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Original poster

Things that you thought were said differently

428 replies

BabyLlamaZen · 19/06/2020 15:55

When I first read Harry Potter I thought it was 'hermy-own' - was gobsmacked when I heard how it was pronounced when the films started coming out! I also thought mirror of Erised was pronounced 'i-rye-sd'

OP posts:
Bluesheep8 · 20/06/2020 08:19

Isn't Mouseholes in Cornwall pronounced Mowzul? Confused

CodenameVillanelle · 20/06/2020 08:19

[quote AhBallix]@Summer15coming

Ahspart-amay.

I fink!![/quote]
No may on the end!

ItsNotNormalLove · 20/06/2020 08:43

I'm sure you all know about the Norfolk placenames Happisburgh and Wymondham (pronounced Haze-bruh and Win-dum)

When I was a kid I pronounced adhesive as add-HESS-iv and got laughed at.

And on the Arkansas one, how about Illinois? It's not pronounced ill-i-noise but a lot of people think it is.

Doingtheboxerbeat · 20/06/2020 10:01

@Whine

Seriously am I the only one to say Yosemite? Similar to the Arkansas/Arkansaw thing- I had no idea that yossy-might (how I thought it should be pronounced) and yo-sem-it-tee were the same place...
@Whine, I think I knew how this was pronounced because of Yosemite Sam, that cartoon little guy with the massive mustache.
DuesToTheDirt · 20/06/2020 10:02

I pronounce "lingerie" like "underwear" Wink

And Aspartame as uh-SPAR-tuh-me. Is that wrong then?

SummerOfComedy · 20/06/2020 10:04

@hopelessbusiness

I thought Arkansas was pronounced Ar-can-sas for waaaay too long!!
I'm with you. And I think it makes more sense the way we pronounce it. 😊
lootsharks · 20/06/2020 10:11

@Bluesheep8

Isn't Mouseholes in Cornwall pronounced Mowzul? Confused
Yes. I think it's an unsuccessful bid to stop the emmets finding it.
merryhouse · 20/06/2020 10:22

oh, I love looking like a bomzitit!

Did your mother also call you a daft apeth? Pretty sure I was in my twenties before the - ahem - penny dropped on that one.

On a tangent, I used to dissuade my son from splashing in certain puddles by saying "ooh no, that one's a bit deep" - eventually I discovered that he thought "bitdeep" was a certain type of puddle...

CloudsCanLookLikeSheep · 20/06/2020 10:22

Leominster does my head in.
Pronounced Lemster I was surprised to discover

testing987654321 · 20/06/2020 10:45

Seriously am I the only one to say Yosemite?

I did until I was corrected.

Anyone familiar with the water sports centre Holme Pierrepont? Why is that pronounced home peer point?

AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 20/06/2020 10:51

clouds or Towcester, pronounced Toaster.

SybillaB · 20/06/2020 10:52

The first time I saw falafel written down I read it as far-la-fell. Equal emphasis on each syllable. I still have to think first before saying it.

steppemum · 20/06/2020 10:57

aspartame definitely has a 'me' sound on the end

I say biopic to rhyme with myopic.

When I was a teen we had to read aloud in English, there was a passage with and English Marquis in it. Now in french that is Markee (as in the 'Markee' de Sad)
But this was an English Marquis and I was sure you didn't pronounce it the same as the French. So I said Mar - quiss (basically as it is spelt, and the class all laughed. But the teacher didn't say anything and just went on. I think she didn't know either.

I still have no idea how you pronounce and English Marquis, and then years later I discovered that it isn't an English title anyway, so ....

I've no idea!

AvonCallingBarksdale · 20/06/2020 11:02

Aspartame is “tame” at the end. You can work out the pronunciation of any word looking at the phonetic spelling.

BlusteryShowers · 20/06/2020 11:05

How do you say calliope? It's in my son's Thomas The Tank Engine magazine ffs and I don't know how to pronounce it!

Bloody Thomas.

LethargicLumpOfLockdownLard · 20/06/2020 11:05

I used to say thesaurus like it was a dinosaur.
Detritus as PP said (Troll in Pratchett novels).
Coup as in a military coup always said coop, as in chicken.

I blame reading rather than talking to people for most of my teen years.

LethargicLumpOfLockdownLard · 20/06/2020 11:05

Cally-oh-pee?

LethargicLumpOfLockdownLard · 20/06/2020 11:07

I'm sure it was on a TV show as a name. I'd say calliope like cantelope though if I'd only seen it written.

MillicentMartha · 20/06/2020 11:07

With you, Sybilla. I’m not from south east, though so was pronouncing it falla fell until my late 40s! Blush Some young 20 somethings fell about laughing at me. Fa LAF ul.

tabulahrasa · 20/06/2020 11:09

@BlusteryShowers

How do you say calliope? It's in my son's Thomas The Tank Engine magazine ffs and I don't know how to pronounce it!

Bloody Thomas.

It’s cal-eye-o-pee
BlusteryShowers · 20/06/2020 11:09

I would have said Cally- oh pee but it's not clear!

I can remember being read Harry Potter by a teacher saying Her me own and knowing she was wrong, but not wanting to embarrass her.

MillicentMartha · 20/06/2020 11:10

Anything Greek sounding like Calliope, think ‘Penelope’ It’s the only way I can get them right.

MillicentMartha · 20/06/2020 11:11

Hermione, also Greek. Follows the ‘Penelope’ rule.

SunshineThelma · 20/06/2020 11:15

My mum's childhood misreading of chameleon as cammy-lion has become a 'family word' we all know is wrong, but is a kind of in-joke now.

steppemum · 20/06/2020 11:22

You can work out the pronunciation of any word looking at the phonetic spelling.

well, as that doesn't work for pretty much any word on this thread, that is a bit irrelevant isn't it?

penelope - pronounce the lope at the end ....Oh no wait Grin

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