Correct Mispronunciations Here!

[BurtWorm]

Data = DAY-ta, not DAD-uh. DAY-ta base, not DAD-uh base. ("Data" is also plural for datum (DAY-tum).)

Dour = DOW-er, not DOO-er. (Although DOO-er is accepted, it's not the preferred pronunciation.)

Harass = huh-RASS, not HAIR-us. (Although, again, the latter is acceptable, the former is preferred.)

[Terwilliger]

1. it's "NUC - lee - ar" not "NUKE - YOU - lar"

[BurtWorm]

2. Forward that to the White House

wouldja? ;)

[hlthe2b]

56. Yes, at least with Oxford. Merrium Webster now lists both as

acceptable alternatives! Which, is why I now boycott Webster Dictionaries. BTW, they have received lots of angry mail about this decision, including some from me. Go to their website, and you can add your thoughts if you like.

[corporatewhore]

83. I am so ashamed i say nucular too

[kclown]

3. et cetera, not ek cetera. et=and, cetera=others (from Greek

hetera, thus heterosexual.

preventive and preventative are both ok.

[Bunny]

28. That makes me crazy!

Ek-cetra. Like nails on a chalkboard, it is!!

[Selwynn]

99. I HATE taht!! :D

I hate it when people get that wrong hehe!

[Cheswick2.0]

4. huh?

Poh-tah-toe not Poh-tay-toe

Wilkes Berry not Wilkes Bar

[BurtWorm]

7. Are you correcting mispronunciations or giving correct mispronunciations?

po-TAH-to is correct?

[Elidor]

13. Gollum: What's taters, precious? Eh? What's taters?

Sam: Poh-tay-toes.

I gotta go with Sam on this one. :evilgrin:

[qwertyMike]

38. And Vitamins ..

Is Vit-te-mns
not
Vy-te-mns

Kinda like To-maat-oes

Or Sked-ule
Not Shed-ule

In the UK anyway

It IS called English

Alumin-ium
Not alumin-um

Don't eaven ask about Uranus

[Ediacara]

47. Aluminum - depends on who you ask

Al was originally named Alumum, then ammended to Aluminum. In the late 19th century, there was an effort to standardize all chemical names, and Aluminum was changed to Aluminium.

According to IUPAC, Aluminium is the correct spelling, but.... it never really caught on in North America.

[TXlib]

48. I believe in the UK

Al is pronounced as 'al-you-MIN-ee-um'

Or am I totally full of shit?

[Ediacara]

50. you are correct

but it's spelled differently there too, Aluminium vs Aluminum (not the extra i).

[hlthe2b]

54. Ok, here comes my retentive nature..

But I proudly own all 30 volumes of OED on CD ROM, so I will USE it!

Oxford English Dictionary shows the pronunciation for Vitamins as
a diphthong "ai" as in BUY so VY-te-mins is not incorrect. "Vit" is listed as an alternative, so it appears that BOTH are correct.


Both pronunciations for schedule are included as well, although sked-ule is the American form.

While I may be confused about your point on aluminum, Oxford does list alum-in-um as the correct pronunciation for the word as spelled in the US. However, it does list aluminium as an alternate spelling, so both appear correct. And, while the alternate for Uranus pronunciation drives me nuts as well, Oxford DOES list both.

[hlthe2b]

35. Potato is Poh-tay-toe says Oxford English Dictionary

the "a" in the second syllable is pronounced like the ee in the German word for snow, schnee (i.e., "ay"). Similarly, tomato is TOE-May-TOE

Perhaps you were kidding?-- (if so, ignore, please)

[Doc_Technical]

51. "Let's call the whole thing off".

Fred and Ginger.

[hlthe2b]

53. Fred and Ginger--darn, now don't we miss them!

[mitchtv]

5. realty-

re-el-ty not reel-it-y

[BurtWorm]

8. REAL-tor, not REAL-uh-ter.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. I probably have a gazillion pronounciation errors

Since 99% of all my interactions in the English language are through the written word. Well, occasionaly I'm watching something in English on TV and a word comes out pronounced different from what I expected.

