100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases

[Twila]

One that really used to irk me years ago (haven't heard it so much lately) is the mispronunciation of the City of "New Westminster"- "Westminister" just drove me crazy.

How about the Patella bridge? Spelled Patullo.

When I first moved to the mainland I was so confused by this. I thought maybe there were 2 bridges.

I find it annoying when streets have numerical AND word names...Like Scott Rd/ 120th street. Or roads that change names depending on what side of the intersection you're on. 104 Avenue and Tannery Rd. Some don't even bother with intersections when it comes to changing the road name...like South Fraser way/River Rd.

 

[Goober]

How about the Patella bridge? Spelled Patullo.

When I first moved to the mainland I was so confused by this. I thought maybe there were 2 bridges.

I find it annoying when streets have numerical AND word names...Like Scott Rd/ 120th street. Or roads that change names depending on what side of the intersection you're on. 104 Avenue and Tannery Rd. Some don't even bother with intersections when it comes to changing the road name...like South Fraser way/River Rd.

Not sure if these were mentioned yet
Samwitch
Eggzactly

 

[Johnnny]

dialects?

 

[Goober]

dialects?

No, lazy and going with the rest of the crowd -

 

[YukonJack]

Why do some people say: "I could care less" when they really mean: "I could not care less"?

 

[JLM]

Why do some people say: "I could care less" when they really mean: "I could not care less"?

Yep, unless spoken sarcastically it makes absolutely no sense, but you hear it a lot.

 

[YukonJack]

Friend of mine, who is English always pronounces Canada as Canader and recently Obama as Obamer.

But as an immigrant what the heck do I know?

 

[JLM]

Friend of mine, who is English always pronounces Canada as Canader and recently Obama as Obamer.

But as an immigrant what the heck do I know?

J.F.K. did the same sort of thing. I met a guy a few years ago who originated in "Borston".

 

[Paul_G]

A couple of mispronunciations that bother me are axe instead of ask and fustrating instead of frustrating.

 

[YukonJack]

This does not bother me, but laeves me perplexed:

Chooseday, tyoosday or toosday??

 

[Twila]

This does not bother me, but laeves me perplexed:

Chooseday, tyoosday or toosday??

hmmm, I guess it would depend on if you pronounced

Schedule as shedule or skedule

advert is ment or advert IZE ment

I'm a Toosday's Skeduled advert is ment kind of gal.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

I tuned in a bit late here, but this is my take on things; "Skid road" was the original pronunciaton, though Vancouver tried to claim the term as it's own, it came from Seattle WA, (though I can't remember the actual street) where loggers would skid logs and equipment to the bay. Unemployed workers would congregate there because that was were potential employers would be.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

Oooooooooh Woostisure. I know them Englishers have problems with their own language- there's a town in Cornwall named Mousehole, but pronounced "mozzle".

I guess English has been corrupted over the years, like "Wooster and Woostishure, there's also Lester and Lestishure, (Leicestershire). Driving through Worcester Mass. they even had signs advertising it as "Wooster".

Nautical terms also drive me nuts, the term bowsun is now even spelled that way at times, when it is supposed to be spelled "boatswain". Another one that messed with my head was "foksul", spelled forecastle.

 

[JLM]

I guess English has been corrupted over the years, like "Wooster and Woostishure, there's also Lester and Lestishure, (Leicestershire). Driving through Worcester Mass. they even had signs advertising it as "Wooster".

Nautical terms also drive me nuts, the term bowsun is now even spelled that way at times, when it is supposed to be spelled "boatswain". Another one that messed with my head was "foksul", spelled forecastle.

Another interesting one is the Sir name St. John, pronounced Sinjon.

 

[Cliffy]

Another interesting one is the Sir name St. John, pronounced Sinjon.

Saint or Sinner! A conundrum for a religious person of that name, what?

 

[Cannuck]

J.F.K. did the same sort of thing. I met a guy a few years ago who originated in "Borston".

That's an eastern thing. My dad was born and raised on the Gaspe coast and he "warshes his budaidas in a zink" before he makes hash browns.

 

[Cannuck]

hmmm, I guess it would depend on if you pronounced

Schedule as shedule or skedule

"Shedule" sounds so pretentious to me. It's like iss-u instead of ish-u. I think it comes from a Kids in the Hall skit where they made made fun of a guy that talked like that.

 

[#juan]

Some are kinda funny! I would seriously have to ridicule a friend or coworker if they pronounced things like "bob wire" as opposed to "barb wire".

Or back before we got lazy, we said, "barbed wire"....;-)

 

[#juan]

I believe the original was 'spit and image'

No. "Spitting image" was the original. There was a British TV show that used that name. I believe the idea was that the only way you could tell the image from the real thing was if one of them were to spit...;-)

 

[DavidB]

Not mispronounced, but mis-used, period:

reiterate

There is no such word. It is redundant. The word is "iterate". That's it. It already means to repeat, say again.

But I see everybody use "reiterate", even anchormen/women on TV stations when they give the news. You would think, of all people, journalists would be meticulous about their words. Makes you wonder if they are just as sloppy with their "facts".