Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Words your parents pronounce/use that drive you CRAZY!!!

632 replies

Notsurehwhattdo · 12/12/2023 20:25

My parents say ON-velope. Rather than EN-velope. Cin-a-MAR, rather than Cin-a-ma.

Slightly differently, they also say 'trod on' rather than 'stepped on'. I know it's not incorrect, I just hate the posh way they say trod and think it's a horrible word!

All the above drives me crazy! Aaaaarrrghhhh

Inspired by the theatre thread!

OP posts:
Bobwibble · 22/12/2023 02:47

Over-pronouncing the ‘wh’ sound.
White
Wheel
Which
…
It’s subtle, but Oh So Annoying.

newnamethanks · 22/12/2023 02:59

Trodden on. Posh? Ha! Just old and out of date like the rest of me.

grumpesaurus · 22/12/2023 03:05

My mum says play pan instead of pen. Grr.

grumpesaurus · 22/12/2023 03:08

DerekFaker · 16/12/2023 11:14

I have a colleague who used to say Ibrufen. She used to be admin in the NHS and a phlebotomist.

I had a colleague who said ice CREAM with emphasis on the cream, and holeeday for holiday. And made the ss in kissing really sibilant, which gave me the ick.

My Dad says EGGsams for exams and my Mum pronounces waffle to rhyme with baffle. But I just think they're cute.

Edited

How should exams be pronounced? I think I day it like your dad. egg-zams

SoreAndTired1 · 22/12/2023 09:40

dottypencilcase · 22/12/2023 02:34

Birday instead of Birthday
Nail polish instead of nail varnish- arrrrrrrgh! There are so many!

Gah! I HATE people saying nail 'varnish'. It's nail POLISH!! If I hear UK people say it I always say "oh, you mean nail polish?".

SoreAndTired1 · 22/12/2023 09:41

grumpesaurus · 22/12/2023 03:08

How should exams be pronounced? I think I day it like your dad. egg-zams

Show quote history

EX-ams (x-ams). That's how. It's an 'X'.

Where is the 'g' in it? Where? Where?

Just like it's EX-it. And not 'egg'zit.

StardustGiraffe · 22/12/2023 09:56

SoreAndTired1 · 22/12/2023 09:40

Gah! I HATE people saying nail 'varnish'. It's nail POLISH!! If I hear UK people say it I always say "oh, you mean nail polish?".

Show quote history

Are they not just 2 interchangeable terms for the same thing?🙈 I would use either.

TwirlBar · 22/12/2023 10:01

Bobwibble · 22/12/2023 02:47

Over-pronouncing the ‘wh’ sound.
White
Wheel
Which
…
It’s subtle, but Oh So Annoying.

I thought a lot of English accents didn't pronounce the wh sound at all, that is, they pronounce it the same as w.

It's called the wine-whine merger, so wine/whine and other word pairs such as witch/which are now pronounced the same in many accents.

Some accents retain the distinction though. My Irish accent does for example.
Is this distinction what you mean about overpronouncing the wh sound @Bobwibble ?

I also say egg-zams I've just noticed. But I've never heard it said any other way, with the x strongly emphasised. I also say egg-zit @SoreAndTired1.
Just checked the dictionary and they use a g to explain the pronunciation of exam and as one of the pronunciations of exit.

WaitingForMojo · 22/12/2023 10:17

Eggs-AMS? Emphasis on second syllable?

DuesToTheDirt · 22/12/2023 10:24

Bobwibble · 22/12/2023 02:47

Over-pronouncing the ‘wh’ sound.
White
Wheel
Which
…
It’s subtle, but Oh So Annoying.

'wh' in some accents is different from 'w', e.g. in Scottish accents. It's not 'over-pronounced', and I don't see it can be annoying unless you are annoyed by people having different accents from you.

grumpesaurus · 22/12/2023 10:44

SoreAndTired1 · 22/12/2023 09:41

EX-ams (x-ams). That's how. It's an 'X'.

Where is the 'g' in it? Where? Where?

Just like it's EX-it. And not 'egg'zit.

