100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and
Phrases in English
Now that Dr. Language has provided a one-stop cure for the plague of misspelling, here are the 100 words most often mispronounced English words (\rules in English even if they are difficult to understand, so pronouncing a word correctly usually does help you spell it correctly. Several common errors are the result of rapid speech, so take your time speaking, correctly enunciating each word. Careful speech and avid reading are the best guides to correct spelling.
Don't say
Do Say Comment
A
acrossed
across
It is easy to confuse \keep them separate.
affidavid
affidavit
Even if your lawyer's name is ''David,'' he issues affidavits.
Old-timer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
While it is a disease of old-timers, it is named for the German neurologist, Dr. Alois Alzheimer.
Antartic
Antarctic
Just think of an arc of ants (an ant arc) and that should help you keep the [c] in the pronunciation of this word.
Artic aks
Arctic ask
Another hard-to-see [c]梑ut it is there.
This mispronunciation has been around for so long (over 1,000 years) that linguist Mark Aronoff thinks we should cherish it as a part of our linguistic heritage. Most of us would give the axe to \
athelete, atheletic athlete, athletic Two syllables are enough for \
B
barbituate
barbiturate
Don't forget this word contains three others: bar+bit+u+rate
bob wire
barbed wire
No, this word wasn't named for anyone named ''Bob;'' it should be \杄d, meaning ''having,'' is fading away in the U.S.
bidness
business
The change of [s] to [d] before [n] is spreading throughout the US and when the unaccented [I] drops from this word the [s] finds itself in the same environment as in \
a blessing in the skies
a blessing in disguise
This phrase is no blessing if it comes from the skies. (Pronounce it correctly and help maintain the disguise.)
C
Calvary
cavalry
It isn't clear why we say, ''Mind your Ps and Qs'' when we have more difficulty keeping up with our Ls and Rs. Had there been a cavalry in Jesus' time, perhaps Calvary would not have been so tragic.
cannidate
candidate
You aren't being canny to drop the [d] in this word. Remember, it is the same as \help guys remember how to prepare for dates, too.)
card shark
cardsharp
Cardsharps probably won't eat you alive, though they are adept at cutting your purse strings.
Carpool tunnel
Carpal tunnel
This one is mispronounced (and misspelled) several
syndrome syndrome different ways; we just picked the funniest. Carpal means ''pertaining to the wrist.''
caucaphony cacophony There is no greater cacophony [k?kaf阯i] to the ears than to hear the vowels switched in the pronunciation of this word.
The Caucases The Caucasus Although there are more than one mountain in this chain, their name is not a plural noun.
chester drawers chest of drawers The drawers of Chester is a typical way of looking at these chests down South but it misses the point.
chomp at the bit champ at the bit \we thought you might like to be reminded that the vowel should be [?] not [o].
close clothes The [th] is a very soft sound likely to be overlooked. Show your linguistic sensitivity and always pronounce it.
coronet cornet Playing a crown (coronet) will make you about as popular as wearing a trumpet (cornet) on your head梤eason enough to keep these two words straight.
D
dialate
dilate
The [i] in this word is so long there is time for another vowel but don't succumb to the temptation.
diptheria doggy dog world
diphtheria
dog-eat-dog world
The ''ph'' in this word is pronounced [f], not [p]. The world is even worse than you think if you think it merely a \such bad news.
drownd
drown
You add the [d] only to the past tense and past
participle.
duck tape
duct tape
Ducks very rarely need taping though you may not know that ducts always do not keep air from escaping through the cracks in them.
E
elec'toral
e'lectoral
The accent is on the second, not the third, syllable and there is no [i] in it?B>not \electorial.\same applies to \
excape
escape
The good news is, if you say \excape,\the prefix ex- because its meaning does fit this word. The bad news is, you don't use this prefix on \
expresso
espresso
While I can't express my love for espresso enough, this word was borrowed from Italian well after the Latin prefix ex- had developed into es-.
excetera
et cetera
Latin for \words that probably should be written separately.
expecially
especially
Things especial are usually not expected, so don't confuse these words.
F
Febyuary
February
We don't like two syllables in succession with an [r] so some of us dump the first one in this word. Most dictionaries now accept the single [r] pronunciation but, if you have an agile tongue, you may want to shoot for the original.
fedral federal Syncopation of an unaccented vowel is fairly common in rapid speech but in careful speech it should be avoided.
fillum film We also do not like the combination [l] + [m]. One solution is to pronounce the [l] as [w] (\\word.
fisical fiscal In fact, we don't seem to like any consonants together. Here is another word, like athlete and film that is often forced to swallow an unwanted vowel.
flounder founder Since it is unlikely that a boat would founder on a flounder, we should distinguish the verb from the fish as spelling suggests.
foilage foliage Here is another case of metathesis, place-switching of sounds. Remember, the [i] comes after the [l], as in related \
For all intensive purposes
For all intents and purposes
The younger generation is mispronouncing this phrase so intensively that it has become popular both as a mispronunciation and misspelling.
forte fort The word is spelled \when speaking of music, as a \words for a strong point and a stronghold are pronounced the same: [fort].
H
Heineken remover
Heimlich maneuver (or manoeuvre, Br.)
This term is mispronounced many different ways. This is just the funniest one we have heard. This maneuver (manoeuvre) was named for US surgeon Henry Jay