100 Most Often Mispronounced Words...

[JackBurton]

Good list.

 

[Ilmater]

I didn't know:

Champed at the bit
spit and image
triathlon

I did know and can't stand when people mispronounce/misspell:

For all intents and purposes

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: yowolabi

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: HamburgerBoy
Hahaha, who the hell pronounces ask like aks? I thought that was limited to the pun in Last Action Hero. Hmmm... just noticed that they didn't include brocktude.

EDIT: Heineken remover? :laugh:

You've obviously never heard a black person speak.

He could have listened to thousands of black people speak and never heard it pronounced "aks".

I think it's more of a regional thing. In the South, you hear "aks" 75% of the time.

Nope. Ebonics is everyhwere, not just the south.

 

[Bryophyte]

I really pissed off a guy once when he told me he planned on opening an "expresso" stand. I told him that anyone who couldn't pronounce the word espresso had no business selling it.

The often mispronounced word that irritates me lately is when people pronounce the word "our" like the word "are" instead like the word "hour".

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: rockyct
I've seen people use the phrase "I could care less" for "I couldn't care less."

I've called so many people on that. I just treat is as if they could actually care a bit less about something until they finally understand that they made a mistake.

 

[Pacemaker]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: guoziming

Originally posted by: b0mbrman

duck tape => duct tape, Ducks very rarely need taping though you may not know that ducts always do to keep air from escaping through the cracks in them.

I still think this one is debatable. Check the archives; We've had multiple threads discussing which is correct, each side with their own validating sources.

Duct tape was originally developed to seal ventilation ducts; duck tape is a brand name. I really don't see how duck tape can be validated.

There was a study that showed that duct tape is mostly useless for sealing ventilation ducts.

Duct tape, originally known as duck tape, is a strong, fabric-based, multi-purpose adhesive tape, usually silver or black in color, although many other colors, including transparent, have recently become available. Duct tape is usually 1.88 inches (48 mm) wide. It was originally developed during World War II in 1942 under the name "Duck Tape" as a waterproof sealing tape for ammunition cases. Permacel, then a division of Johnson & Johnson, used a rubber-based adhesive to help the tape resist water and a fabric backing to facilitate ripping. Because of these properties, it was also used to quickly repair military equipment, including jeeps, guns, and aircraft. Duct tape is also called 100mph Tape in the military, citing the urban legend that duct tape will hold its adhesion up to winds traveling 100 miles per hour.

After the war, the housing industry boomed and people started using duct tape for many other purposes. The name "duct tape" came from its use on heating and air conditioning ducts, a purpose for which it, ironically, has been deemed ineffective by the state of California and by building codes in most other places in the U.S. (which means professionals are restricted from using it in systems they install, but do-it-yourselfers are not). However, metallized and aluminium tapes used by professionals are still often called "duct tapes".


From Text

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Usage Note: The word forte, coming from French fort, should properly be pronounced with one syllable, like the English word fort. Common usage, however, prefers the two-syllable pronunciation, (fôrt), which has been influenced possibly by the music term forte borrowed from Italian. In a recent survey a strong majority of the Usage Panel, 74 percent, preferred the two-syllable pronunciation. The result is a delicate situation; speakers who are aware of the origin of the word may wish to continue to pronounce it as one syllable but at an increasing risk of puzzling their listeners.

dictionary.com

forte1

/fortay/

? noun a thing at which someone excels.

? ORIGIN French, ?strong?.

stfu.com

 

[MrColin]

someone could really screw up your spellchecker dictionary with that list lol.

 

[Minjin]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: rockyct
I've seen people use the phrase "I could care less" for "I couldn't care less."

I've called so many people on that. I just treat is as if they could actually care a bit less about something until they finally understand that they made a mistake.

A similar one that bugs me is "same difference" used for "same thing".

Mark

 

[Powermoloch]

There/their/they're ???? I can't stand people misusing them >>>.>>>> !!!!

 

[xtknight]

Heineken remover Heimlich maneuver (or manoeuvre, Br.)

hahaha

 

[zerocool1]

spitting image spit and image The very spit of someone is an exact likeness. "The spit and image" or "spit image" emphasizes the exactness.

That I didn't know.

 

[Pacemaker]

Originally posted by: Powermoloch
There/their/they're ???? I can't stand people misusing them >>>.>>>> !!!!

I don't misuse them, but I understand why people do. You learn to talk before you learn to read and write, and this makes it harder to learn the difference between words that sound the same. Stuff like this does make me wonder WTF is wrong with English.

Why are there so many words that sound nearly identical to each other but mean totally different things? Also, why does every rule in English have an exception....... It just doesn't make logical sense. (Yes I know that English was not invented and as such cannot be 100% logical, but it is darn near 100% illogical)

 

[clamum]

'erb -> herb

I think it was in school that I was taught to pronounce the H for the name Herb, but leave it off (erb) when referring to a plant. Damn you school!

 

[Pacemaker]

Originally posted by: clamum
'erb -> herb

I think it was in school that I was taught to pronounce the H for the name Herb, but leave it off (erb) when referring to a plant. Damn you school!

The british say Herb not erb...... so who's right..... 😕

 

[ruffilb]

This list is annoying.

 

[Pacemaker]

Also, I would argue that because English is dynamic, if more people are saying it one way, then that way is now the correct way and the old version is now an archaic pronunciation.

I have never in my life heard someone say, "That's my fort" I always hear "fortay" so I would argue that "fortay" is actually more correct.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: guoziming

Originally posted by: b0mbrman

duck tape => duct tape, Ducks very rarely need taping though you may not know that ducts always do to keep air from escaping through the cracks in them.

