# Words you won't say because you're not sure how they're pronounced... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 8, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995 "2002-08-08T17:36:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/21 "2002-08-09T00:04:25Z")
I had the “mawv” vs. “mohv” discussion with a friend not too very long ago. She said “mawv” and I snickered. I asked her how she pronounced t-a-u-p-e and she said that wrong too. When I told her the ‘au’ sounds like ‘oh’ because its origin is French, she said “Yeah, well I speak American.” So I asked her if she orders fi-LETT MIG-non in restaurants. And speaking of restaurants, I once had a customer who ordered TUR-boh and his date asked for a glass of mer-LOTT. I’m still not sure if they were doing that deliberately. As for me, it took me forever to realize that the word I read as ep-i-tohm was the word I KNEW as e-PIT-oh-mee. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/22 "2002-08-09T00:28:43Z")
I can remember having a drama teacher correct me when I made a reference to “Waiting for Godot,” a play I had read about but apparantly never discussed before. Go, dot, go! ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/23 "2002-08-09T02:40:21Z")
I remembered another one: New Orleans. Noo OR-lens? Noo or-LEANS? N’awlins? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/24 "2002-08-09T02:55:48Z")
I believe _Fresnel_ is fre-NELL. Named after a French guy. Mine is _deus ex machina_. OK, I just looked up in the dictionary and listened to the audio clip so I know now but I’m still not sure if I’d be understood if I tried to say it… Nor am I confident about being able to say _albeit_. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/25 "2002-08-09T03:38:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beadalin \* > \*\*It gets even better the more extraneous syllables you add. My mom and I have gotten it up to something like, “Wer-chester-sher-sher-sher-sher-shire.” It’s fun! \*\* Seems to me there’s a Yosemite Sam bit about this. “War-ches-ter-sheer-shire-sheer-shire…”😃 **LifeOnWry** : _Isn’t_ “turbot” pronounced TUR-boh? I’ve never actually ordered it in a restaurant (I live in Montana; give me a break!), but that’s always how I’ve pronounced it in my head. :o **trishdish** : It isn’t just the Midwest; I’ve got a friend who grew up in Idaho who still says “EYE-talian”. And he’s got a Ph.D. in microbiology _and_ he’s a lawyer. ---
**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 9, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/26 "2002-08-09T03:54:14Z")
“Second” (V.R.) I say it the American way as both an adjective and verb. My educated British friends pronounce the verb say-GOND. When around British folks I need to make a serious effort not to talk like them. ---
**Author:** ![Sivalensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Sivalensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sivalensis)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/27 "2002-08-09T04:11:03Z")
say-GOND? really? That sounds really odd, no offense to all you brits 🙂 Mine was the word **fetid**. Reading fantasy books, this word was often in there, but nobody ever says it any more. At one point I said it “fet-EED”, just because that sounds better to my French-educated ears, but was told it was pronounced “FET-ihd” Also, apparently in the south they say “frap-PAY” instead of “frap” for a milkshake. Just sounds odd to me. **racer** …it sounds like an o but starts with an e cuz it’s french 🙂 They’re just weird like that. I once took an order from someone for “ques-a-dil-las”…I repeated their order, pronouncing it correctly, and they actually corrected my correct pronunciation of the spanish! ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/28 "2002-08-09T04:13:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LindyHopper \* > \*\* > > **LifeOnWry** : _Isn’t_ “turbot” pronounced TUR-boh? I’ve never actually ordered it in a restaurant (I live in Montana; give me a break!), but that’s always how I’ve pronounced it in my head. \*\* Nope - it’s a TUR-bott. (Between you and me, I think it sounds ridiculous, too.) ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/29 "2002-08-09T04:20:28Z")
Well. How embarassing. Any idea of the etymology of this word? I’d always assumed it was French. Good thing I’ve never ordered it in a restaurant! 😉 [sub]And that is a pretty stupid way to pronounce it. I agree.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/30 "2002-08-09T04:23:17Z")
I am going to tell on my mother-in-law (since she will never read this anyway–I’m such a coward!). Some years back she was helping me sew some maternity dresses. (By “helping” I mean she was doing the sewing and I was reading the directions–I stink at sewing!) Whenever she would read the instructions, she invariably pronounced the word bodice as “BOW-dyce” instead of “BAH-diss.” Nearly drove me nuts, but I managed to not say a word!! My sister and I had a giggle fit over it later in the car going home, though! BTW, I do love my MIL–she’s a terrific lady and I wouldn’t hurt her feelings for the world! ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/31 "2002-08-09T04:26:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beadalin \* > \*\*Niche. Is it neesh or nitch? > \*\* Always neesh in Britain. Nitch mostly (always?) in America. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/32 "2002-08-09T04:27:42Z")
Don’t bother, they taste like nothing much anyhow. And I kinda goofed the pronunciation, too - it’s more like TUR-butt, than TUR-bott. This is where that stupid schwa thing we learned about in sixth grade comes into play, I think. I have no idea where the name comes from. Incidentally, I once had a customer ask for a “keh-sa-dilda” (quesadilla), and another one request “Rice pee-FALL” (rice pilaf \) ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/33 "2002-08-09T04:28:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LifeOnWry \* > \*\* > > Nope - it’s a TUR-bott. (Between you and me, I think it sounds ridiculous, too.) \*\* No more ridiculous than robot. And Turandot (yes, you pronounce the final “t” in that too). ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/34 "2002-08-09T04:31:31Z")
No, no, no…“robot” is Slavic. I can’t remember whether it’s Czech, or Polish, or Russian, but the final “t” should definitely be pronounced. About “Turandot”, though, I definitely agree. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/35 "2002-08-09T04:33:19Z")
And “rice pee-fall” is just moronic. I mean, just _look at the damn word_! ---
**Author:** ![ndorward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@ndorward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ndorward)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/36 "2002-08-09T05:24:12Z")
“Syntagm.” Fortunately, I can’t think of any conversation I’d want to use it in. ---
**Author:** ![longjohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@longjohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longjohn)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/37 "2002-08-09T07:38:44Z")
homosexual should be pronounced with short "o"s a it is derived from the Greek “homos” meaning the same, not the latin “homo” meaning man. ---
**Author:** ![AmbushBug](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ambushbug/32/4600_2.png) [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/38 "2002-08-09T07:54:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Strainger \* > \*\*I would come off sounding like a complete dumbass. \*\* The _name_, is **Dumas.** Ok, so i feel I must explain the joke. There’s a TV commercial, American, where a guy is on a job interview talking overenthusiastically about how he wants for work for “Dumbass and Dumbass” and how he’s real “Dumbass material”. Mr. Dumas, the interviewer, sets him straight. The commercial was a failure, because I don’t remember the product. And, more closely to the spirit of the OP: Until I was eight, expensive boats were yakhuts. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/39 "2002-08-09T08:22:23Z")
Clique I always pronounce it ‘kleek’ although I’ve heard it pronounced ‘klick’ countless times. I think this could be similar to niche, depends on where you’re from. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/40 "2002-08-09T08:26:34Z")
There are countless words that I avoid because I don’t know how to say them. I read too darn much, and I’ve developed entire systems to get around saying words that I don’t know how to say. I’ll even go to the length of pretending that I have the word on the tip of my tongue even though I know perfectly well what the word is, just not how to spell it I always have trouble with “kitchy”. Is it “kitch-ee” or “keetch-ee”? And how do you say “peony”? There are countless more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995.md?page=3)