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Pedants' corner
Original poster

Funny mispronunciations

249 replies

coochicoo · 21/04/2009 19:15

I had to have a giggle at my lovely friend the other day. Not only did she describe someone as being 'lapsidaisy', but she also said they'd taken 'humbridge' at something. Thankfully she can laugh at her self so wasn't offended when I corrected her!

What mispronunciations have you heard...and do you correct people?

OP posts:
KingRolo · 21/04/2009 19:18

It's not really a mispronunciation but I find it amusing when people say pacifically instead of specifically.

mrsmaidamess · 21/04/2009 19:19

A woman I worked with said 'pompadom' instead of poppadom.

My friend thinks the shop is Mataland.

stubbyfingers · 21/04/2009 19:19

There's someone at work who is always saying, "This is a mess; how am I supposed to desyphon that?!"

I don't correct her, just simmer quietly with pedantic frustration.

TrillianAstra · 21/04/2009 19:21

lapsidaisy? What was she aiming for?

MintyyAeroEgg · 21/04/2009 19:23

My friend's mother insisted that the very nice French aspirational skincare range, the one with white bottles and red writing, is pronounced Clar-ran.

(as per matin the French word for morning, if I'm not quite making myself clear).

stubbyfingers · 21/04/2009 19:27

I have a couple more...

I was speaking to someone at work who'd been looking at houses on a council estate. Not impressed with the gangs of youths, litter, graffiti etc, she said, "no, I don't like the area. It's a bit risque isn't it?"

Same woman (don't you love her?) was telling me how her daughter was a bit quiet on the phone, "She was a bit avant garde you know" . I think she meant "a bit guarded" but I loved the idea of her doing some kind of avant garde performance art on the other end of the phone!

JRocks · 21/04/2009 19:32

SIL is a great source of these. While I wouldn't say 'diss' myself, she somehow pronounces it dish. Also says pacific.

My friend calls a ballad a ballard. And says tang instead of twang when talking about accents.

None of these particularly hilarious obviously, but they do make my head fizz slightly

isittooearlyforgin · 21/04/2009 19:36

my mil makes my head hurt with mispronunciations that i hear so regularly i want to scream!

broccoli = broc-o-lie

vegetables = veg-ee-tables (with all letters pronounced)

per una - Per you-na

very pedantic i know!

TrillianAstra · 21/04/2009 19:40

I say pompadom, but only in private to try to be funny.

My brother calls it nana bread.

MintyyAeroEgg · 21/04/2009 19:46

My mum says "jew vay" for duvet.

LizzyIzzyLou · 21/04/2009 19:50

Trillian - lacksadaisical

gibbberish · 21/04/2009 19:52

My friend was talking to me about her driving and said that she was very 'erotic' instead of erratic. She really thought that was the word! Had visions of her writhing and moaning whilst trying to park at Tesco.

squeaver · 21/04/2009 19:59

To be truly pedantic, some of these are malapropisms, not mispronunciations

But they're all funny...

Original poster
coochicoo · 21/04/2009 20:39

Thanks Squeaver, I've learnt something new!

Yes Lizzy, she meant lackadaisical (is it lack or lacks? I'm just as bad!)

OP posts:
stainesmassif · 21/04/2009 20:41

A dear friend of mine often has 'sangwiches' for her lunch. I know that she knows how to spell it.

JRocks · 21/04/2009 21:07

Ooh yes, or 'samwiches' and a 'hambag'.

Quite often I hear 'cubbert' instead of cupboard. But that's a Cornish thing I think.

DevilsAdvocaat · 21/04/2009 21:14

my mum says 'skwrl' (a weird mono-syllabic noise) for squirrel.

and or-bergine for aubergine.

my cousin always said 'hosterbal' for hospital too.

and my dad said 'cunt-ry' for country. although i've a feeling he did that on purpose.

digitalgirl · 21/04/2009 21:16

DH says 'premize', intonation on the 'ize'. He also says 'coortesy' and 'coorteous'.

And not a mispronunciation, but he always ALWAYS says sour when he means bitter and vice versa. Drives me insane.

LadyPinkofPinkerton · 21/04/2009 21:21

Absolutely hate pacific, it drives me mad. DH says restaurang.

isittooearlyforgin · 21/04/2009 21:21

ooh! and another thing! I hate 'issue' and 'tissue' and 'sexual' pronounced with a soft 'ss' sound.

marymungoandmidge · 21/04/2009 21:26

My friend always said, "Pew-geot" for Peugeot...gets me every time!

ellingwoman · 21/04/2009 21:26

Aaargh! I've just realised I say samwich and hambag

I get embarrassed when I hear contestants on Countdown say 'Constonant please'

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 21/04/2009 21:29

Is your friend Irish? Pew geot is pretty much the universal pronunciation in Ireland.

marymungoandmidge · 21/04/2009 21:30

No, she's Welsh...probably universally pronounced the same way there too...?

MsHighwater · 21/04/2009 21:46

I have a colleague who says "relevantly" when she means "relatively".

Dh had a friend who would have called us all "pendants".

I call the French cars Pyudge-ot, but only in jest.

MIL and PIL got Pisa and pizza mixed up (think that's possibly quite common)