[BurtWorm]

10. Your written English is excellent!

:thumbsup:

You even got "different from" right, whereas a lot of Americans say "different than."

[Devlzown]

9. It seems like

the pronunciations for realtor and jewelry would be obvious, no? Then why do so many say real-a-ter and jew-la-ry?

[mitchtv]

11. for Californians

there is no silent T- Sacramento, not Sacramenno; County , not Counny

[BurtWorm]

14. New Yorkers say RAD-ee-ay-der for RAY-dee-ay-ter.

[Bunny]

29. Western PAers say RAD-ee-ay-ter too!

Took me a long time to correct my usage!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. Once a Brazilian coming back from the US said Atlanta was pronounced

"Alanna". When I eventually went to that very city, what I heard was Atlanna or Atlanta.

[Capn Sunshine]

36. but here in the South, its a "soft " t , Mitch

[mitchtv]

37. why do so cal'rs add "the" before a fwy name or number

The I10 or the 5 or the 210?, while nor cal'rs say 101 or 280?
Soft T? what's that?.

[Elidor]

12. Soon-zuh, not Sun Zoo

Referring to Sun Tzu

[chookie]

15. BeiJING, not BeiZHING!

As someone who knows Chinese, it drives me crazy to hear people, who ought to know better, mispronounce this. I even hear tv journalists mispronounce it -- only Peter Jennings (or is it Zhennings?) gets it right.

I give people a break on "shih tzu", but am intolerant of the mispronunnciation of the capitol of China.

Please please please pronounce BeiJING correctly, y'all!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. When I taught Japanese, I heard this kind of thing all the time

almost entirely from people who had studied a lot of French. They'd things like "zhouzu" instead of "jouzu" for "skillful." They also tended to pronounce "en" as "awnh."

Yes, "j" is "zh" in French, but not all foreign languages are pronounced like French!

[BurtWorm]

22. People even pronounce English like French.

Or should I say On-gleesh? It's supposed to be "EN-veh-lope" not "ON-vuh-lope."

[BurtWorm]

16. Is John Edwards right to say uh-FLOO-int?

I always thought it was AFF-loo-ent.

PS: I just checked it in the dictionary, and Edwards is wrong. It's either AFF-loo-ent or AFF-luh-went; uff-LOO-ent isn't correct.

[MikeG]

17. He's the only southern candidate who says Nu-Clee-Ur

instead of Nuke-U-Lur.

[Ratty]

18. JIGA-byte not GIGA-byte

I started saying JIGA-byte rather than GIGA-byte but everyone started making fun of me. So I'm back to plain old GIGA-byte.

[Ediacara]

41. Jiga-byte is wrong

The root is Greek, and is "gamma iota gamma alpha", so the first G is always G sounding, never J.

[Ratty]

67. Nuh Uh

American Heritage:



OED:

Giga-



E.g., Gigaflop:



The JIGA- pronunciation is listed first. Hard to believe. That's why I don't use it anymore even though it really flows off the tongue more smoothly IMHO.

[Ediacara]

71. Sorry but I have to side with AH's Greek etymology

instead of their completely non-standard latinization of it. Their etymology is clearly "gamma iota gamma alpha sigma" => Giga, not jiga. If they choose a trendy non-standard latinization of it, then they should not be writing a dictionary. On top of that, jiga, is NOT the norm for pronounciation, so should be dropped post-haste.

[Ratty]

73. Okay, so ...

Why do we pronounce gigantic the way we do? Isn't that the same root?

If they choose a trendy non-standard latinization of it, then they should not be writing a dictionary.

You'd be putting quite a few dictionary makers out of business then. They all seem to agree. I feel sorry for them. Poor dictionary makers. ;)

[Ediacara]

81. Look, everyone says giganitic: ji-gan-tik

No one, except you says gigabyte: jigabyte.

