# Words your kids had consistent trouble pronouncing **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 23, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792 "2004-03-23T00:02:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Br\_er\_Lapin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Br\_er\_Lapin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Br_er_Lapin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/21 "2004-03-23T04:45:58Z")
> [@Cyn](#): > > …both my kids said crayons as “Crowns”. Perhaps they mistakenly thought they were from South Jersey, where this is what everyone does. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/22 "2004-03-23T05:52:45Z")
The main ones from my brother were hippomotmus and heppecopper (for helicopter). I apparently had some trouble with the “F” in the word shift for a while, amusing my parents greatly. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/23 "2004-03-23T06:01:36Z")
We’re working on fixing “fravorite” and “lello” at the moment. It’s really interesting to hear her try and say them right. I corrected her and she right then and there she began workingon correcting it by saying “It’s my fffffffffavorite thing” over and over again making sure she said it properly. Must have working on it for about 10 minutes before she felt she had it down. So cute! She’s 5 by the way. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/24 "2004-03-23T06:21:57Z")
Pisketti, as mentioned several times - of course. The Frogs Neck Bridge _that connects Queens and the Bronx_. We used to take out books in the lie-berry. The younger one used to have a problem with L’s. _Dad, I don’t wanna walk anymore, my yegs are kiwwin me_. I used to drive a Folkswagon Corrado - _Which is pretty damn accurate IF we lived in Germany_! ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/25 "2004-03-23T06:24:13Z")
My son was quite articulate at a pretty young age, but for a while he had a habit of putting an odd sound in the middle of some words. Every morning he had his bimebim. They weren’t Flintstones, but he liked them anyway. He often put raindings in his oatmeal. Sometimes at Grandma’s house he got to ride in a little red wangdon. I don’t know where those came from, but they went away all by themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/26 "2004-03-23T07:52:19Z")
My younger son at three says “Frogodile” for crocodile. ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/27 "2004-03-23T12:41:08Z")
Like **Angelicate** ’s child, my son pronounced ambulance something like _ambleeance_. Along with \*\*Cyn \*\* and **FernForest** ’s children, my daughter had lots of trouble with yellow–usually it was _lell-yo_. But the most frustrating (and amusing) one occured with my son who consistenly reversed the pronunciation of _soldiers_ and _shoulders._ Thus he would play _shoulders_ with his GI Joe and sing “Head, _soldiers_, knees and toes, knees and toes.” I think he was in first grade before this stopped. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/28 "2004-03-23T12:54:18Z")
> [@](#): > > _Orginally posted by Tikki_ > I babysat a little boy who had a friend named Jeremy. He always innocently pronounced it “Germy.” My sister has a grandson named Jeremy. One of the young kids on the other side of his family pronounced it “Germy”. Jeremy is almost three now, and my sister still calls him Germy. 😃 Just as an aside, my 4-year-olds pediatrician says that if there’s no mental delay fueling these speech problems, they disappear by the time the kid is about 7. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/29 "2004-03-23T12:55:15Z")
My youngest sister used to call water “goody” - I really think this was a mispronounciation because most folks in my family say “water” as if it was spelled “wooder” - I don’t know if that’s a Baltimore thing or a mid-Atlantic thing or what. My daughter had an odd way of saying “airplane” - I’m not sure how to describe it - it was as if the “p” was replaced with an audible blank, and the entire word was rather nasal. Very odd indeed. She’s since outgrown it - rather than constantly correcting her, I always spoke as clearly as I could and she eventually got it right. ---
**Author:** ![sunfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/30 "2004-03-23T13:07:05Z")
“Pasketti” for me - I think maybe it’s just getting the “sp” sound right that causes grief. Also, “cimmammon” or “cinnaminom” for cinnamon, and I did the “Frogs Neck Bridge” (Throgs Neck Bridge) thing too. I had a friend who always said “breffix” (breakfast), but he did it as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/31 "2004-03-23T13:11:37Z")
