Words you didn’t realize your family mispronounced

[Mousemom234]

Apparently I didn't pronounce anything wrong -- until I moved from 'nawth of Bawstun' to South Carolina

Another one common in the NYC region is pronouncing pecan as PEE-can. Apparently most everywhere else, it is puh-CAHN.

That one I learned a long time ago as: "pe-CAHN you eat, PEE-can goes under the bed" - but the 2nd pronunciation was common in Massachusetts, too.

 

[VandVsmama]

I say "pecan" multiple ways....

• PEE-can
• pih-CAN
• pih-CAHN

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

My husband laughed at me when we first met because I called Massachusetts - Massa tu setts. Haven't done it since!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Not really heard growing up, but I was an adult before I realized the word that I pronounced cal-ee-ope was calliope (cuh-lie-oh-pee). I knew what a calliope was, and used that term when speaking, but didn't realize that's how it was spelled.

I was like this with the word “erudite”. I knew what it meant but had no idea how to actually say it for years - until I heard a college professor say it on a History Channel show. I was like, “Ah ha, that’s how you say that word!”

 

[Earstou]

My parents always pronounced hover as hoover.

I was in college before I realized I was saying it wrong!

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I married a man from Philly.. his whole family says things " wrong" lol

 

[tzolkin]

My mom's family is from the Bronx so basically every word I heard growing up is considered mispronounced. It's too late to change my speech patterns, so it is what it is!

Everyone has an accent - I don't think there really is a correct way to say something unless 99% of the rest of the English-speaking world disagrees.

I think there's a difference between having an accent and pronouncing something wrong. There may be a "proper" pronunciation and also many variations based on accent or dialect, but I wouldn't say they are "wrong" if they are a common accent.

To me, pronouncing something wrong is when you don't know what the real word is or you think it's spelled differently so you are saying something completely wrong. Some examples that I hear from certain people all the time-- supposably, flustrated, reimversed. They don't just say the words like that because they have an accent, they believe wholeheartedly that those are the correct pronunciations and spellings.

I think this is regional; I grew up pronouncing caramel as CAR-mel, my southern born SIL keeps telling me it is care-a-mel, like it is spelled!

Carmel and caramel are two separate words so I think that adds to the confusion about the pronunciation. I think maybe people in the past heard one or the other and then decided that was the "correct" pronunciation for both.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

...


Carmel and caramel are two separate words so I think that adds to the confusion about the pronunciation. I think maybe people in the past heard one or the other and then decided that was the "correct" pronunciation for both.

What Is Caramel?
Caramel—a common noun spelled with seven letters, including two a’s—is a sweet food item often enjoyed as a candy dessert. It’s formed by cooking sugar until it turns into a light, silky, toasted-brown color. It can be molded and hardened into various shapes or simply served as a creamy sauce. Based on the dessert’s distinct color, the word “caramel” is also used as an adjective to describe objects of this particular shade of brown.

What Is Carmel?

Carmel—spelled with six letters, including only one a—is a proper name. Search a map, and you will find many Carmels across the world. There’s a Carmel Beach in California, the biblical Mount Carmel in the Mediterranean, and perhaps a Mount Carmel Church in your own neighborhood. You might also have an aunt Carmel in the family or have enjoyed lunch at Carmel’s Diner.

Did you notice anything else in addition to Carmel having one less letter? As a proper noun, “Carmel” is always capitalized. Without that important capital letter at the start, it would just become a misspelling of the word “caramel”!

 

[Chuck S]

My Mom's eldest sister couldn't say "Dinosaur" if her life depended upon it. She always said "Din-e-o-czar"

And I've known a couple people who couldn't pronounce "Aluminum", either the American way or the European way....they just said "alume alume alume."

 

[AvidDisReader]

My mom was a high school graduate, but an absolute language Nazi. I do not know of any words we misused, she would not allow it. Interesting story, my older brother became an English teacher, obtained a Master's degree. He was/is extremely competitive, loves to play Scrabble to show off his vocabulary. It got to the point where I absolutely refused to play with him, I just got tired of being embarrassed. However, the one person he never could beat was my high school educated Mother. It always made me smile when she would beat his pants, he would get so mad.

 

[hollydolls]

I didn’t know my parents were saying “ornery” until I was in my 20s, even though I knew the word and had seen it in print. They pronounced it “on-ree,” almost like honory. I thought they were 2 different words!

 

[disney4us2002]

My mom was from the mid-west and my dad from Virginia so they didn't agree on lots of pronunciations.

The only thing I remember is when my boys (now adults) were interested in reading together the Harry Potter books. I had NO IDEA how the heck to pronounce Hermoine and I definitely butchered it until the movies came out.

 

[disykat]

I'm trying to wrap my mind around Mary having a long a sound. I'm very well aqauinted with name IRL and have only heard it said that way when people abbreviate is to "Mare." Usually it's "eh." I do hear a long a on "marry" sometimes though. Regional differences maybe? I often hear Mary Kate together and it's the vowels definitely sound different!

 

[tzolkin]

I'm trying to wrap my mind around Mary having a long a sound. I'm very well aqauinted with name IRL and have only heard it said that way when people abbreviate is to "Mare." Usually it's "eh." I do hear a long a on "marry" sometimes though. Regional differences maybe? I often hear Mary Kate together and it's the vowels definitely sound different!

Really? I feel like the only way I have ever heard the name Mary pronounced is Mare-Y. The A pronounced like the word "air". Never Meh-ry. Mind sharing where you're from?

 

[mrodgers]

Yep. Both sides of my family have been in Western PA for generations—most in Pittsburgh. My children still think it’s hilarious that my mom one time told one of them not to worry about a spill on a tablecloth because it was “worshable”.

My brother and I make fun of her all the time. We always ask her why she worshes cloths but yet she doesn't eat squorsh.