To not realise I was saying this wrong...

[HelloBunny]

Stopped on the street today by a lady looking for a shop. She asked for the nearest “Shrov-Ski”.
Explained further that it’s a jewellery shop. I eventually cottoned on that she meant “Swaa-Rov-Ski”
Bit like “hyper-bole” with me as well... (until I heard it said on the News!) And the name “Beat-Rice”.

My DH (late 40s) though ‘meme’ was meh-may. Much to huge amusement of our DC!

Disclaimer: I'm not Scottish, but apparently the old pronunciation was something like Mac-King-y.

I have a question. How is mischievous pronounced? Miss-chiv-us Or Miss-cheev-i-us

You've answered your own question by being able to spell the word. Is there an 'i' after the 'v'? No.

The 'ee-ous' four syllable pronunciation is common - almost to the extent of inventing a new word - but that word would need to be spelt differently. It also makes me think of 'irregardless' (a made-up word, created to add emphasis to the already adequate word 'regardless'), in that it allows extra, hyberbolic lengthening and emphasis.

I was looking at sheets in a shop and the assistant asked me if I wanted percale (pronounced as it looks).

I'm glad I didn't say it first because I would have pronounced it persal and sounded an idiot.

@JamieFrasersBigSwingingKilt ,
'Miss-chiv-us
Or
Miss-cheev-i-us/

The second one is wrong. The word is from Mischief+ous.
A word like Devious (from devius) is Devi+ous.

It isn't. It's dilett-ant-ay

I love how we all have these regardless of how sophisticated we think we are! Segue has thrown me today as I’ve heard it in pretentious work speak and assumed it was written Segway and it was some sort of adopted work based Americanism like “reaching out” etc. I really thought it was something to do with how Segways change direction - what a numpty 😂

I always thought the word cease was pronounced keys, until one day in English class we were taking turns to read aloud from the book we were reading and the person reading pronounced it the other way. I was so relieved I hadn’t been asked to read that bit. Would have looked a right prat.

@stemthetide , c before an a remains a K sound.

Thank you @KirstenBlest and @lottiegarbanzo. I'd always assumed the first pronunciation but do keep hearing people using the second which made me second guess myself.

If in doubt, look it up.
It helps if you know the origin of the word, or the spelling.
Mispronunciations often become mainstream.
Nobody bats an eye at 'di-section' for 'dissolve', but no one says di-solve for dissolve, or di-certation for dissertation.
Another one is newkiller or nukular for nuclear; nobody says killer for clear.

Yes. I imagined it was a French word without the cedilla.

@Waxlyrically it kind of is. A segue in conversation is a smooth change of topic / direction.

I think that’s why Segway’s are named that, but we couldn’t be trusted with the correct spelling.

I love the argument/discussion about dilettante. It's not a word I use much, though I read it sometimes.

Lok-see-tan Is correct.

I thought the spell in Harry Potter was Ass-e-oh until the Goblet of Fire movie came out. AK-e-oh still doesn’t sound right to me though.

Dilett-ant-e. The e is short like the initial e in elephant.

This thread is brilliant, I’m learning so much!
it’s also quite hilarious, the number of posters confidently correcting others, only to then be corrected themselves 😂

I used to know someone who claimed to live in a little fishing village.

Berm-on-Sea.

@PigletJohn ,

As a child I asked my Mum what "been-lo-vent" meant. As in "a benevolent old gentleman". I also asked her what was a gypes-eye? (Gypsy)

I try not to say it....I'm like " swaarrskoffiski" and then give up..

I would like to submit "Bouygues" for consideration. A French company - I saw signs for them near where I worked and eventually rang them and asked how to pronounce it.

Bweeg, by French people. Did not see that coming ;)

About 30 years ago I was trying to buy a pack of large tights and the shop assistant triumphantly returned with the ones I was after and told me that they were "grobe", which they were, but it's not a B but a double S: Größe

Jo

I know someone who pronounces it le-okkitan. Makes my teeth itch.

Now, the best malapropism I ever did see was someone a consumer site asking if they should accept a 'Jester of Goodwill'. To this day it conjures an image of a fool with bells arriving on their front door step with a 'tadaaaaa, sorry!'