Don't use a word if you can't pronounce it correctly!

Millennium, which caused me a lot of embarrassment in 1999 when I was working in IT with everyone worrying about the Millennium bug.

What about gilet? I called it a gill-ett because I didn’t know any better! My friend told me is a jill-ey (with a French accent) but I sometimes ‘correct’ her and say it my way to wind her up. ?

We went to buy a new settee and picked out a flowery-upholstered one called the "Cezanne". When the spotty youth filled in the order form he commented. "So you chose the Ker-zany!"

It’s the spots wat does it!

I knew a girl who was selling containers to put pot pourri in. She pronounced it pot (as in hot) and then purry (as a cat purs). Poor girl, she had no idea and she’d been demonstrating in front of groups of people! I just pronounced it properly and she realised thank goodness. This has been a most difficult post to write due to spell check driving me mad with suggestions!

Another one from my Mil - she'd say Long Lee At instead of Longleat.

Years ago, office where I worked, odd-job man we often used looked back at the rather tattered doormat and said “You ought to hang that on the wall as a muriel”

First time in an Italian restaurant (this was many many years ago), never having eaten Italian food before I remember asking for the Penne only I pronounced it pen - the waiter took the order without saying anything but when placing it on the table said, very quietly, "pen nay".

Ah well, I didn’t learn Greek or Latin, so pronounce hyperbole exactly as it is written. In fact, come to think of it, I have never heard anyone use the ‘correct’ pronunciation.

Think I’ll continue to do so, ‘cause I’m shirty when told not to do something. ?

There is a village not far from here called Woolfardisworthy, usually pronounced "Woolsery".

But just confuse people, some sign posts are to Woolfardisworthy, others to Woolsery. I'm amazed that visitors aren't spending hours driving around lost and in a state of confusion!

A lot of words that I know, I never get the opportunity to say, so have little idea how they're pronounced.

I don't mind a bit when it is just someone in conversation but I mind strongly when it is a newsreader or supposed expert. Don't' we pay them to know the correct pronunciation?

A friend calls the builder Persimmon Persimion and the thyroid thoughride but that doesn't matter a bit. I was once at a talk from someone who thought he knew everything and was proud of myself and the rest of the group who kept straight faces when we were told that it 'was the very epy tome'. Don't think he ever knew he had got it wrong.

Why has enunciation gone out of fashion in broadcasting?

and while I'm having a whinge about the media, why are we now 'watching on'? When was the 'on' added?

Mispronunciation doesn’t bother me, and I’m sure I do plenty of it.

But I do object to companies choosing names for themselves or their ranges that I don’t know how to pronounce. Looking at you, TUI and Sainsburys for Tu. Too, tyu, tyooey, tooey?

I did once brighten someone’s day in a travel agent when I came over all French asking for the Leger brochure. They’re a tour company based in Doncaster, where the St Leger’s run.

Because my father was profoundly deaf, he often pronounced words (especially long words) as they were wrote.
We would often have explain the correct pronunciation.

However on a number of occasions my late father's pronunciation has proved to be very helpful.
For example a family member asked how to spell Exzema and my answer was just how xxx
pronounced it.

A cousin lives in an area with an extremely long and difficult sounding name, when I address her xmas card I just replay my fathers voice in my head. Simples

I recently heard of an outfit trimmed with ‘Malibu!’

Yikes correct spelling
Eczema! Not my dad's version

I always smile to myself when people say they are suffering with their "Arthuritis".

I too have been guilty of saying Pen-a-lope and Her-my-own-ee until I heard others pronounce the names (only ever having read them).

I have notice young people now saying melk instead of milk, but this has been called the Canadian vowel shift by linguists studying language. I haven't really noticed it in other short-I sounds.

And I have always been amazed and astounded at some of the town names in England not being pronounce at all like the spelling.

In class once, I referred to the Marine Corp as the Marine "Corpse". The whole room was full of laughter, and I almost crawled under my chair?

I was about 10 when I learned from.my younger cousin that the depot was not the dee-pot but the deppo!
I think that correct pronounciation is important if meaning is lost. If, however, communication is still clear..no harm done! I am surprised if it was an announcer / journalist who made the error as clear communication is what their job is!

I still like to say Ill frackomby and El Dora doo. (Ilfracombe and Eldorado) My Grandmother used to do it on purpose for fun.

Weobley is pronounced Webly and Leominster Lemster

I haven't read the whole thread so my answer is to the opening post. If a person has only ever read a word they might not know how to pronounce it.

As a child I mispronounced the names Penelope and Bellerophon (and probably lots else along with all the ones I just skipped over) wrong until I heard them spoken by someone who knew.

Greek words are tricky.

My dad said he cycled past a street called Gipton Appricotch for years before he actually saw that it said Approach.

Who else said veehickle when they first saw it on road signs? ?