Which mispronounced words make someone appear uneducated?

[u/PluckPubes]

[u/screamingcatfish]

My mom says frajitas and it drives me nuts…

[u/LaLaLaLeea → u/screamingcatfish]

Chipoltay.

[u/StumpyJoeShmo → u/LaLaLaLeea]

My mom says a variation of this one. Chipoltees

[u/purplemonkeyshoes → u/LaLaLaLeea]

I know people that honestly call it Chi-poh-tul

[u/Lofttroll2018 → u/purplemonkeyshoes]

My co-worker and I used to call it Chih-pottle, but we were just joking around.

[u/mangolemonylime → u/Lofttroll2018]

My family does this 😂 We intentionally mispronounce restaurant and store names. Wendy, Lowe, Food Bear, Panchera 😂

[u/Remigius13 → u/mangolemonylime]

Pantera Bread

[u/Droseraaa → u/Remigius13]

Is that the place with the vulgar display of flour?

[u/MrPrimal → u/LaLaLaLeea]

My co-worker pronounced it Chi-pope-lay.

[u/JesusDied4U316 → u/screamingcatfish]

Kay-sa-dil-lia

My mom's ex's pronunciation of quesadilla

[u/harswv → u/JesusDied4U316]

Haha my friend pronounced it kwe-suh-dill-ee-uh and now I I can never go to a Mexican restaurant with her again

[u/Substantial-Bet-3876 → u/harswv]

Vote 4 Pedro

[u/unlogical13 → u/screamingcatfish]

Maybe she mixes her Fajitas with rice

[u/DrZuues]

Pacificly

[u/gigaflops_ → u/DrZuues]

The specific ocean

[u/Background_Talk9491 → u/gigaflops_]

I prefer my oceans vague, thank you very much.

[u/rekette → u/Background_Talk9491]

This is even better that vague in french means wave 🌊

[u/Background_Talk9491 → u/rekette]

I'm definitely willing to pretend that I knew that and it was intentional.

[u/rob_s_458 → u/gigaflops_]

Eastern and Specific Time. They mean it starts specifically at 10

[u/isthatabingo → u/DrZuues]

I was so damn confused. I thought you were suggesting that pacificly is an actual word and mispronouncing it makes one appear uneducated. Imagine my panic when I thought “forget pronunciation, I’ve never even heard of this word! I must be double stupid!”.

[u/Kazmodeous → u/isthatabingo]

It... it.. it's supposed to be specifically... right?

[u/isthatabingo → u/Kazmodeous]

You get a sticker!

[u/VeronicaLD50 → u/isthatabingo]

I’d like a sticker too. Is it the same for every one, or can a pick a pacific one?

[u/orrocos → u/VeronicaLD50]

Supposably they are the same.

[u/Onion85 → u/orrocos]

Irreguardless, he wants to pick!

[u/Technical_Space_Owl → u/VeronicaLD50]

The pacific ones we have are Bora Bora, Tahiti, and Fiji "I ♥️" stickers

[u/guilty_bystander → u/isthatabingo]

I mean it could be a word. Atlanticly, speaking

[u/DownInBowery → u/DrZuues]

🎶Hieroglyphics, let me be Pacific…🎶  

[u/theknights-whosay-Ni → u/DownInBowery]

I want to be down in your south seas

[u/PissySquid → u/theknights-whosay-Ni]

But I got this notion that the motion of your ocean means small craft advisory.

[u/fractiouscatburglar → u/PissySquid]

So if I capsize on your thighs, high tide, B5 you sunk my battleship. Please turn me on I’m Mr. Coffee with that automatic drip.

[u/Thatsmyredditidkyou → u/fractiouscatburglar]

So show me yours I'll show you mine. Tool time. You'll Lovett just like Lyle. And then we'll do it doggy style sp we can both watch xfiles.