My daughter started talking extrememly young, and has been said here a few times, was very articulate. But that girl could not say Breakfast (breffis) or Yogurt (Gogurt\*) for the longest time. She could say Breck, she could say fist but she could not say breckfist… er, breakfast. And my son said pasketti. And to answer the question by **Mercury** , I might have been a little neurotic in that I _refused_ to talk baby talk to my kids. I mean, I did the sing-song voice and cutesy little nonsense babble but much to my ex-m-i-l’s disdain, I refused to call a bottle “baba” or a diaper “diapy” or anything to that effect. Anal? Maybe, but the two older ones started talking in full sentences before they were 1. The baby I unfortunately had considerably less influence over in that way, and she still struggles (she’s 3) But she does sound damn cute 😃 [COLOR=Silver]\*I was glad when Gogurt came out as an actual product (Yogurt in a tub for those uninitiated) because then I could buy that and she was saying it right ;)[/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/32 "2004-03-23T19:59:41Z")
I find it interesting that my son and I have/had the same two words as issues, and it isn’t like I told him mine and he copied. He will soon be 4 years old and is otherwise very articulate - he doesn’t have any trouble with Rs, Ls, or Ys. He speaks more clearly than the other children in his preschool class that I have talked to. BUT… animal = aminal. We have talked about it repeatedly. I say “It is aNiMal.” He says, “That’s what I said, Mom. Aminal!” I did the same thing with my parents. I remember having the same conversation and finally getting it right in first grade or so. 🙂 Others have mentioned it, but hospital is the other word - comes out Hopsital. My son does something else that really amuses me. He can’t help but associate new combiantions of words with words that he knows. He calls pine cones pineapples, he calls the Twilight Zone the Twilight Bark (from 101 Dalmatians), and he calls the Ninentendo Game Cube an Ice Cube. He realizes his error but for the life of him can’t seem to remember the correct word instead of his association. ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/33 "2004-03-23T20:05:53Z")
The talk of Jeremy reminded me - there is a boy in his class named Keanu. My son calls him Canoe. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/34 "2004-03-23T20:09:39Z")
My daughter, 3 1/4 prefers “Emma Emms” to M&Ms. She also likes “Hangaburgers”. ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/35 "2004-03-23T20:33:20Z")
My daughter got poison ivy on a campig trip when she was three and called it “poison owie.” My favorite, though, was that almost every morning when she was about two she’d run in the room, arms waving in the air, yelling, “'Ake up! 'Ake up! Da sun is up!” She also could not pronounce my best friends name, which is Beth, so she called her “The” until she was four. At one point she said to me, “I want a nose ring, like The.” (She obviously did not get one) ---
**Author:** ![GCU\_Stout\_Heart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gcu_stout_heart/32/3032_2.png) [@GCU\_Stout\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GCU_Stout_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/36 "2004-03-24T17:50:38Z")
Kids seem to have great difficulty with my name: I consistently get called Wol-eeze by teenies. (Awww, bless!). My little sister said appoo instead of apple and that’s still how I think of them… ---
**Author:** ![severin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@severin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/severin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/37 "2004-03-24T18:40:24Z")
I was really shocked when someone told me it’s not banilla but vanilla. (I was 10!) I love it when small children try to be really serious and then say hopsital. It’s soo sweet =) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/38 "2004-03-24T19:48:40Z")
My daughter was another very early talker who had trouble pronouncing a lot of words. ‘Sh’ was ‘s’, ch ‘t’,’ ‘d’ was a hard ‘g’ for the longest time (goog goggy!), and until a few months ago the soft g sound came out as a soft d. So her name was always Duliette Dorda instead of Juliette Georgia. She’s 5. Her _best_ mispronunciation was one time on a quiet badminton court, when she asked if I wanted a ‘suck-a-cock.’ (Shuttlecock of course! :D) ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/39 "2004-03-24T20:13:27Z")
My boy says “sketty” for spaghetti, the numbers 13 and 15 are “three-teen” and “five-teen”, he also says “fwee” for three, and “fink” for think. My favorite, and I will try to get him to say it as much as I can, is his word for the tiny little birds with long beaks that drink nectar. He calls them “humping birds”. ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792/40 "2004-03-24T20:28:15Z")
Words mispronounced by my kid, who will be four years old in May: computer = **poncuter** lemonade = **wemamade** (formerly wenamade) downstairs used to = **soun-dairs** breakfast = **bweksist** Craig = **Cwed** frosted flakes = **frockwet fwakes** mummy = **munny** (He can say ‘mommy’ just fine, but has to really concentrate to pronouce ‘mummy’ correctly.) A few days ago we were playing Batman Beats Up Joker. He held a pillow high over his head and declared, “I’m Batman! _Bruce Wayne_ Batman! I will not be denibe!” Heh heh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-your-kids-had-consistent-trouble-pronouncing/235792.md?page=3)