Words Some People Can't Pronounce, No Matter How Often They Try

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Thanks, veruca! I should not have forgotten Chipotle, especially considering how many restaurants in my area throw that word onto half the dishes on their menu. It's become a stylish word!

Chipotle (chi-pote-lay) gets pronounced like chipolte (chi-pole-tay) all the time.

Thanks, again, pamelad! This list seems to be never ending. (O.o)

Anemone often ends up as anenome. Hydrangeas - hyderanges. And instead of a frangipani, my grandma had a fransypansy.

Thanks, Gloriaha! I had wash, already, but none of the others. (^-^)

espresso ('expresso')

etcetra ('excetra')

cinnamon ('cimmanon')

wash ('warsh')

pen ('pin')

homogenous (it's hoMOGenous, not homo-genius!!! This is not to be confused with homogeneous. Note the spelling.)

err ('air' is incorrect! it's supposed to be 'ur' although widespread and prolonged mispronunciation have almost cause 'air' to trump the correct 'ur')

Thanks, pamelad and veruca! I'd forgotten how many people around here say "pitcher" instead of "picture." ;P

I have one at my office too, Veruca.

Picture...Believe it or not I work with several people that pronounce it the same as "pitcher."

Words that sound so differently from the way they're written: banal, macabre, segue

Asativum, thanks! I've heard that one, too.

I've heard suite pronounced suit in the South (of the US).

Thanks, yoshiyahu! I had forgotten about "drowning" coming out as "drownding." People here do that, too. And I don't know many people who use "clitoris," but if they did, they'd probably stumble on it, too. ;P

"Ambulance" gets changed into "AMBA lance" around here. Just as "library" often becomes "LIE berry." *shudders* I also just remembered "tubular," which sometimes sounds like "toobler."

If I hear someone say nuk-uh-lir one more time, I'm going to explode.

This word and its variants are often pronounced (and even spelled -- google it) "drownding."

There are two common usages, CLIToris and cliTORis. And since clitoris is often thought of part-and-parcel with vagina, pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable, perhaps the emphasis on the second syllable carries over. However, those who say cliTORis usually sound uncomfortable with the pronunciation, not sure themselves whether they should be saying it one way or another. This is probably at least partly because we usually think of it as 'clit' anyway and only say 'clitoris' when we need to go more clinical and formal. So while it's a different kind of pronunciation problem, I humbly offer it for your consideration.

Me, I'm puzzled by 'ambulance'.

vice-versa.

Small children purportedly say "pusketti" instead of "spaghetti".

"Vietnamese" often becomes "Vietmanese," in my area (Texas). "Spaghetti" sometimes turns into "Pasketti," and "macrame" is, on occasion, pronounced "muh KRAYME" by those who don't know how to use the pronunciation guides in their dictionaries.

Thanks to sarra for "itinerary," as well, which stuck another one into my head: "potpourri," which I have heard someone say as "POT purry." ;P

itinerary!

I confess that I often find myself pronouncing realtor as 'reel-i-tur.'

I would remind word snoots (of which I am one) that perfection is the enemy of the good.

'realtor' often becomes 'reel-i-tur' when it should be 'reel-tur' or 're-uhl-tur.' as for vietnamese and spaghetti, i'm as perplexed as you are, pedalinfaith.

OK, I'm having one of those "if I don't know what in the hell they are talking about, then they must be talking about me" moments. Either I'm completely oblivious to my blunders or I'm living in a pronunciation safe zone. Seriously, how does one mispronounce "Vietnamese" and "realtor" and "spaghetti" and "macrame"?

Once, again, I must say "Thanks!" for the words I had forgotten about. (^o^)

--Kaichi

secretary

similar
particular
asterisk

Thanks, everyone! These are all great! I'm going to add them! :D

--Kaichi

mischievous

february, wednesday, spaghetti

ask (aks) government umbrella (umberella)

ambulance (seriously, I have friends that still struggle with this one)

library, realtor, athlete, tsunami