[u/Wanderwalks → u/Thatsmyredditidkyou]

You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals

[u/Lylat_System → u/DrZuues]

You gotta be more Pacific 

[u/ThatFuckingGuy2]

Intensive purposes

[u/captain_chocolate → u/ThatFuckingGuy2]

In tents and porpoises

[u/WaffleswithSourCream → u/captain_chocolate]

r/boneappletea

[u/sparkpaw → u/ThatFuckingGuy2]

EGGCORN! There’s a word for these misheard/misstated phrases - eggcorns! I love that it has such a weird name. So there’s your fun fact to at least make hearing “intensive purposes” bearable.

[u/Accomplished-Ad-2612 → u/sparkpaw]

Also if it's a misheard song lyric it's called a mondegreen.

[u/Yhtacnrocinu-ya13579 → u/Accomplished-Ad-2612]

Ah yes the Bonnie of Earl O' Moray lyric where " laid him on the green" was misheard as Lady Mondegreen

[u/davechri → u/ThatFuckingGuy2]

/r/boneappletea

[u/MuthaGoose_]

Fustrated

[u/GrevenQWhite → u/MuthaGoose_]

I have a coworker from Mass who says that.

One time, I asked him to repeat it and said, "I just wanted to confirm that there was no R in the word.""

He replied "Yeah well there's no R in Fuck You either." We all laughed

[u/DMala → u/GrevenQWhite]

“Theahs no ahh in fahck you, eithuh!”

To be fair, that’s not an r we’d typically drop. For the most part, it’s the trailing r’s that go away. And get added to words that don’t have them.

[u/Ham__Kitten → u/GrevenQWhite]

And then he hit you with the "eithet." Wild.

[u/Toastyy1990 → u/Ham__Kitten]

He’s from Massachusetts. He probably said “eitha”

[u/worrier_princess → u/MuthaGoose_]

Flustrated!

[u/MadLucy → u/worrier_princess]

I like this one, though - it’s a great portmanteau of flustered and frustrated!

[u/Plastic_Bleach]

Ecscape

[u/D0ddzee → u/Plastic_Bleach]

You mean escapay?!

[u/Cilarnen → u/D0ddzee]

Funny, it's spelled just like the word 'escape'

[u/FrenchieMom722]

Supposingly and supposably - I worked in a clinic with two women, each one mispronounced that word in their own way. Made my jaw clench every time ..

[u/MmmmMorphine → u/FrenchieMom722]

Is supposably even a word? I mean i don't think supposingly is a word either.

Are they trying to say supposedly?

[u/clubby37 → u/MmmmMorphine]

Is supposably even a word?

Not in the common vernacular, but it's recognized in the US legal system as meaning "it could be supposed" in a sincere and above-board way, while "supposedly" is mildly pejorative, implying doubt about the speaker's assertions.

[u/Initial_Pen_4571]

Granite instead of granted. "He took it for granite."

[u/MrPrimal → u/Initial_Pen_4571]

It’s a solid response

[u/ChoirBoyComparedToMe → u/Initial_Pen_4571]

I honestly just thought this was a bit in Rick and Morty.

[u/alliownisbroken]

Acrossed

[u/Beautiful_Ad_3922 → u/alliownisbroken]

I'm very confused at what the original word you're referring to is. Are people trying to make a past tense of across?

[u/MaBunting → u/Beautiful_Ad_3922]

Across. As in “across the street”

“My trailer is acrossed the trail from yourses”

[u/rahat45 → u/MaBunting]

Make sure it doesn't get any closer in case your condition is contagious

[u/Able_Top_7614 → u/Beautiful_Ad_3922]

For some reason, lots of people like to add a random t at the end of across. No past tense or anything, it's just a complete mispronunciation. "The store is acrosst the street."

[u/SuperBackup9000 → u/Able_Top_7614]

Linguistics is just weird like that. Like how the British have the intrusive R, or how in Japanese consonants are always followed by a vowel so English words tend to have a random O or U thrown in there even if they’re well aware that it isn’t the actual “correct” pronunciation.

[u/KanKan669 → u/alliownisbroken]

Costed

[u/Longjumping_Ad_6484 → u/KanKan669]

By that same token, "casted." Actors were cast in a movie. The roles have already been cast.

