# Words You’ve Never Heard Pronounced **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 1, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774 "2022-05-01T22:23:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [May 2, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/21 "2022-05-02T12:45:28Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I thought “misled” was pronounced “MY-zuhld” until I first heard it, maybe around age 12. For some period of time, I thought they were two different words. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/22 "2022-05-02T12:46:55Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I didn’t put two and two together for a long time. I thought they were two entirely different words. It took me a long time, as a child, to realize that the word I read spelled “colonel” and the word I heard pronounced “kernel” was the same word. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I only get my news from reading, not from video, so there’s a ton of stuff I can’t pronounce. Ditto. (Though I’d say ‘mostly’, not quite ‘only’.) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/23 "2022-05-02T12:47:42Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > debacle (deh-BAH-kul) Nothing wrong with this pronunciation, at least according to the dictionaries I’ve checked. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/24 "2022-05-02T12:51:20Z")
I occasionally purchase Gevalia coffee. I don’t know if it is pronounced: Gev - a - LEE - a or Ge -VAL - e - a ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/25 "2022-05-02T12:54:08Z")
I grew up watching the Beverly Hillbillies, so I know _vittles_ meant food - duh. But I was in college when I learned it was the pronunciation of _victuals_ after embarrassing myself in a creative writing class. On the other hand, having spent most of the last 40 years around or owning boats, I know how to pronounce _gunwale, boatswain, coxswain, bowline,_ and others I can’t think of at the moment. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2022, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/26 "2022-05-02T12:58:19Z")
That’s not how it’s usually said? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/27 "2022-05-02T14:14:16Z")
When someone has reached a ripe old age they are said to be “long-lived”. Apparently it’s supposed to be pronounced “long lyved”, rather than my “long livved”. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/28 "2022-05-02T14:41:19Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Apparently it’s supposed to be pronounced “long lyved”, rather than my “long livved”. Huh? I’ve only ever heard it as “livved.” Are you saying that it should be pronounced with an “eye” sound? (ETA: Merriam-Webster gives the “livved” pronunciation first, but does mention the long-i pronunciation, too. I have never in my life heard anyone say it that way.) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/29 "2022-05-02T14:42:57Z")
That was my understanding. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/30 "2022-05-02T14:43:05Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > debacle (deh-BAH-kul) Err, what’s wrong with this one? ---
**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:** [May 2, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/31 "2022-05-02T14:49:26Z")
Yeah, I just checked a sample of actual speakers. Forvo only has 4 samples audio recording, but all are pronounced with the “short -i” as “livd”: > **[How to pronounce long-lived in English - Definition and synonyms of...](https://forvo.com/word/long-lived/#en)** > > How to pronounce long-lived in English. The definition of long-lived is: existing for a long... I wonder where the LYE pronunciation is prominent. Like I said, I am completely unfamiliar with it, but the dictionaries do note it, and some put it first. But you’re not in bad company if you pronounced it “livd.” ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/32 "2022-05-02T14:50:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I wonder where the LYE pronunciation is prominent. Among people who are absolutely sure it’s the ONLY right pronunciation! ---
**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:** [May 2, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/33 "2022-05-02T14:54:40Z")
The only thing I could find is that maybe the first syllable could be “day” /deɪ/ instead of “deh”? Although I do say it typically as “deh-BAH-kul” (or something to that effect. /dɛˈbɑːkəl/ or /dəˈbɑːkəl/ or possibly /dɪˈbɑːkəl/). But that stress pattern is right, and the pronunciation as written is how I normally come across it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/34 "2022-05-02T15:50:35Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Years ago we were driving home after a day at an amusement park. A teenaged family member was looking at a map of the park and stated “I really liked riding chouse.” > > The rest of us reacted, “Huh? Chouse?” > > Eventually it was determined that she was reading the word _chaos_ , which was the name of one of the rides. > > So now _chouse_ has become a part of the Mustard family lexicon. > > _“It’s total chouse in here!”_ We have a word like that, after my naïve (pronounced “nave”) little sister read a letter I’d written home to the family from college. She said “And I went to a really cool tuk-WILL’-ah party…” Ever since then, we always pronounce tequila [like the city near Seattle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tukwila,_Washington)… ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/35 "2022-05-02T15:59:51Z")
The grammar and usage threads often devolve into descriptivist/prescriptivist skirmishes, with the weight of the thread generally landing on the descriptivist side. Why not the same for pronunciation? People say things how they say them, and that’s the language. Mostly. I used to cringe whenever I heard “be-HEM-oth,” because I think it’s BEE-a-muth, but really, who’s to say? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/36 "2022-05-02T16:07:35Z")
The one I’d really like the final determination on is IMPRIMATUR. I’ve heard it pronounced as im-PREE-mature. I’ve also heard it pronounced as im-prih-MAWT-uhr. No idea which is correct. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/37 "2022-05-02T16:08:27Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It took me a long time, as a child, to realize that the word I read spelled “colonel” and the word I heard pronounced “kernel” was the same word. My problem of not having seen words in print, but only hearing them reached a pinnacle when I’d been listening to a lot of audiobooks read by Brits… … and was confused by a character called The LEFF’tennant. After I’d run across a few (there are Jane Austen and P.G.Wodehouse characters like that: Lefftennant Generals, Lefftennant Commanders, a Captain-Lefftennant…) that I quickly figured out it was an older British pronunciation of Loo-TEN’-nent. Still haven’t figured out where that _ **f** _ sound came from, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/38 "2022-05-02T16:10:06Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I quickly figured out it was an older British pronunciation of Loo-TEN’-nent. Older? Have the Brits started saying loot-enint? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/39 "2022-05-02T16:12:00Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > … I say it the wrong way on purpose because it’s funnier. This is generally my philosophy with most words. eg patio rhymes with ratio, gazebo = gaze-bo etc ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774/40 "2022-05-02T16:12:40Z")
A couple more: My sister teased me for years because once, in my youth, I pronounced the NYC neighborhood GreenWhich Village. And, it was embarrassingly late in my life that I realized that “infrared” is pronounced infra-red, and not infrared (rhyming with “scared”). And I still often read it that way. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-ve-never-heard-pronounced/963774.md?page=3)