I can’t go into a gun store and ask, because I don’t know how to pronounce it. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/143 "2011-03-24T07:50:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 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? In the adverts here it is pronounced like “gron mah-nyay”, yes. Or was, not sure if they’re still allowed to advertise booze on TV. Here’s an old Grand Marnier ad, anyway: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rUyEAKIojw&feature=player\_detailpage#t=13s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rUyEAKIojw&feature=player_detailpage#t=13s) ---
**Author:** ![Hennessy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hennessy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hennessy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/144 "2011-03-24T07:51:55Z")
This thread has been very helpful. My latest word was halide which even after I was corrected I don’t remember the right way. I think I said hey lide instead of hal lid ---
**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:** [March 24, 2011, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/145 "2011-03-24T07:57:15Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > “Don Quixote” is a Spanish name, while “quixotic” is an English word, of course. In my mind, key-ho-tay and quick-soat are both equal, since the original pronunciation was key-show-tay. If anything, key-ho-tay is slightly worse because the modern Spanish pronunciation uses the ch in loch for the h. > [@Kolga](#): > > How IS [Mosin Nagant] pronounced? I’d have assumed it was French, and thus pronounced something like mo-SAN-nuh-GONG, but the guy in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmVJYB3uDkc) pronounces it like an English word: MO-zin nuh-GAUNT. For the heck of it, I just emailed the owner of [mozinnagant.net](http://mozinnagant.net) to see if he agrees. I’ll post the response if I get it. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/146 "2011-03-24T08:06:59Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I don’t know! And I can’t go into a gun store and ask, because I don’t know how to pronounce it. I know the T is silent, but other than that, I can’t help you. ---
**Author:** ![Hootie\_McB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Hootie\_McB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hootie_McB)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/147 "2011-03-24T09:19:32Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] 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. [/QUOTE] I see… \*_racks brain to remember if I’ve ever embarrassed myself in public_ \* A few that came later to me in life: Viscount - I mean, I don’t get a dye-count. Denouement - Learnt this some time in uni. It was a “What the? Ohhhhh…” moment. Sanguine - I was sure it was sang-GWEEN. I only found out after Jon Stewart pronounced it that way in an interview with Jerry Seinfeld and was corrected. Analogous - I was adamant, impassioned, unyielding and totally obnoxious in an argument with a friend: “You don’t have an an uh-NAL-uh-gee, idiot! Or pruh-DIG-ous talent. Duh.” In my defence, the correct pronunciation is stupid. And I stand by that. ---
**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 24, 2011, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/148 "2011-03-24T11:39:53Z")
Quay = key? Wow. You learn something every day, doncha? 🙂 Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/149 "2011-03-24T12:26:20Z")
I remember telling my brother about the book I read about the horrible nazzies when I was about 10. He made jokes about the ‘nasty nazzies’ for years to me. Come to think of it, I’m not sure if he’s stopped yet… Other than that- the colour ‘mag-neeta’, (possibly Magneto’s girlfriend) which I still use whenever possible. Happily, my housemate mispronounces it in the same way, so in our house, that’s the _right_ way, dagnammit! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elninost0rm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@elninost0rm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elninost0rm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/150 "2011-03-24T12:35:54Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Indictment (seriously, how do you get in- **dite** -ment from that?) > queue (you mean it’s not qway-yoo?) > Hermione (Hermy-own) > draught (naught, fraught, aught, caught. Seems simple… nope, draft, wtf?) I said “inditement” in an 8th grade speech. Nobody seemed to notice (besides the teacher). He corrected me out loud, but there was no jeering. I don’t expect that many kids in the class knew how to say it. ---
**Author:** ![Chapulin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Chapulin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chapulin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/151 "2011-03-24T12:37:39Z")
I always say"prose" wrong. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/152 "2011-03-24T15:32:44Z")
Back when I got my first Amiga in the 80s and used a WIMP enviroment for the first time, I kept referring to “eye-sons” on the desktop. When I first moved to Sweden I had no idea hwo to say the word for Sweden, Sverige. It should be a kind of “sverry-er” but I went with “sveh-reej”. Much hilarity ensued and I still hear about it now, eleven years later. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/153 "2011-03-24T17:01:08Z")
> [@Hennessy](#): > > This thread has been very helpful. My latest word was halide which even after I was corrected I don’t remember the right way. I think I said hey lide instead of hal lid I was about to say “Of course ‘hey-lide’ is correct!” but I’ve just looked it up and apparently it should be “HAL-ide”. Huh. I did a chemistry degree and everyone pronounced it “HAY-lide” - I’ve never heard it said the “proper” way in my life. Mind you, there’s often a UK/US divide with chemical terms - over here we say “EE-thile” and “MEE-thile” for ethyl, methyl etc, but in the US I believe they say “ETH-uhl”, “METH-uhl” and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/154 "2011-03-24T17:34:21Z")