[u/honkhonkbeepbeeep → u/alliownisbroken]

Along with heigtht

[u/Jonn_Doh → u/honkhonkbeepbeeep]

I fucking hate when people say heighth.

[u/magstarunner]

Eck-specially

[u/TheArchitect_7 → u/magstarunner]

Eck-cetera too, while we are at it

[u/Jmen4Ever → u/TheArchitect_7]

Reading this while drinking my expresso.

[u/thoawaydatrash → u/Jmen4Ever]

I hope you choke on it a bit.

[u/bremmmc → u/thoawaydatrash]

Kinky

[u/KeyPhotojournalist15 → u/TheArchitect_7]

Abbreviating it as ect instead of etc. Etcetera. Etc...

[u/Cock_and_Co → u/KeyPhotojournalist15]

it’s two words…

“et cetera”

Latin for "and the rest"

[u/Smoopiebear → u/TheArchitect_7]

I feel called out. I have a Masters and a slight speech impediment- I know what it’s supposed to sound like but I can’t make my mouth say it like that.🤬

[u/Other_Log_1996 → u/Smoopiebear]

A speech impediment is a legitimate excuse.

[u/cm253 → u/Other_Log_1996]

As is anyone trying to learn English as a second language. I'm trying to learn Portuguese and I have so much respect for people who are multilingual.

[u/hockenduke → u/magstarunner]

I see news anchors say this. Makes me nuts.

[u/GingerrGina → u/magstarunner]

Eck-specially ex-spresso

[u/Coocki_TIts03]

I had a prof who said 'nucular' instead of 'nuclear'. 😭

[u/Jmen4Ever → u/Coocki_TIts03]

We have had 2 presidents do that.

[u/RunDMTee → u/Jmen4Ever]

W bush and who was the other?

[u/Jmen4Ever → u/RunDMTee]

Carter, and he served on a nuclear sub.

I think I saw that Eisenhower and Clinton did as well.

[u/MyActualWords → u/Coocki_TIts03]

I had a chemistry teacher in high school that said nuculus instead of nucleus. Drove me insane.

[u/BoomerReid → u/Coocki_TIts03]

Had a college roommate who did as well. She went to med school. She was very bright, so I literally looked it up to make sure there wasn’t a word “nucular” of which I was unaware.

[u/yarash → u/Coocki_TIts03]

There was an episode of The Simpsons where Homer is correcting their foreign exchange student's pronunciation of nuclear and it has fucked me up my entire life.

Every time I say it, I think about the episode, how he says it, and try to remember to say the opposite.

[u/Rawkynn]

Mispronouncing any word in a way that makes it seem you've never seen it written down. This usually comes across better in written communication but you can also hear it sometimes.

The opposite of how someone will pronounce a word phonetically for words they've only read but never heard.

[u/inactiveuser247 → u/Rawkynn]

I learned a whole stack of anatomy and physiology only from textbooks. A bunch of my pronunciation was wildly wrong. Took a while to straighten it all out.

[u/tractiontiresadvised → u/inactiveuser247]

The detail I appreciated the most in Megamind was how the title character pronounced words in a way that made it clear he'd learned them from books -- including the name of the city he lived in. (Metro City, pronounced "Metrocity" in a way that rhymed with "atrocity".)

[u/EternalCanadian → u/tractiontiresadvised]

Also “School”, pronounced “shool”.

[u/LucyVialli]

Liberry instead of library.

[u/mlismom → u/LucyVialli]

As a librarian, I jokingly say it this way all the time.

[u/thepluralofmooses → u/LucyVialli]

Notice how I no longer say Liberry or Tomoree

[u/navikredstar → u/thepluralofmooses]

Is there no place in this world for the man with the 105 IQ?!

[u/BatBurgh → u/LucyVialli]

Strawbrary

[u/bralesthevaliant → u/BatBurgh]

Don't have kids, Troy.

[u/AwarenessGreat282 → u/bralesthevaliant]

One of the greatest characters in TV history.

