Word Salad – April 2024

Commonly Mispronounced/Misused English Words

Repetition is a powerful device. When we repeat something enough times, it becomes habitual. This goes for our lifestyle choices, such as when and whether we exercise, how we keep abreast of the day’s news, or how and where we seek entertainment and relaxation. While many of these habits are repeated from time to time, most of us exercise our habit of speaking throughout each day.

“Active vocabulary” is made up of terms already in use and understood by an individual in speech and writing. These are used on a regular basis and are fundamental to a person’s expression. A person can use them with no noticeable effort. The active vocabulary words in an adult is estimated as 20,000 words. Yet it has been proven that the first 1,000 words are used 89 percent of the time by the average adult.

Owning a word means we understand it and can use it correctly. But do we always pronounce it correctly? Pronunciation differences—not errors—result from various causes. Region comes to mind. A person from Massachusetts may pronounce dollar “DAH-luh,” while a person from Georgia may pronounce it “DAH-ler.” Neither of these is incorrect. Pronunciation errors, however, are due to other factors. Perhaps you’ve never heard a particular word spoken but are familiar with its print form. You understand the word, claim it as part of your vocabulary, but do you pronounce it correctly? Sometimes logic fails. For instance, the word hyperbole certainly looks like it would be pronounced “HIGH-per-bowl.” But we know from hearing it that it’s “high-PER-boh-lee.” Likewise, one might reasonably conclude that epitome is pronounced “eh-pi-TOME” rather than its correct pronunciation of  “eh-PIT-oh-mee.”

But what happens when we hear a word repeatedly mispronounced? It is easy to form the habit of also mispronouncing it. So, let’s look at some of the most commonly mispronounced words in English and see if we are guilty of any of these vocabulary faux pas.

1. Salmon (SAM-uhn). The L is silent.

2. Mischievous (MIS-chuh-vus).  Sometimes people do things to cause chaos but not to harm anyone. When they do, they’re not being “mis-CHEE-vee-us.” They’re “MIS-chuh-vus” rascals often trying to get a laugh.

3. Cache (CASH). Ignore the E at the end. The word cachet is pronounced “ca-SHAY.”

4. Açai (ah-sah-EE) is one of the most commonly mispronounced words in the English language. Health food stores and restaurants often have açai bowls available in numerous flavors. When you want a midday snack, ask for one with confidence. Say “ah-sah-EE.”

5. Gyro (YEE-roh or JEYE-roh). The Greek sandwich of lamb and beef, tomato, onion, and yogurt sauce on pita bread is not pronounced “GUY-roh” or “GEE-roh.” Say “YEE-roh,” rhymes with hero, or“JEYE-roh,” as the “Ji” in jive.

6.  Isthmus (IS-muhs). This narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas is not pronounced “ISTH-muhs.”

7. Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is an herb and its seeds, frequently used like rice. The “oa” is pronounced “wah.”

8. Anyway (Eh-nee-way). Adding an S atthe end of this common adverb is incorrect in both spoken and written English.

9. Nauseous (NAW-shus)

10. Nuclear (NOO-klee-er). George W got a lot of ribbing for his mispronunciation (noo-kya-ler) of this word.

11. Renaissance (ren-uh-SAHNS). The only thing trickier than spelling renaissance is saying it properly. Some people say “REN-uh-sahns,” but the emphasis goes on the final syllable.

12. Yolk (yohk). Pronounce the yellow part of the egg as “yohk,” not “YOH-lk.”

13. Schizophrenia (skit-suh-FREE-nee-uh), not “skit-suh-FRI-nee-uh.”

14. Niche (nitch). If you pronounce this word “neesh” rather than “nitch,” you’ll get a pass. Both are accepted; however, “nitch” is preferred.

15. Celtic (SELL-tik). Usage makes a difference in this word. When referring to the culture, say KELL-tik. If it’s the sports team, it’ll be SELL-tik.

16. Electoral (ee-LECK-tor-ahl). When it’s election season again, you can discuss “ee-LECK-tor-ahl” voting results like a professional analyst. If you say “ee-leck-TOR-ahl,” you’ll be mispronouncing it.

17. Brooch (br-OACH). That pin on your grandmother’s jacket was called a brooch. Rhymes with roach.

Following our theme of repetition bringing about habit, let’s take a quick look at three words that have been misused into acceptance. These words were labeled “substandard” in dictionaries past, but through stubborn misuse have become (somewhat) accepted.

Anyways. The correct word is anyway in both spoken and written English, but adding the s has made its way into the dictionary, though noted as “informal.” It is still considered substandard English by most authorities.

Hopefully. What could possibly be wrong with the word hopefully? Literally it means “in a hopeful manner.” “Hopefully, John bought a lottery ticket.” In other words, John bought the ticket with the hope he would win. But the word has been persistently misused to describe something one looks forward to happening, as in “Hopefully, it will rain tomorrow,” “Hopefully, my check won’t bounce.” In these two instances, the meaning is “it is hoped.” So, “Hopefully, John bought a lottery ticket” might be something John’s wife uttered to her friend, meaning she hoped he picked one up at the store, or she could be describing the manner in which he bought the ticket. Only John’s wife knows which she meant.

Forte. This word has three uses (two nouns and one adjective) and two pronunciations. As a noun, it means (1) one’s strong point. “Writing winning campaign speeches was his forte;” and (2) the strongest part of a sword blade. The original pronunciation of these two nouns was “FORT.” But with persistence, today the acceptable pronunciations are “FORT” and newcomer “for-TAY.” Lastly, (3) as an adjective, forte means loud, as in music. When used in this sense, “for-TAY” is correct.

And finally, a word pairing that is incorrectly used regularly and is still considered substandard English: to feel badly. The press had a field day with former First Lady Laura Bush’s misuse of the word badly. “I never felt badly,” Mrs. Bush said in an excerpt of an interview shown on CBS’s “The Early Show,” referring to a cancerous growth on her leg that had been successfully removed. The use of badly where bad would have been correct was especially egregious, according to the press, because she was a former teacher. No doubt, she used badly because she thought an adverb was appropriate. But when we feel things—other than when describing the sense of touch—we are actually describing our feelings. Ask yourself, would you ever say, “I feel sadly that your daughter is ill,” or “I feel angrily because of the way you treated me?” or “I feel goodly because I am on vacation?” The obvious answer is no, you wouldn’t. To “feel badly” is to have a poor sense of touch. Otherwise, stop feeling badly about anything.