When I was very young I came across the word “asylum” in a book and pronounced it “azz-lum.” My sister made fun of me, and soon after read the word “suede” as “soo-dee.” ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/155 "2011-03-24T18:12:08Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I bet it won’t be more than a few minutes until somebody mentions “awry.” This one - I probably read it for the first time when I was in grade school, but had never heard the word spoken, so I heard it in my head as “ah-ree”. I didn’t have time to read the whole thread so it may have already been mentioned, but the first word that came to mind when I saw the thread title was “askance”. I thought it was “ASK-ance”, and much later learned it was “a-SKANCE”. ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/156 "2011-03-24T18:14:50Z")
I may be in the wrong thread (maybe I should open my own), but when I got to LA I would mispronounce 2 streets on purpose as a clever joke to myself. Alameda and Sepulveda. Both have the same structure, but are pronounced differently. And it’s a bit of a mind bender to swap the pronunciations. Al-uh-MEE-dah Sep-PUL-veh-dah I’m not sure why they’re different, maybe one’s a proper name or maybe there’s a foreign language at work here. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/157 "2011-03-25T01:05:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 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. Actually, the Latin alphabet was introduced to Vietnamese as a phonetic replacement for their character-based systems, so it should be pronounced the way it looks. Westerners just have trouble saying NG at the beginning of a word. I think na-goo-yen is closer than nwin, though nwin might be what some Vietnamese who’ve given up hope of ever hearing their name pronounced right accept as a compromise. Try “ngween” though. That would be closer. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/158 "2011-03-25T02:18:03Z")
I’m surprised nobody else has admitted to “picturesque” as “picture-skew”! 😃 I think it was a few years as a kid or young adult before I connected the word I’d occasionally hear with the word I’d occasionally read. “[Steve] Buscemi” as “boo-SHEM-ee” (he pronounces it “boo-SEM-ee”). Sort-of related to the topic of this thread are how I pronounce two words: “valet” (in the sense of a Jeeves), and “lichen”; “vallit” and, well, litchen. Both are acknowledged as alternative pronunciations, but dammit I insist that they are the **correct** pronunciations! Incidentally, a lot of the examples people are giving here are because of stressing the “wrong” syllable. It’s interesting to note that in the past the stress for many words was on a different syllable, so how we pronounce certain words would’ve been considered wrong “back in the day”. I learned a new example of this just today: “balcony”, which used to be “bal-CONE-ee” two hundred years ago. (Cf. UK vs. US pronunciations for “garage”.) In an episode of _Red Dwarf_ one of the actors misreads “ASCII” (“ASS-key”) as if it were “A. S. C. Two”. There’s a mobile 'phone company (“Vectone”) advertising round these parts that I still haven’t figured out how to pronounce. Is it “vect-own” or “Vect One”? > [@kunilou](#): > > Back when I was writing commercials, the announcer staff used to argue whether a suite of furniture was pronounced “sweet” or “suit.” (My dictionary says both.) I’ve never heard of the “suit” pronunciation for this. Maybe its a pondian thing. > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Martha Stewart mispronounces antimony. She should check a dictionary. It’s correctly pronounced similarly to matrimony. This is definitely a pondial thing. I’d never realised you pronounced it so differently over there! Wiktionary gives the UK pronunciation only (!) for “antimony” but has the stress on the first syllable rather than on the second (which is how I say it). So maybe I’m also wrong! 🙂 > [@bump](#): > > I had the flip side of that catch me once… in the Navy, the people who crew submarines are “submariners”, which is pronounced “submarine-er” > > I pronounced it as “sub-mariner” for the longest time, until a friend of mine who was a sub officer gently corrected me. > > I probably had the wrong pronunciation due to having had some “Namor the Sub-Mariner” comics as a boy. Gosh, another new pondial difference for my list! > [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Just last night, I discovered that Tagalog was NOT pronounced like “Tag-along” without the “n”. And just now I discovered the same thing! :eek: > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 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. It’s also pronounced ADGE-inn-court. But nobody ever pronounces “Calais” as “Cal-iss” anymore, more’s the pity! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/159 "2011-03-25T02:52:38Z")
> [@llcoolbj77](#): > > prescient and prescience. So, you were saying pre-scient and pre-science? I have some that I didn’t realize were the same word in both print and out loud…until suddenly I did. Thankfully, the lightbulb always went off when someone else was speaking. entendre genre macabre viola You know, I blame the French. For some reason I’m surprised that Quay is “key.” I shouldn’t be considering how quahog is pronounced, but I still am. ---
**Author:** ![yola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/48db29/32.png) [@yola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yola)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607/160 "2011-03-25T03:39:49Z")
Mine is _potpourri_. I read it and pronounced it as pot-pourrie on the radio as I sat in for an afternoon show of an eclectic mix of music. I now know its pronounced po-purree but I still like pronouncing it pot-pourri. That happened in 1989. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-pronounced-wrong-because-you-only-read-them/575607.md?page=9)