# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![vertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3ec8ea/32.png) [@vertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertigo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/81 "2002-08-11T05:20:28Z")
I always (and I mean always…) get hung up on the word **ancillary**. I always want to say “an-SIL-lee-airy”. I _constantly_ mispronounce it the first time. Now I just say “ur…, and all that extra stuff included…” ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/82 "2002-08-11T05:40:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by StephenG \* > \*\*I can never figure out if a phrase inherited from French is anglicized or left in the original – or some combination of the two, often. > > _hors d’oeuvre_: My French instincts tell me to pronounce this as “OR duh vre” where the r is soft and everything is slurred together. New Englanders prononuce this as “or DERve”. \*\* Brother! I grew up in a francophone environment. With my non-francophone friends I feel extremely freakin’ weird pronouncing “hors d’oeuvre” properly, but i’t seems so silly to pronounce it with a bogus broken-French accent. I also go crazy in fine French restaurants, not knowing how I should order. (In \* really\* fine French restaurants, I just order in French and let my buddies think I’m pretentious.) Or for that matter, any French word in an English context or vice versa. I once had to aFrench public speaking engagement in which I had to refer to the title of an English movie. I could figure out if I should pronounce the English words with a French accent or in straightforward English. Made me feel like an idiot! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/83 "2002-08-11T05:51:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Knowed Out \* > \*\*I see these words in print—_bon mot_ and _blanc mange_—and I realize there’s no way they’re pronounced the way they look. \*\* _Speaking_, non-issue, but _reading_ I always mentally hear “segyoo” instead of segue. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/84 "2002-08-11T07:31:56Z")
I’m with **David Simmons**. For place names, Iowa has a bunch of french ones and other goofy ones. I live in Des Moines county. Duhmoyn. I went to school in Ames, which is near Nevada (neVAduh). I always liked to call Dubuque Dub-a-Q, just to be annoying. Then there’s all the native words, like Sioux City/Center/River. Everyone in the fireworks industry calls it a pee-uh-nee. Most of my ‘do not pronounce’ words have already been listed, and I forgot one that hadn’t while writing this post. It’ll come to me in a few hours when I’m in bed… ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/85 "2002-08-11T08:16:28Z")
Can someone help me out with **chutzpah**? ;j I’ve seen it in books and magazines, and I have heard it said, but I still can’t grasp it. Does it sound like it starts with an “s” like “shuutz-pah” or is it more of an “h” pronounchs “hootz-pah.” Help this midwestern kid out. ---
**Author:** ![ikcaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/df705f/32.png) [@ikcaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ikcaj)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/86 "2002-08-11T10:10:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bearflag70 \* > > Nevada = Neh-vah-da or Neh-va-da (with an “a” as in “crack”) \*\* In my personal experience I’ve found most natives of Nevada pronounce the first A as in crack and the last A as more of an UH sound. Neh-va-duh Colorado is spoken as Collar-add-oh or Call-er-rad-oh ---
**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:** [August 11, 2002, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/87 "2002-08-11T11:41:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dignan \* > \*\*Can someone help me out with **chutzpah**? ;j > > I’ve seen it in books and magazines, and I have heard it said, but I still can’t grasp it. Does it sound like it starts with an “s” like “shuutz-pah” or is it more of an “h” pronounchs “hootz-pah.” > > Help this midwestern kid out. \*\* Starts with a hard “h” sound. Think of the “ch” in “loch.” (That is, unless you pronounce it as “lock.” Then think of a Scotsman saying “loch” or “och, aye!” or the “ch” in “Bach” or whatnot.) Anyhow, you’ll also noted “hannukah” spelled with a “ch” these days instead of an “h,” as well. (I hope I got the rest of the letters right there.) Vlad Tepes (Zep-ish) You used to say “zep-ish” or is that what you think the correct pronunciation is? Cuz it’s “TEH-pehsh.” ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/88 "2002-08-11T12:19:37Z")
“Bivouack” I have no idea how to say this one. ---
**Author:** ![auliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@auliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auliya)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/89 "2002-08-11T12:47:43Z")
> [@](#): > > “Bivouack” Biv-oh-wack in Australia, I think. I always thought psychopathy was pronounced psyc-o-path-ee, but it is actually psy-cop-ath-ee. ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/90 "2002-08-11T14:29:02Z")
No, Western NY (where I used to live) and Southern Louisiana (where I live now) take the cake on weird names! NY: Charlotte (shar-LOTT) chili (CHIE-lie)… the vowel sound as in eye or try avon … with a short “a” LA: Fountainbleau (FAWN’in bloo) Pontchartrain (POHN-cha train) Breaux Bridge (Broh-brihj) Tchoupitoulas (CHOP-i-TOO-luhs) Tchfuncte (chah-FUHNK-tuh) Dalrymple (DAHL-rihm-pull) Calliope (kah-LIE-o-pee) ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/91 "2002-08-11T14:30:34Z")
