English words that are spelled differently then how they are pronounced

[jersiq]

Get a map of New England and a dart.

Throw said dart at map, and 1/2 the time you will hit a town that isn't at all pronounced as it is spelled.

Of course, I am sure this is true throughout every region in the U.S., I am just living in New England at the moment.

 

[PolymerTim]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
Anything with a "gh." Half the time it's an "F" sound, as in tough, and the rest, it's a long vowel, as in night. The g is always silent. What a load of shit.

That's one of my personal favorites. The example I heard once is that, using example pronunciations of "ough" in various words, the word doughnut could be argued to be pronounced as any of the following:
1) doh nut (for example in though)
2) doo nut (for example in through)
3) dow nut (for example in bough)
4) duf nut (for example in tough)

 

[ManyBeers]

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: ManyBeers

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: ManyBeers
pseudo--should be-- suddoh
psychiatrist--should be--fizzeuhkeyuhtrist

I don't know how you came up with the psychiatrist pronunciation, but that first one is how pseudo is pronounced.

The psychiatrist one i heard in a movie years ago and my mother and i laughed at the guys pronunciation. As for pseudo , i asked a friend of mine once how to spell it and he said "sutto", which i thought was funny because i knew how to spell it. So i modified his spelling a little to how i think it should be spelled.

Oh, I see what you were doing. The "key" would be pronounced "kee" through analogy with the actual, wouldn't it? Phonetic spellings don't work with English in its current state because most vowels and vowel combinations have more than one sound commonly associated with them. There is no safe, neutral value for any given vowel.

Yes, the guy pronounced it "fizz-e-uh-kee-uh-trist. It sounded funny in the movie.

 

[newb111]

Originally posted by: zoiks
Geoduck.

Try pronouncing that.

gooey duck

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Originally posted by: jersiq
Get a map of New England and a dart.

Throw said dart at map, and 1/2 the time you will hit a town that isn't at all pronounced as it is spelled.

Of course, I am sure this is true throughout every region in the U.S., I am just living in New England at the moment.

No joke. I lived in Mass for 5 months, and it cracked me up every time they called Worcester "wuss-ter." Like... that's just not even close. The first R is completely abandoned, the O becomes a U, the CE is also abandoned... What a fucked up word.

 

[summit]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy

Originally posted by: jersiq
Get a map of New England and a dart.

Throw said dart at map, and 1/2 the time you will hit a town that isn't at all pronounced as it is spelled.

Of course, I am sure this is true throughout every region in the U.S., I am just living in New England at the moment.

No joke. I lived in Mass for 5 months, and it cracked me up every time they called Worcester "wuss-ter." Like... that's just not even close. The first R is completely abandoned, the O becomes a U, the CE is also abandoned... What a fucked up word.

why Mass SUXORS!

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy

Originally posted by: jersiq
Get a map of New England and a dart.

Throw said dart at map, and 1/2 the time you will hit a town that isn't at all pronounced as it is spelled.

Of course, I am sure this is true throughout every region in the U.S., I am just living in New England at the moment.

No joke. I lived in Mass for 5 months, and it cracked me up every time they called Worcester "wuss-ter." Like... that's just not even close. The first R is completely abandoned, the O becomes a U, the CE is also abandoned... What a fucked up word.

I grew up in Springfield Mass...and "wor-chester" was pronounced woo-ster...WTF?

But, then again, every place has it's oddities in names...Names derived from Indian tribes...or Americanized versions of them anyway...semi-Spanish names, etc....

Here's some stuff from an English Oddities page:

Can you read these right the first time?
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.



2) The farm was used to produce produce.


3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.


4) We must polish the Polish furniture.


5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.


6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.


7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.


8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum


9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.


10) I did not object to the object.


11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.


12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.


13) They were too close to the door to close it.


14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.


15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.


16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.


17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.


18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.


19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.


20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

 

[Xstatic1]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Here's some stuff from an English Oddities page:

Can you read these right the first time?
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

...

...

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

i had to read the sentence first (for comprehension) before even attempting for correct pronunciation. that was cooool!

 

[Epic Fail]

Originally posted by: Xstatic1

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Here's some stuff from an English Oddities page:

Can you read these right the first time?
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

...

...

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

i had to read the sentence first (for comprehension) before even attempting for correct pronunciation. that was cooool!

I read it and have to agree it was a cool read.

 

[BoomerD]

A googling of "English language oddities" will bring lots of interesting tidbits...

 

[lyssword]

Like 50% of English words, it's a mess 😛

 

[grrl]

I'll just say this, none of the words in the OP's title should be difficult to spell correctly.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: sirjonk
Phonetic

Irony ftw

absolutely.

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Here's some stuff from an English Oddities page:

Can you read these right the first time?

I got all of them right until number 17. It's like walking a tight-rope.

 

[Billb2]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Billb2
Texans pronounce tire and tower that same, so i guess at least one of them sounds different than the way it's spelled ...for Texans anyway

what the fuck are you talking about?viscount

pronounce tire and then tower, both with a Texas drawl. If you have any control at all over your mouth, they will sound exactly the same, as they do when Texans say then.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy

Originally posted by: jersiq
Get a map of New England and a dart.

Throw said dart at map, and 1/2 the time you will hit a town that isn't at all pronounced as it is spelled.

Of course, I am sure this is true throughout every region in the U.S., I am just living in New England at the moment.

No joke. I lived in Mass for 5 months, and it cracked me up every time they called Worcester "wuss-ter." Like... that's just not even close. The first R is completely abandoned, the O becomes a U, the CE is also abandoned... What a fucked up word.

I grew up in Springfield Mass...and "wor-chester" was pronounced woo-ster...WTF?

But, then again, every place has it's oddities in names...Names derived from Indian tribes...or Americanized versions of them anyway...semi-Spanish names, etc....

Here's some stuff from an English Oddities page:

Can you read these right the first time?
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.



2) The farm was used to produce produce.


3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.


4) We must polish the Polish furniture.


5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.


6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.


7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.


8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum


9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.


10) I did not object to the object.


11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.


12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.


13) They were too close to the door to close it.


14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.


15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.


16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.


17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.


18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.


19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.


20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

i read those fine :?