Show quote history

I also say eggzit.. yikes!

KnittingKnewbie · 20/02/2024 09:47

Ellamaelucyolivia · 14/12/2023 15:02

My dad says 'nothing weird or wonderful has happened ' every time we're on the phone and it does my head in. Several times a week for a decade.

My mum asks "anything strange or startling" as does a friend of mine. Drives me crazy! Just ask : "any news?"

Shallana · 20/02/2024 10:19

Not parents, but my husband pronounces 'camembert' as 'cam-ber-ray' 🤨

PrueRamsay · 20/02/2024 10:21

Liddle and priddy instead of little and pretty.

I suspect she (mother) thinks it makes her sound cute 🤮

noexcusesforlatenessalan · 20/02/2024 12:02

"The Covis" (rhymes with Hovis) instead of covid. Aargh!

Flyhigher · 22/02/2024 03:00

Rang a helpline and they said pacific rather than specific. Aghhhh.

Anycrispsleft · 22/02/2024 07:51

Bernadinetta · 12/12/2023 21:16

When I was applying for Uni about 18 years ago my dad insisted on pronouncing UCAS (as in UCAS points for getting into Uni) as UH-cuss (to sort of rhyme with ruckus) rather than YOU-cass. Still haunts me to this day

Probably someone already said this, but until about 1992 it was UCCA (pronounced ucka) for university and PCAS (pea-cass) for college and then they rolled them into one form and changed the name. Sounds like your dad decided to stick with the old pronunciation even with the new name.

Theunamedcat · 23/02/2024 06:19

Ex and his family were very find of the specific ocean

The word addaline confused me apparently it means adrenaline

My mom says auldi instead of aldi

Pirelli · 23/02/2024 09:04

DappledThings · 12/12/2023 20:37

Also onvelope. Plus albow and covid with co like in cough rather than co like .co.uk.

I was taught to pronounce envelope 'onvelope'. Probably something to do with the French etymology. I guess these things just stay with people of a certain generation.

Pirelli · 23/02/2024 09:07

Lammveg · 12/12/2023 20:40

Slightly off topic but close enough...

DD is getting her first few teeth and my mum says 'awww look at your toothy pegs!'

The control needed to not scream is immense.

I think your mother sounds lovely.

'Toothy pegs' is a generation thing I guess.

Pirelli · 23/02/2024 09:14

GenerousGardener · 12/12/2023 21:45

My mum calls dinner ‘din dins.’ She’s 87,…….mum, stop it!

My MIL says ‘any weight’ rather than anyway. Spaniels are ‘Spannels’, Westhightland whites are ‘Wessex's’.

Your mum sounds great, at 87 and she's still that chirpy enough to say 'din dins'. It's something a happy person says so be thankful! It's another generational thing.

Pirelli · 23/02/2024 09:16

I grew up with 'nail varnish'. It is a completely normal term to use for people of my generation. There's nothing wrong with using that, just like there's nothing wrong with using 'nail polish'. This thread is very ageist!

zoom1982 · 23/02/2024 09:24

My dear old mum says Covis instead of Covid😆She's 91 bless her.

DappledThings · 23/02/2024 09:25

Pirelli · 23/02/2024 09:16

I grew up with 'nail varnish'. It is a completely normal term to use for people of my generation. There's nothing wrong with using that, just like there's nothing wrong with using 'nail polish'. This thread is very ageist!

I hadn't seen anyone mention nail varnish. That's what I always call it too. Nail polish sounds American to me.

Kittynoodle · 23/02/2024 09:56

Pieceofpurplesky · 13/12/2023 00:19

Ex MIL shops at The Asdas and went to hospickle.

Mum says (whilst watching tv) "oh he just fisted her" as a pp said, rather than punched.

DM and DF are old and have a dialect that is dying, proper Cheshire. They say mon instead of man, schoo instead of school. When it's cold they are froZZen not frozen. We have 'oses in the fields and wasps (rhyme with clasp) in summer.
There are loads of things they say and it's wonderful and sad that the accent is dying.

My mother always pronounced wasp to rhyme with clasp 😀