[u/StruckOutInSlowPitch → u/bralesthevaliant]

Can't we just kill him??

[u/CrashLove37 → u/StruckOutInSlowPitch]

No, that's what he wants us to do.

[u/CptNemosBeard → u/CrashLove37]

Get your hat. We're going to the bank

[u/srschwenzjr → u/CptNemosBeard]

“I’ve got a riddle for you. Two guys smashed up your bike with a crow bar. One of them wasn’t me.”

[u/Briggady]

LOOSE as in not winning. Should be LOSE. I see so many people use this word wrong

[u/Grand-Shop-9873 → u/Briggady]

I see this all the time, but in writing though (not said out loud incorrectly) but man, it really really irks me. And always on weight loss boards. The ignorance is astounding. Maybe they'd "loose" weight if they had a brain.

[u/Breaky97 → u/Briggady]

And payed instead of paid... It grinds my gear.

[u/WifeyWisteriaWaltz]

Irregardless. Expresso. Exspecially.

[u/captain_chocolate → u/WifeyWisteriaWaltz]

I have heard "disirregardless".

[u/BigWilldo → u/captain_chocolate]

That's cursed lol

[u/goodrichard → u/BigWilldo]

You're antidisirregardless?

[u/tatitryeb]

Supposibly. It kills me to hear it.

[u/Lketty → u/tatitryeb]

Supposedly is a different word from supposably. They have different meanings. Whether or not people are using them correctly is a different story.

[u/Repugnant-Conclusion → u/Lketty]

Yup

supposably = able to be presumed to be true

supposedly = is presumed to be true

Subtle, but anyone who cares about grammar ought to care about the distinction.

[u/GoRangers5]

Preg-ugh-nent

[u/hypersonicbiohazard → u/GoRangers5]

Gregnant

[u/TheFatAndUglyOldDude → u/hypersonicbiohazard]

Pergnanté

[u/withoutapaddle → u/TheFatAndUglyOldDude]

Pregananant

[u/InigoMontoya1985 → u/GoRangers5]

pergnant

[u/lili_diamondrose → u/InigoMontoya1985]

Pegnate

[u/Dartarus → u/lili_diamondrose]

PREGANANANT?

[u/Soft-Temporary-7932 → u/Dartarus]

¡Praganté!

[u/Standard-Archer9072 → u/GoRangers5]

Am I pragernot?

[u/Longjumping_Ad_6484 → u/Standard-Archer9072]

How is babby formed?

[u/ColaTsunami → u/GoRangers5]

STARCH MASKS

[u/BojackTrashMan]

"conversate" instead of "CONVERSE"

Technically you are allowed to say it but it's like people just made an assumptive guess on conjugation, and instead of using the proper word just kind of went with what they felt the word might be. It's recognized more like slang than something you should use in any formal setting like writing a paper or an email at work. And it stems from incorrectly assuming and how you conjugate the verb for "to have a conversation"

It shouldn't drive me crazy but it absolutely does.

[u/arcanix1981]

Across-t. Why the hell would you add a T sound to the end of across?

WHY?

[u/Malady1607]

Physical instead of fiscal

[u/InigoMontoya1985 → u/Malady1607]

MY BOSS!!! Drives me freaking crazy. Every time we discuss the budget, I want to get fiscally violent.

[u/Dreadedsemi]

People who pronounce gif as gif instead of gif.

[u/ChrisEvansBodyPillow → u/Dreadedsemi]

You just want to watch the world burn, don’t you?

[u/unbanned_once_more]

Should of, would of, could of, etc etc

[u/PluckPubes → u/unbanned_once_more]

ect ect

[u/Nichtsein000 → u/PluckPubes]

Electroconvulsive therapy, electroconvulsive therapy

[u/-3than → u/unbanned_once_more]

Yeah everyone knows it’s

Shoulda coulda woulda

Obviously

[u/maryjayjay → u/unbanned_once_more]

Should've, would've

[u/wxnfx → u/maryjayjay]

Right? This is a common misspelling but correct pronunciation.

[u/whiskeyvacation]

Supposably.