I am willing to side with common useage when it contradicts etyomological origin, as in the case of gigantic, but with gigabyte, you're down for the count. Common useage AND etyomological origin say that ji-ga-byte is incorrect.

If the American Heritage Dictionary insists on claiming that jiga is somehow correct, then so be it, but they're ignoring both common useage and etyomology in that case, and should really be barred from making dictionaries.

[BurtWorm]

84. Why isn't it ji-GA-bite, then?

;)

I can't believe I have a flame war going on this thread! :thumbsup:

[Ratty]

88. Thank you. I do try.

But back to the subject on hand:

I am willing to side with common useage when it contradicts etyomological origin, as in the case of gigantic

As far as I can tell, every word that begins with that root in English is commonly pronounced with a 'J', aside from the single metric derivation we are arguing about, gigabyte, gigahertz, gigawatt, etc. Frankly, I would rather trust every single English dictionary on the planet rather than however the first engineers chose to pronounce it the first time they came across it. Engineers and other technogeeks may be good at what they do, but they are by and large considered unremarkable when it comes to their literary and linguistic skills.

No, I don't pronounce is jigabyte anymore either. I realize it is a lost cause and more likely to be distracting. I'm enjoying arguing with you though, because you're just so darn certain it's absolutely wrong.

[Ediacara]

89. I have never heard any of these terms said as jiga

And so, we're back at common useage and etymology, both insist on giga.

[Pithlet]

82. I don't think I've ever heard it pronounced that way.

And I've been surrounded by computer geeks for awhile since I'm married to one :)

[Ratty]

90. That's the whole point of this thread

To correct things people mispronounce all the time. Although pronouncing the hard g isn't actually a mispronunciation in this case, it's an alternate though less-preferred pronunciation. A fun potential goat-getting technique next time your SO gets on your nerves. Just start pronouncing everything jiga.

[hlthe2b]

21. We bastardize even common foreign names in US: (Iran, Iraq, etc.)

Eyeeeee-rack Eyeeee-ran (It is I-rahn and I-rock. The I is prounounced as in the "i" in sit)

As major WWII anniverseries approach each year, I cringe when I hear Americans say OUSH-witch for Auschwitz, despite five decades of hearing it correctly pronounced Ousch-Vitz)

Oh, but there are so many more Americanisms that drive me crazy... Including referring to the library as Lie- berry....

[BurtWorm]

23. I am guilty of pronouncing Niger NYE-jur.

Now I learn it's nee-ZHAIR.

[hlthe2b]

25. True, but that is not a country that is often referred to , so

understandable. I reserve pet peeves for those terms that are common enough that we should know better...

[Ediacara]

44. Yes, and the people that live there: Nigeroise

Which I think is pronounced "nuh-zhair-WAH"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

24. It may be a lost cause, but

singing to a prerecorded accompaniment is NOT "carry-okie" but "kah-rah-oh-keh."

The traditional entertainers are not "ghee-sha" or "guy-sha" but "gay-sha."

And the one that grated every time I heard it on NPR, the cult that set off sarin gas on the Tokyo subway is NOT "Awm shin ricky-yoh" but "Ohm Shinree Kyo," with the "k" and "y" pronounced together as in "Q."

[Terwilliger]

26. It's "THEEAH - ter" ... NOT ... "thee - AY - ter"

and dactyl is DAK - til

but

carbonyl is car - bun - EEL

[ProudGerman]

27. Meme

It's pronounced "Eye-jumped-ahn-ay-stoopid-bandwagon"


Sorry, I really hate that word.

[ajacobson]

30. The name is Raymond Luxury-Yacht

but it is pronounced Throat Warbler Mangrove.

[baldguy]

33. You're a very silly man and I'm not going to interview you.

[twistedliberal]

31. Reese's pieces.

The name is Reese (REES). They are pieces.
Hence, "Reese's Pieces."