I still think this one is debatable. Check the archives; We've had multiple threads discussing which is correct, each side with their own validating sources.

Duct tape was originally developed to seal ventilation ducts; duck tape is a brand name. I really don't see how duck tape can be validated.

Are you sure about that one?

Wikipedia - Text

Duct tape, originally known as duck tape, is a strong, fabric-based, multi-purpose adhesive tape, usually silver or black in color, although many other colors, including transparent, have recently become available. Duct tape is usually 1.88 inches (48 mm) wide. It was originally developed during World War II in 1942 under the name "Duck Tape" as a waterproof sealing tape for ammunition cases. Permacel, then a division of Johnson & Johnson, used a rubber-based adhesive to help the tape resist water and a fabric backing to facilitate ripping. Because of these properties, it was also used to quickly repair military equipment, including jeeps, guns, and aircraft. Duct tape is also called 100mph Tape in the military, citing the urban legend that duct tape will hold its adhesion up to winds traveling 100 miles per hour.

Octanecreative - Text

The first name for Duct Tape was DUCK. During World War II the U.S. Military needed a waterproof tape to keep the moisture out of ammunition cases. So, they enlisted the Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division to manufacture the tape. Because it was waterproof, everyone referred to it as ?duck? tape (like water off a duck?s back). Military personnel discovered that the tape was good for lots more than keeping out water. They used it for Jeep repair, fixing stuff on their guns, strapping equipment to their clothing... the list is endless.

Ideafinder - Text

The original use was to keep moisture out of the ammunition cases. Because it was waterproof, people referred to the tape as "Duck Tape." Also, the tape was made using cotton duck - similar to what was used in their cloth medical tapes. Military personnel quickly discovered that the tape was very versatile and used it to fix their guns, jeeps, aircraft, etc. After the war, the tape was used in the booming housing industry to connect heating and air conditioning duct work together.

Soon, the color was changed from Army green to silver to match the ductwork and people started to refer to duck tape as "Duct Tape." Things changed during the 1970s, when the partners at Manco, Inc. placed rolls of duct tape in shrink wrap, making it easier for retailers to stack the sticky rolls. Different grades and colors of duct tape weren´t far behind. Soon, duct tape became the most versatile tool in the household.

Now, where's your link that shows that it was "originally developed to seal ventilation ducts"?

 

[Powermoloch]

Originally posted by: Pacemaker

Originally posted by: Powermoloch
There/their/they're ???? I can't stand people misusing them >>>.>>>> !!!!

I don't misuse them, but I understand why people do. You learn to talk before you learn to read and write, and this makes it harder to learn the difference between words that sound the same. Stuff like this does make me wonder WTF is wrong with English.

Why are there so many words that sound nearly identical to each other but mean totally different things? Also, why does every rule in English have an exception....... It just doesn't make logical sense. (Yes I know that English was not invented and as such cannot be 100% logical, but it is darn near 100% illogical)

I refuse to take out the refuse?

lol 😀

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Pacemaker
Also, I would argue that because English is dynamic, if more people are saying it one way, then that way is now the correct way and the old version is now an archaic pronunciation.

I have never in my life heard someone say, "That's my fort" I always hear "fortay" so I would argue that "fortay" is actually more correct.

And I'm seeing "loose" where "lose" should be, more and more often these days (Text and Text)

Would you also argue in favor of that?

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Pacemaker
Why are there so many words that sound nearly identical to each other but mean totally different things? Also, why does every rule in English have an exception....... It just doesn't make logical sense. (Yes I know that English was not invented and as such cannot be 100% logical, but it is darn near 100% illogical)

It's so that people who truly know English can revel in their mastery of the language, especially the more arcane words and idioms. Frankly, I love English just because it IS so illogical..it's a truly human creation in many ways, chock-full of history, petty squabbles, maxims, superstitions, and culture.

Originally posted by: Powermoloch
I refuse to take out the refuse?

lol 😀

*ahem* Those two words are pronounced differently. Yew lose.

 

[jai6638]

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
they don't have development! ggrrr! I can't seem to get myself to initially prounounce it "Dee-veh-lop-ment." I've always pronounced it from "DEV." I've always used "devs" for short for developers. So, since I was young, I've always pronounced it "DEH-VEH-LOPE-ERS" or "DEH-VEH-LOPE-MENT." Of course, nowadays, I realize what i sound like, and I have to make a concerted effort to say it the common way "Dee-Veh-Lope-Ment." I oftentimes miss, and my mouth spits out "DEH-VEH..." etc.. 🙁

hahaaah. Thats exactly what happens with me.. Having moved to the US a few years ago, I sometimes say Deh-Veh-Lope-Ment out of habit.

 

[MrChad]

:music:
I say potato, You say potatto
I say tomato, and you say tomatto
Potato, potatto, tomato, tomatto
Let's call the whole thing off!
:music:

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: CPA
how can colonel be left off that list.

Who mispronounces colonel? Or are you saying the popular pronunciation ("kernel") is wrong?

🙁 hey, it was up until very recently (2 years or so) that I finally found out that Colonel was pronounced "Kernal." I've always said it in my head as "Col-loh-nel." When I actually said it outloud, people looked at me wierd. "did you mearn kernel?" ehh?

I'm assuming it's based off of French, where if you say it in a heavy French accent, and say it fast, it actually sounds like "kernel." Well, more like "Kerlonehl"

 

[Goosemaster]

"nuquler" gets on my nerves