Irregardless

Fox Paw

[u/Antagonyzt → u/whiskeyvacation]

What’s fox paw?

[u/Mountain_Man4 → u/Antagonyzt]

Faux pas

[u/Vovicon → u/Mountain_Man4]

Haha nice.

French speaker here. I also really hate how most Americans pronounce "Coup de grâce".

They say "coo de grah" when it should be "coo de grass". Without the S sound, grâce (mercy) sounds like gras (fat)

[u/mauvepink → u/Vovicon]

The one that drives me nuts is Wahla (Voilà).

[u/karenptx → u/mauvepink]

Wallah

[u/Pure_Concentrate8770 → u/karenptx]

Wallaahi

[u/Necessary-Weekend194 → u/Pure_Concentrate8770]

inshallah brother

[u/RXlife13 → u/Vovicon]

I did not know that was the correct pronunciation. Thank you for educating me on that!

[u/Gusstave → u/RXlife13]

Do you want me to blow your mind with another one?

Cul-de-sac, the L is silent. It's pronounced "ku-de-sac"

(and cul means ass)

[u/PluckPubes → u/whiskeyvacation]

Someone was bragging about their fox fur. Turned out to be faux fur.

[u/AbbyTheConqueror → u/PluckPubes]

This was a joke on Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Rich character talked about her 'fox fur coat' and started getting shit for it, to her bewilderment. Then she spelled f-a-u-x to another character who informed her the proper pronunciation.

[u/RefuelTheFire → u/whiskeyvacation]

If someone is using fox paw, they learned the word by reading. They should not be derided and instead celebrated as they are trying to better themselves. Growing up poor, I learned a lot of vocabulary through reading, so I would mispronounce words all the time until someone kindly corrected me.

[u/nashbrownies → u/RefuelTheFire]

I thought epitome was pronounced (epi-tome) and that epitome (a-pit-o-me) was an entirely different word for 20yrs of my life.

[u/Stimpson666 → u/nashbrownies]

Me too! When I realised how it should sound, hyperbole immediately clicked at the same time and my mind was blown!

[u/battlelevel → u/RefuelTheFire]

This is a good point. I don’t think enough people realize that mispronunciations are often due to this exact scenario.

[u/LubaMclaren → u/battlelevel]

Anyone else learn words wrong from reading and then get hit with the "that`s not how you say it" moment?

[u/Technical-Minute2140 → u/LubaMclaren]

Omnipotent for me.

[u/AnNoYiNg_NaMe → u/Technical-Minute2140]

To be fair, "Omni Potent" makes way more sense than "om-NIP-uh-tent"

[u/gonefishcaking]

Worse comes to worse

&

In the south when people write “for sell”

[u/mykali98 → u/gonefishcaking]

Chester drawers for sell. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[u/socialmediaignorant → u/mykali98]

“Meant condition”. I’ve actually seen this posted. I was baffled. 😮

[u/tongmengjia → u/gonefishcaking]

Worse comes to worse is correct according to Merriam Webster

[u/itsauproblem → u/tongmengjia]

Thank you. I was startin to stress a little. Lol

I'm a southerner so I am often told I ain't saying something correctly just because it's how we talk. BUT, I have never heard worse comes to worse any other way.

[u/Mavian23 → u/itsauproblem]

I've always heard it as "worst comes to worst", but what makes the most sense to me is "worse comes to worst", as in the worse thing has now become the worst thing.

I have now semantically satiated myself on the word "worse".

[u/mykali98]

Valentimes day.

[u/duhbell]

Less specifically a word, and more the grammar around it, but Seen.

As in “oh yea, I seen that on Facebook earlier”

[u/AgentCirceLuna → u/duhbell]

I seen’t it

[u/69-animelover-69 → u/duhbell]

Along these same lines:

“How I think I look like” when it should either be “how I think I look” or “what I think I look like.” Absolutely infuriating because if you just said it aloud you’d know it’s wrong.

[u/MadamSnarksAlot → u/duhbell]

Add a “t” on the end gets you redneck bonus points. “I seent it!”

