# words you've always mispronounced **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611 "2003-06-18T03:13:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Stranger\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@The\_Stranger\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stranger_1)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/21 "2003-06-18T13:57:29Z")
Caveat gets me too… I know how to pronounce it, but it STILL wants to come out as “ca-VEET” ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/22 "2003-06-18T13:58:51Z")
I also used to think **caveat** was pronounced “ca-VEET.” I always say **debacle** as “de-back-le”. While [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) lists this pronunciation, it’s listed second. The primary pronunciation is “de-BOCK-le.” **Primer** , referring to a book that teaches children how to read, is properly pronounced with a short I, but I had always pronounced it with a long I, as in describing the base coat of paint. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/23 "2003-06-18T18:32:56Z")
I used to think that ‘gynaecology’, was pronounced beginning with a ‘J’ sound. For obvious reasons… The word I can never get my tongue around is ‘phenomenally’. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/24 "2003-06-18T18:43:32Z")
My tongue trips over multiple liquids (L’s and R’s), so I’ll end up saying “blood plessure” unless I slow down and really work out the words. I’m still not sure how to pronounce integral. Is it “in TEG ral” or “IN tegral”? I said it once and the people around me laughed and corrected me, but I don’t remember which one I said! I have a friend who purposely mispronounces words b/c I think she thinks it’s cute. The singer Bjork is pronounced like “byork.” However my friend insists on saying “ba-jork.” That irritates me to no end. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/25 "2003-06-18T18:48:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doc’ Trauma \* > \*\*Cache …I always read it as “cack”. Though “Cash-ae” does have a more elegant tone, I think that a “Cack” of weapons sounds more impressive then a “cash-ae”. \*\* That’s funny. I’ve always pronounced cache as ‘cash’. I consistantly misprounounce Hermes. I say ‘air-MAY’ I’ve heard it pronounced ‘air-MEZ’, though. Maybe I should start pronouncing it as a-tie-for-which-I-paid-WAY-too-much. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/26 "2003-06-18T18:58:13Z")
_deus ex machina_. I know what it means, but I still have no idea how to say it, even mentally. I sorta revert to “doo ay masheena” but that’s no doubt utterly wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Ruiniform](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de053/32.png) [@Ruiniform](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruiniform)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/27 "2003-06-18T19:05:49Z")
I’ve always pronounced assorted with a z sound instead of an s sound. And I pronounce the a in altitude as a relaxed ‘ah’ rather than like the a in cat. I never would have even noticed that I pronounce it differently, but apparently it’s a major issue for others people… ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/28 "2003-06-18T19:06:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doc’ Trauma \* > \*\*Cache …I always read it as “cack”. Though “Cash-ae” does have a more elegant tone, I think that a “Cack” of weapons sounds more impressive then a “cash-ae”. \*\* If you’re meaning [cache](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cache) like hiding place, it’s pronounced cash, just like money. “Cash ae” is spelled [cachet](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cachet) and means something entirely different. DD ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/29 "2003-06-18T19:08:10Z")
day-es eks mahkeena? ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/30 "2003-06-18T19:19:52Z")
> [@](#): > > The singer Bjork is pronounced like “byork.” However my friend insists on saying “ba-jork.” That irritates me to no end. Oh? I say, “Ack! Turn that shit off!” 🙂 I say mee-lee. I know it’s may-lay, and a friend alwasy rolls his eyes at me, but this is one of the very few instances I just always do it wrong. May-lay sounds too much like a young Vietnamese girl. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/31 "2003-06-18T19:28:37Z")
Go [here](http://www.m-w.com/home.htm) and enter the word or phrase (e.g., deus ex machina). Next to the word is a little speaker icon (or more if there are multiple pronunciations). Click it and a voice will say the word. ---
**Author:** ![TwungTister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TwungTister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwungTister)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/32 "2003-06-18T22:45:24Z")
Lingerie. I know how to say it. But the first two syllables register before I can mentally remind myself to say “LAHN”. I usually say “ling…” correct myself and add “…zher eh.” ---
**Author:** ![Yikes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/aeb1de/32.png) [@Yikes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yikes)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/33 "2011-11-08T02:02:53Z")
I got on here to see how Integral was pronounced because apparently I said it wrong and my annoying coworker corrected me. Apparently I did say it correctly, there are two pronunciations. Now…on to my word: Kowtow…??? ---
**Author:** ![Chipacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Chipacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chipacabra)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/34 "2011-11-08T02:14:24Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > If you’re meaning [cache](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cache) like hiding place, it’s pronounced cash, just like money. “Cash ae” is spelled [cachet](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cachet) and means something entirely different. > > DD Unless you’re in the US military, in which case a cache of weapons IS pronounced cash-ay, because they’re not going to change years of saying it that way just because it’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/35 "2011-11-08T02:28:36Z")
Before I ever heard if pronounced, I had assumed ‘facade’ was pronounced fa-KAID ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/36 "2011-11-08T02:39:50Z")
I can’t stop pronouncing cache “kaysh”. I’ve convinced the other half that it’s standard Australian English to say kaysh, but I don’t know if that’s true (and it still annoys him too) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/37 "2011-11-08T02:42:03Z")
> [@saramamalana](#): > > The singer Bjork is pronounced like “byork.” However my friend insists on saying “ba-jork.” That irritates me to no end. First, just to get it out of the way: I cannot for the life of me understand why this talented and beautiful Icelandic musician has chosen to spend her career saddled with a moniker that sounds like it would be better suited for a Swedish muppet… (Just had to get that off my chest…) …but in any case, you might find it interesting that you’re all pronouncing it wrong anyway. In Icelandic, it’s pronounced closer to “bjurk”. It’s also written with an umlaut (Björk). And it means “birch”. (And then it actually becomes a rather beautiful name, somehow.) [Chew on it here.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Is-Bj%C3%B6rk_Gu%C3%B0mundsd%C3%B3ttir.ogg) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/38 "2011-11-08T02:45:59Z")
Updated to add: The internet doesn’t seem to think I’ve been lying. Kaysh is given as the Australian pronunciation in several places. Woohoo! ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/39 "2011-11-08T02:52:10Z")
> [@Doc\_Trauma](#): > > Cache …I always read it as “cack”. Though “Cash-ae” does have a more elegant tone, I think that a “Cack” of weapons sounds more impressive then a “cash-ae”. > [@Chipacabra](#): > > Unless you’re in the US military, in which case a cache of weapons IS pronounced cash-ay, because they’re not going to change years of saying it that way just because it’s wrong. It’s pronounced “cash” even in the military. Hub spent 37 years in the US Army Ordnance Corp and never once had a “cash-ay” of weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611/40 "2011-11-08T03:28:51Z")
Czechoslovakia. I always pronounced it “Cheklosovakia”. Of course, now it’s much easier for me, because it exists separately as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-always-mispronounced/182611.md?page=3)