Oh, and there’s “Terpsichore,” a street in downtown New Orleans… still can’t figure that one out! ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/92 "2002-08-11T14:41:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by auliya \* > \*\* > Biv-oh-wack in Australia, I think. > \*\* BIV-whack is what I’ve heard. And a slight hijack to **Charmain** – I took several years of Spanish classes in high school - but I discovered it was not formal Spanish, it was more of a Mexican dialect. I also have a Puerto Rican uncle with whom I used to practice my Spanish. Then, I went to work in the restaurant business, where many of my co-workers were native Spanish speaking Mexicans. I can’t tell you how many times I was asked “Why do you speak Mexican with a Puerto Rican accent?” And now, even though my spoken Spanish is not bad, I hate ordering in Mexican restaurants unless I am with other Spanish speakers. I sound ridiculous when they are all ordering “in-chill-A-das” and I’m ordering “an-cheel-AH-dhahs.” ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/93 "2002-08-11T15:03:07Z")
scythe (the tool) = “sith” (short i) or “sithe” (long i, hard th) or “sithe” (long i, soft th) Scyths (the people) = siths (short i)? necromancer = ne-CRO-man-cer or NE-cro-man-cer? Walther Banjamin = ben-YA-min or ben-ya-MEEN? ---
**Author:** ![XCchick22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e19b73/32.png) [@XCchick22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XCchick22)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/94 "2002-08-11T16:53:56Z")
Mine are not so much that I don’t know how they’re pronounced, it that I can’t say them. I have a slight country accent that I can talk mostly without, except for a few words. Heel. I say it exactly the same as “hill”. If I try to actually sound out the double E, I sound as though I’m trying to speak a foreign language. Same thing with “peel”. As far as just not knowing how to pronounce a word, I used to have a problem with “epitome”. I knew what the word meant in speech, but when I saw it in writing I thought that it was a different word. I thought the word I saw in writing was said ep-i-tohm. I finally realized my error when I looked in the dictionary to see what “ep-i-tohm” meant. :smack: > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Kn_ckers \* > **They also pronounce leg “layg” and _pen “pin”_.** \*\*There’s a difference in the pronunciation of those words? How are they supposed to be said? ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/95 "2002-08-12T04:00:24Z")
**LindyHopper** and **amarone** , ‘robot’ is from Czech. It came into English via Karel Capek’s play _R.U.R_, first published in 1921. [Here](http://www.maxmon.com/1921ad.htm) 's a link that says it _doesn’t_ mean ‘slave’ (as often cited), but refers to the labour that peasants owed their landlord back in feudal times. And according to [this](http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/robotics-faq/1.html) page, his name is pronounced “chop’ek”. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/96 "2002-08-12T04:04:48Z")
I meant to add, “Now I can actually speak his name!” ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/97 "2002-08-12T07:24:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ikcaj \* > \*\*In my personal experience I’ve found most natives of Nevada pronounce the first A as in crack and the last A as more of an UH sound. Neh-va-duh > > Colorado is spoken as Collar-add-oh or Call-er-rad-oh \*\* I’m talking about Nevada the city near the city Ames in the state of Iowa, not Nevada the state. It’s pronounced differently and non-intuitively, thus the inclusion in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Zenpea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Zenpea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenpea)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/98 "2002-08-12T10:19:20Z")
My American friend makes me pronounce anything and thorough a lot… (I pronounce them, being a Brit, ‘ennuh-thing’ and ‘thuh-ruh’, instead of ‘en-ee-thing’ and ‘thuh-row’ as I believe is common in America). As for placenames, well, Llanfairpwllgwyn(snip about 50 letters)gogogogoch isn’t one I’m trying anytime soon. As for the accusation that we pronounce second as Seh-COND - Seh-COND has a different meaning from SEH-cund. To be seh’COND-ed. To come SEH-cund. To wait a SEH-cund. I’ve never heard anyone wait a seh-COND. -James ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/99 "2002-08-12T11:43:30Z")
On place names, there is a village on the outskirts of Glasgow which is spelt **"Milngavie"** It is pronounced ‘Mull-Guy’. You figure that one out. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995/100 "2002-08-12T12:11:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Knowed Out \* > **I see these words in print—_bon mot_ and _blanc mange_—and I realize there’s no way they’re pronounced the way they look. Plus, it’s something I picture Alex Trebec pronouncing when he’s being prissy and showing off. I know French tend to leave off the final consonant sounds, so would they be BO MO and BLUH MAH?** bon moe bluh mahnj (if you are a Scotsman playing tennis with one) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-wont-say-because-youre-not-sure-how-theyre-pronounced/122995.md?page=6)