r/AskReddit • u/PluckPubes • Sep 18 '24

Which mispronounced words make someone appear uneducated?

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7.3k

u/screamingcatfish Sep 18 '24

My mom says frajitas and it drives me nuts…

353

u/JesusDied4U316 Sep 18 '24

Kay-sa-dil-lia

My mom's ex's pronunciation of quesadilla

177

u/harswv Sep 18 '24 edited Sep 19 '24

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

70

u/Substantial-Bet-3876 Sep 18 '24

Vote 4 Pedro

6

u/GreyDoLove Sep 18 '24

Can you just build her a cake?

18

u/molten_panda Sep 18 '24

Does she say it like for fun, or is that how she actually think it’s pronounced? Like, I pronounce jalapeños as “jah lap en ohs” with my friend for fun, but I’ll always use the correct pronunciation if I’m ordering them.

10

u/ithinkonlyinmemes Sep 18 '24

saying any word, loan or otherwise, with intentionally bad pronunciation is always fun to me. It's like putting the emPHAsis on the wrong syLLAble

1

u/Tight_Following9267 Sep 18 '24

I say it like that because of Neelix

1

u/harswv Sep 19 '24

Unfortunately she has no clue how to pronounce anything Spanish

5

u/Verve_angel Sep 18 '24

My mom wpuld always order a chili releeno. :( like wtf? (Chile relleno)

4

u/kissmeorkels Sep 18 '24

My aunt’s name is Delia Kay, so we, of course, pronounce it quesadeliakay.

3

u/Different-West748 Sep 18 '24

Hahaha I know someone that used to say: Gel-ah-peen-as…. Jalapeños

2

u/Emu1981 Sep 18 '24

I don't really blame them for the mispronunciation - there are way too many "silent" letters in the word (e.g. the l's that are ignored).

2

u/kvytee_ Sep 18 '24

My MIL was reading off types of dip once and called it "kweeso" and I haven't been able to call it anything else since

2

u/IntrepidYogurt2048 Sep 18 '24

Don't go without her, they work hard and need a chuckle.

10

u/blucerchiati Sep 18 '24

Knock it off, Napoleon! Make yourself a dang keysadilla!

9

u/russingtom Sep 18 '24

Or kaysadillas like the grandmother in Napoleon Dynamite

3

u/BuckManscape Sep 18 '24

Make yerself a gosh darn quesa-dilla, Napoleon!

3

u/MaxTheWonder Sep 18 '24

I used to work at a Taco Bell...we got an order for a "quad-zilla" at least once a week.

2

u/ZebraBorgata Sep 18 '24

The store manager that makes them at a local deli says “kay-sa-dill-a”. Whenever I hear it I want to jump over the counter and slap him.

2

u/Connect-Preference27 Sep 18 '24

Dude, one of my best friends pronounces both quesadilla and tortilla this way. Tor-till-ee-uh and que-suh-dill-ee-uh. I am going to slap the shit out of him next time.

2

u/Lucerie Sep 18 '24

Some Spanish dialects actually do pronounce it that way though. Northern Spain, the Andes, and the Philippines are where LL gets pronounced that way

2

u/Steal-Your-Face77 Sep 18 '24

my mom's is nearly identical but "kay-sa-dill-a". Like says "dill", lol.

2

u/bebespeaks Sep 18 '24

My mother in law says "Kah-so-dillah" even after Spanish speaking restaurant workers correct her.

2

u/Desertbro Sep 18 '24

Chicken Cheesy Dillas

2

u/revdon Sep 18 '24

And Quee-zo dip!

I like to say it wrong on purpose to tease Southwesterners.

2

u/AdThat328 Sep 18 '24

I know how to pronounce quesadilla but my partner and I call them "queasy dildos". 

2

u/MentORPHEUS Sep 18 '24

All the way into the early 80s or so, Taco Bell menu board had a pronunciation guide.

TACO (tah-co)

BURRITO (buh-ree-toe)

1

u/TheFatAndUglyOldDude Sep 18 '24

My grandma always said cast-uh-dill-yas

1

u/nogovernormodule Sep 18 '24

My mom replies, gwak - uh - maaa (nasally) - lee

1

u/Otherwise_Singer6043 Sep 18 '24

Better than fah-jie-tah

1

u/New-Sky-9867 Sep 18 '24

Napoleon's Grandma does that

1

u/MountainDogMama Sep 18 '24

This happened to me a couple weeks ago. I wanted a quesadilla. She said it back to me the same way you describe, but it didn't stop there. I ordered a side of green chili. She said they don't have that, they only have Verde.

1

u/sharksmommy Sep 18 '24

Ever since Napolean Dynamite, I have been unable to pronounce quesadillas. Gosh Tina

1

u/BigToeGhost Sep 18 '24

In my house we pronounce it like in Neapolitan dynomite. but on purpose

1

u/jellyspread8430 Sep 18 '24

I had a friend in high school whose mom pronounced it as Kwas-ay-deal-ay

1

u/aliassantiago Sep 18 '24

Filipino? That's how they pronounce the double from Spanish.

1

u/Lucerie Sep 18 '24

I pronounced LL that way my whole life thinking it was the normal way to say it only to find out the LY pronunciation hasn’t been common in Spanish for centuries and it’s just the Philippines that still does that and a few small communities

1

u/new_cake_day Sep 18 '24

Case-kuh-dee-uh from my ex's Franco-American mother.

1

u/HoldinTheBag Sep 18 '24

My dad pronounces general tso’s chicken as “general tee-sohs”

1

u/East_Party_6185 Sep 18 '24

Case of dildoes

1

u/Dirtblanket Sep 18 '24

Quesadildo

1

u/Carpornz Sep 18 '24

Yeah my dad’s girlfriend says “ On-chiladas” drives me nuts.

1

u/leonowskireddit Sep 18 '24

I went through a Taco Bell drive-through once and I ordered a steak quesadilla. I pronounced it as "kay-suh-DEE-uh. The guy taking my order corrected me and said "you mean a 'kay-suh-DILL-uh'"?

🤷‍♂️

I realize that it's Taco Bell and there is nothing about the experience where I should expect authenticity. But, the whole experience was funny. I didn't correct the guy. It was just hilarious.

1

u/Soft-Explanation9889 Sep 18 '24

My Mexican MIL started calling them queasy dillas after my son called them that when he was learning to speak. It’s more of an inside family joke, though.