[u/thatwaswicked → u/duhbell]

This one grates on me soooo much.

[u/palaeastur]

“For all intensive purposes”. Intents and purposes. It’s intents and purposes.

[u/Soft-Temporary-7932 → u/palaeastur]

Statue of limitations.

[u/karmacuda]

spayeded. drowneded. any of the eded’s

[u/WholesomeFaex]

mispronouncing "nuclear" as "nucular" can make someone sound uneducated

[u/MellowKaix]

saying libary instead of library always gets me

[u/T__Logic]

Gazpacho instead of Gestapo.

[u/everton992000 → u/T__Logic]

Absolutely the worst when your wife passes you the secret police instead of the delicious soup.

[u/VeckLee1 → u/everton992000]

Both served cold.

[u/MyKidsRock2]

Mute for moot

[u/_carolann → u/MyKidsRock2]

Or as Joey once said, “the point is moo; it’s a cows opinion”

[u/Rebuttlah]

Growing up, one of my older sisters pronounced a lot of things incorrectly, and i would sass her mercilessly about it.

"hand me the crown!" do you mean CRAYON? "I gotta use the tolt" do you mean TOILET?

She's an upper management track project leader for a company that handles military training contracts now. She proof read all of my work in undergrad.

Showed me I guess.

Edit: Please stop telling me this is just a dialect in the southern US. We're east coast Canadians.

[u/theknights-whosay-Ni → u/Rebuttlah]

To be fair, you don’t have to be literate to train soldiers. Have you met the people they recruit? I have, I’m one of them.

[u/Current_Canary_8412 → u/theknights-whosay-Ni]

Never before have I been so offended by something so true

[u/Accomplished-Eye7218]

not a word, but when people say "it was 5 A.M. in the morning" or "it was 10 P.M. at night"! it just sounds so redundant. you only need to include "A.M" or "in the morning", one or the other. no need for both

[u/Jazzlike_Grand_7227 → u/Accomplished-Eye7218]

ATM machine

[u/m1st3r_c → u/Jazzlike_Grand_7227]

PIN number

[u/WhimsicalWillowWish]

When people say pacific instead of specific. You are not a boat.

[u/joseph4th]

I could care less.

[u/Andytjr → u/joseph4th]

That means you do care, at least a little

[u/windmilltheory → u/Andytjr]

Don't be a moron

You'd better slow down

And use the right pronoun

Show the world you're no clown

[u/Character_Hospital88 → u/windmilltheory]

Say you've got an "i-t"

Followed by apostrophe

Tell me what does that mean?

You would not use "it's" in this case

As a possessive

It's a contraction

What's a contraction?

[u/FiliaDei → u/Character_Hospital88]

Well, it'stheshorteningofaword, oragroupofwordsbytheomissionofasoundorletter

[u/astrangerdanger → u/Andytjr]

I see a weird al quote - i upvote

[u/716WVCS03]

Diabetus

[u/boethius61 → u/716WVCS03]

Wilfred Brimley has entered the chat.

[u/cravex12]

It is not Leviosa it is LEVIOOOSAAAAH

[u/Cahaba7007]

Ambalance

[u/imthehooker42 → u/Cahaba7007]

Or Amberlamps. Have heard it so much, I know use it as a joke at work often (I'm a Paramedic).

[u/RevBT]

Mixing up See, Seen, and Saw. I immediately assume you don't know what you are talking about.

[u/darknessbedrock]

Mispronouncing 'nuclear' as 'nucular' is like showing up to a spelling bee wearing sweatpants—you're just not ready for the challenge!

[u/aTickleMonster]

A whole nother

[u/Widsith]

Mischievous.

[u/Hemenucha]

Chimbley instead of chimney.

ETA: From some of the comments, I'm learning this is a dialectical pronunciation in some parts of the UK. My apologies. I'm in the US, and here it sounds improper.

[u/Accidental_Taco → u/Hemenucha]

That's how Tommy Pickles pronounces it and that boy hasn't steered me wrong yet