Not REESEES PEESSEEES!

[Nay]

32. SALMON is pronounced with the L silent.

It also bothers me when people mean "frustrated" but say "flustrated." If you mean "flustered," say it! If you mean "frustrated," say that! Don't combine two words with totally different meanings! Arrggh!

[hlthe2b]

34. Yes... Salmon has silent "L" but interesting that Salmonella-- the

bacterium does not. Almond is also a silent "L" but rarely do I hear it pronounced that way...

[qwertyMike]

39. URANUS

Go for it

[Ediacara]

42. oo-RAH-noose

Although "Your anus" and "Urine us" are very common mispronunciations.

[hlthe2b]

55. Oxford English Dictionary has two pronunciations for Uranus

"your anus" and "urine us" both considered correct.

Ur-AH-Noose sounds interesting, but it is not listed by OED.

[many a good man]

40. How about place names, as pronounced by locals?

Ohio: Uh-HI-uh
Maryland: MUR-uh-lun
Washington: WAR-shin-tun
Virginia: Va-GIN-ya
Pennsylvania: PEE-AY
Missouri: Muh-ZUR-uh
Long Island: Lawn-GUY-lund

[Ediacara]

45. Washington natives DO NOT say worshington

[many a good man]

49. That's Warshintin as in DEE-CEE

Its hard to find natives around the nation's capital, but many of the old timers call it that. Most of the transplants or transients call it DEE-CEE.

[bhunt70]

46. dont forget Nevada.

I wont try, but I'd been saying it wrong for a long time, until I met a girl from there.

[Ediacara]

43. There is *NO* R in "wash" or "Washington"

If I hear another person say "the state of Worshington" again I think I may end up in jail :-)

[rustydog]

52. BUSH: Ree-tard

[Muesli]

57. Yeah,

but the "B" is silent, you pronounce it by making a retching sound.

[trof]

58. Not Goo-dah cheese, not How-dah either.

It's <begin to clear your throat like you're hocking up a...>
Cchhhhhow-dah.
Or maybe it's kkkhhhhhow-dah.
I think you have to be Dutch or German to do it right.

[Kellanved]

72. heh

Good one.

And as the cheese's real name is "Goudse Boerenkaas" it's actually worse...


Here an example MP3 for "Gouda" :
http://www.stanford.edu/~sipma/goudanl.MP3


http://www.stanford.edu/~sipma/index.html

[arwalden]

59. SIGH-Ren... Not Sigh-REEN

[arwalden]

60. Skwurl not Ska-whirl

[arwalden]

61. Weapons Of Mass Destruction --- Not: Weaponsh Of Mash Deshtrucshun

[twistedliberal]

66. "...relaytud program activitiesh."

[veganwitch]

62. were-ship nor war-ship

i dated a kid from new york who had lots of family in mass. and everyonce in a while the mass accent would slip out. we were playing magic (dork alert) and he kept saying war-ship and i had no idea what he was talking about. apparently he had a card called worship and i was looking for a huge fucking boat.

[Bertha Venation]

63. may be obscure, but: "Huntington Beach"

If you don't want to sound like a tourist or an idiot, it's

'HUNNINGTON' Beach.

That's all I have.

Oops: besides one.

God dammit, Bush, it's NOO-KLEE-YAR! You moron!

[Ratty]

86. Another obscure native pronunciation

A major street where I grew up is "San Pedro," but if you ever pronounced it that way people would look at you funny.

The *correct* pronunciation, according to everyone living there I'd ever met, is "San Peedro."

[mantis49]

92. San Jose, IL

is SAN JOSE, not SAN hosay

Go figure

[mitchtv]

93. sorry Bertha

I didn't give up English when I came to California in '67.I have a horrible habit of pronouncing my t's I say counTy and SacramenTo also. Huntington is just another example of laziness on the part of Californians. BTW, I am neither an idiot nor a tourist.
Nor, do I say Pally Alto nor Sally andro.

