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Common mispronunciations

(104 Posts)
grannyactivist Thu 13-Mar-14 00:30:16

Here are the top ten common mispronunciations apparently. I was surprised not to find 'secretary' and 'February' in there. What would you add to the list?

MiceElf Thu 13-Mar-14 13:54:15

And now I've looked at the original article I see bruschetta is there! Whoops. However, they are wrong, wrong, wrong about Greenwich which they assert is Gren edge. All the locals say Grin itch.

And I now confess to having pronounced facsimile as fass im mile for years until I heard someone say aloud.

MiceElf Thu 13-Mar-14 13:47:18

Well Bags, when I asked her which part of Italy she was from she told me that she was from Croatia, and that she had only been working there for a week. I think I did her a favour as the many Italians who eat there would perhaps not have been as polite as I was.

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 13:17:09

mice, even then, though it does sound a bit cheeky, the customer always being right and all that...

...because the word used in English does not have to be pronounced in the same way as the word used in Italian (or whatever foreign language). Think "Paris", for instance,

or the Scottish word 'ashet' from assiette. There will be many others.

Grannyknot Thu 13-Mar-14 11:45:14

bags has raised the good point that one man's pronunciation meat is another man's poison. E.g. re @feetle in South Africa it is the other way round. Ki-LOM-itter would be correct and KI-lo-meter would be incorrect. Ecksetera smile and people would laugh at me! (or at least suppress a smile) when I said South-wark as it is written when I first arrived here.

KatyK Thu 13-Mar-14 10:41:57

Skedule instead of schedule, pacific instead of specific. That sikth thing drives me mad too. One sports presenter on the BBC this week described someone as 'being in sick place'. Grrrrr

Anne58 Thu 13-Mar-14 10:05:07

The American pronunciation of Lab rat ory, instead of la bor at ory (that doesn't look right, but hopefully someone will know what I mean!)

MiceElf Thu 13-Mar-14 10:04:27

Not if they are working in an Italian restaurant and correct MY pronunciation!

Ana Thu 13-Mar-14 10:03:21

Fith instead of fifth - TV presenters are the worst offenders!

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 09:57:45

I think people can be forgiven for mispronouncing words like bruschetta, especially if you have never heard the word, only read it.

Joelsnan Thu 13-Mar-14 09:44:17

Sikth instead of sixth, there are so many TV presenters that say this!
Baareee instead of battery
Hehww instead of hell
Alumium instead of Aluminium
I could go on...sorry!

MiceElf Thu 13-Mar-14 09:42:31

Brush etta instead of brushketta in bruschetta

JoyBloggs Thu 13-Mar-14 09:34:49

Lilygran, glad I'm not the only one who finds that really annoying!

nightowl Thu 13-Mar-14 09:26:17

Does anyone else share my obsession with the pronunciation of diss-ect rather than die-sect? This was drummed into me by a biology teacher who would say we would be dissecting a rat ie opening it up not cutting it in half. The other pronunciation seems to be widely used but it still sets my teeth on edge; after all, if it were die-sect surely it would be spelt with only one s?

granjura Thu 13-Mar-14 09:20:06

prostrate for prostate, and ménage for manège (household / horse riding 'rink')

Ariadne Thu 13-Mar-14 09:19:30

"mute point" instead of "moot point"

feetlebaum Thu 13-Mar-14 08:59:27

'Ki-LOM-itter' instead of 'KILometre'...

Lilygran Thu 13-Mar-14 08:54:05

Oh, JoyBloggs, you've hit on one of my pet hates! And why can people who put glottal stops into their otherwise standard English not manage to say 'Law and order'? Ed and Dave spring to mind.

annodomini Thu 13-Mar-14 08:42:46

Probly instead of probably.

Soutra Thu 13-Mar-14 08:40:16

Have we said "secketery"?

Grannyknot Thu 13-Mar-14 08:20:13

Vunrable for vul-ne-ra-ble.

JoyBloggs Thu 13-Mar-14 08:15:12

'Laura norder' instead of 'law and order', (especially when they refer to the 'breakdown of laura norder' which seems to refer to a distressed lady).

Dragonfly1 Thu 13-Mar-14 07:41:08

Pacific instead of specific.

besottedgran Thu 13-Mar-14 07:38:08

Oops of course I meant libary rather than library !

besottedgran Thu 13-Mar-14 07:36:14

Mischievious rather than mischievous - - also library rather than library.

Brendawymms Thu 13-Mar-14 07:08:09

Excellerate rather than accelerate.