[Kellanved]

64. well

Not really a mispronunciation, but still...
People writing German words and mixing up "ie" (pronounced "ee") and "ei" (pronounced "ay").

[BurtWorm]

76. Handel: HEN-dul, not HON-dul

Am I right?

[Kellanved]

80. depends

I's hard to map German to English vowels; I'd say Hen-dul is better than Hon-dul. Hen-dul is ok when referring to the musician; as both spellings exist for that name (Hendel and Handel).
The German word "Handel" (commerce/trade/transaction) is more like Hun-dul (with the 'u' like in "hunt").

http://dict.leo.org/l?16216981/der_handel.wav
http://dict.leo.org

[CanuckAmok]

65. Detroit: Detroyt. No Detroy-it.

n/t

[twistedliberal]

68. Terror, not terra.

[BurtWorm]

75. sub-LIM-in-al

not sub-LIM-in-ubb-ull.

[nuxvomica]

69. Another data management example: It's QUEER-ee not QUAIR-ee

When did "query" start rhyming with "hairy"? Is it a Canadian pronunciation a some sort of misguided PC thing?

[arwalden]

70. Why doesn't "ROUGH" rhyme with "DOUGH" or "COUGH"? And...

why doesn't "GOOD" rhyme with "FOOD"?

-- Allen

[CanuckAmok]

74. "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our fud"-Laverne &Shirley

n/t

[BurtWorm]

77. Mispronounced proper nouns

Handel = HEN-del

Vladimir Nabokov = vluh-DEE-mir na-BOAK-off

Cheney = CHEEN-ee (believe it or not, but I still mispronounce it the way every one else does. I hope it bugs the shit out of him.)

[Ratty]

79. Lekh va-WEN-sa, Mikhail garba-CHOFE, Nikita khroo-SHOFE

etc.

[Ratty]

78. uh-TOM-uh-ton, not auto-MAY-tun

Automaton

Learned that one on Lost in Space when I was 6 or so.

Now, if I only knew how to pronounce "interstices" without looking it up in a dictionary. My guess: in-TUR-stuhsees.

[corporatewhore]

85. thee ater drives me nuts

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

87. Alleged only has two syllables

uh-lejd..NOT uh-le-jed

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

91. forte= fort unless you're talkong music.

Pepys =Peeps
Aloyisious = Al oh WISH us

[Ediacara]

94. wrong on forte

forte, in all cases, should be said for-tay. There was a quite extensive thread on this the last time a mispronunciation thread came up :-)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

95. Not according to the Webster's Lexicon on my desk.

or several other dictionaries I have consulted.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

97. Here's a link for yet another agreeing on forte pronounced fourt...

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/f/f0269900.html


http://www.dict.org/bin/Dict

[Selwynn]

100. its LAY-MHURZ ... Here, I'll use it in a sentence:

You are all a bunch of lamers!

:)

Just kidding.

[Pithlet]

102. Yep

although almost no one pronounces it that way. I just don't use the word anymore, because when I pronounce it correctly, no one knows what I mean. I just can't use it the way everyone else does because I know it's wrong.

[no name no slogan]

96. It's CHEE--WAH--WAH; not CHAI--HOOWAH--HOOWAH

Just in case Les Nessman from WKRP is tuned in.

Also, it's "CHEE-CHEE-ROD-REE-GEZ"; not "CHAI-CHAI-ROD-WIG-WAYS"

FYI

[earthman dave]

98. "Orange squirrel", not "ornj squirl".

Greetings from England. :)

[twistedliberal]

101. Syrup. Not surp.

[T Bone]

103. It's et cetera NOT ek cetra -abbreviation is etc NOT ect. Thank you

say it correctly: et setera NOT - ek setra

and the abbreviation is written etc NOT ect.

et cetera means "and similar things" in Latin.
Thank you for paying attention and doing this correctly from now into the future, ad infinitum, if you will.