Words frequently mispronounced

Question

Can you think of a word in English or Spanish that is frequently mispronounced? Include:

• Proper spelling of the word and its translation.
• Approximate spelling of the mispronunciation.
• If possible, link to a video featuring the mispronunciation.

Click on "Newest" to see latest post.

Here's an example:

Some people mispronounce the English word 'nuclear" ('nuclear' in Spanish) by saying 'nucular'.

• Homer Simpson says it: link text
• George W. Bush says it: link text
• Jimmy Carter says it: link text

Answer 1

Probably--Probly---probablemente

Edit to add:

Liable--Libel (a completely different word)-- propenso o responsable

It seems that a lot of Americans say "Tiajuana" instead of Tijuana- but I am not sure that counts since it is not being done by someone who speaks the language. - Stadt, Oct 28, 2010

Tiawana is the most common pronunciation by English speakers in SoCal. - lorenzo9, Oct 29, 2010

That is actually how I hear it most commonly here as well- some people actually think I say it wrong in not adding the "a" after "i". - Stadt, Oct 29, 2010

Answer 2

Spanish words should never be mispronounced. It just shouldn't be possible. The pronunciation is always the same.

English:

February - Feb-you-wary - febrero
Library - Lie-berry , biblioteca
Athlete - Ath-uh-lete - atleta

Good ones, KevinB. Let's see who posts Spanish words that, impossible though it may be, are mispronounced. - Parrandero, Oct 28, 2010

That's not to say that accents don't differ. For example, pa' is common for para, or ma'o'meno' for mas o menos, but's that an accent, not a mispronunciation.' - KevinB, Oct 28, 2010

I've heard "tons" for "entonces" - Tonyriva, Oct 29, 2010

That pronunciation for February isn't considered incorrect and is actually how we were taught to say it back in the 60's. - lorenzo9, Oct 30, 2010

What about the 1st "R"? But it's become so common to not pronounce (I don't) that even Miriam Webster lists the "R-less" version as acceptable, now. - KevinB, Oct 30, 2010

We were actually taught that it was incorrect to pronounce it. - lorenzo9, Oct 31, 2010

Answer 3

There's many, many words that are typical offenders with native Spanish speakers. Here are just a few I can think off the top of my hat, with the wrong one in front:

• Telesférico instead of Teleférico
• Cocreta instead of Croqueta
• Pusilámine instead of Pusilánime
• Ojeto instead of Objeto
• Tortículis instead of Tortícolis

It's not that native Spanish speakers don't know how to pronounce what they read, it's simply that they learn those words incorrectly, so they spell and write them wrong.

Exactly! People make mistakes when they speak, but making mistakes when you read is almost impossible (if you can read) - lazarus1907, Oct 29, 2010

Answer 4

Although it shouldn't be mispronounced it happens...

I've heard...

ójala... it should be "ojalá"... (Let's hope it happens)

haiga... it should be "haya"... (1st person, singular, subjunctive of "haber"... "there is")

grabiela... it should be "Gabriela" (a girl's name)

Yes! We hear a lot of people saying "haiga" instead of "haya" ! - amy_moreno, Oct 29, 2010

Answer 5

Gastronómicas:

zanagoria => zanahoria

almóndigas => albóndigas

pastaflora => pastafrola

mondiola => bondiola

ceituna => aceituna

pulenta => polenta

---

Otras:

endemientras => mientras

asegún => según

estrenamiento => entrenamiento

walmar => walkman (yes, believe me. My boss says Me puse los walmar)

teléfano => teléfono

Answer 6

Aks... should be Ask , often mispronounced by young people , strangely it was

pronounced as ,Aks, right up untill the late 19 th century ,the word comes from

Aknowledge, so it easy to see how it would have been Aks,..

Ask .. Pregunte.

Ask does not come from acknowledge, or even the same olde or middle English words. The aks variant fell out of favor around 1600. - lorenzo9, Oct 30, 2010

Not in our school it didn't, I aks my mama and she said so. - ray76, Oct 30, 2010

Old English āscian; related to Old Frisian āskia, Old High German eiscōn Old Saxon ēscon, - ray76, Oct 30, 2010

Answer 7

• A ver

• Preterit conjugation of the subject : tú (hiciste, dijiste etc.)

---

• haber

• hicistes, dijistes...

---

JENNIFER LOPEZ QUE HICISTES LYRICS

Haber [a ver] que pasa

dijiste vs. dijistes

"A ver" and "Haber" are usually misspelled, but it's that, the spelling, as they both sound the same. - bill1111, Oct 29, 2010

Thanks for the links! I think a lot of people mistakenly put an 's' at the end of the second person singular pretérito (hiciste) because the present tense form o fthe verb has an 's' at the end (haces). - Parrandero, Oct 29, 2010

yes exactly! because of the present tense form... - culé, Oct 29, 2010

In fact, every 2nd person singular form of the verb except the present has an 's' at the end, corrrect? No wonder people put an 's' on it! - Parrandero, Oct 29, 2010

Hicistes, dijistes... This is one of my pet peeves. - LuisaGomezBartle, Oct 29, 2010

every 2nd person singular form except preterit ( past ) has it , and not only in spanish but also in english do they make the same mistake , most of my spanish friends say : "you goes, you eats" because of that 's' in the end, tienen razón! jeje! - culé, Oct 30, 2010

Answer 8

The worst pronounced words in Spanish are, by far, those that come from foreign languages, like English.

So, when we go to a bar, we ordered a bazgüeiser(Budweiser) a cienpipers(100 pippers) or a rezbul(Red Bull).

We know American actors as Maiquel Daglas(Michael Douglas), yes, yes, the son of Kir Duglas. (Kirk Douglas)!

And many others, that don't come to mind now, en verdaz.

"The worst ..." :-) - pesta, Oct 29, 2010

;) thanks! - cogumela, Oct 29, 2010

jajaja, genial! es cerdad!! Sin Conery!! SIn Pen! - mediterrunio, Oct 29, 2010

I've found I can puzzle my friends by asking them to guess who I am talking about if I say 'Ginger Rogers' the Spanish way! - galsally, Oct 30, 2010

Answer 9

There's a very nice reference of 100 common mispronounced English words at yourdictionary.com

From that list, I recognize a few of my favorite examples:

Don't say:	Do say:
doggy dog world	dog-eat-dog world
expresso	espresso
For all intensive purposes	For all intents and purposes
take for granite	take for granted

I wonder if there is a Spanish web site with similar topics of information...?

Good examples Pesta! - Yeser007, Oct 29, 2010

Thanks. It was hard not to make the list much longer :-) - pesta, Oct 29, 2010

Answer 10

I have heard lots of people saying "fuistes" instead of "fuiste", and as Tonyriva says, "haiga" instead of "haya".

Answer 11

Death warmed up - not - death worn duck

My sister said the latter for years.

I have also hear Cublic par cark - instead of - Public car park.

I think these are called "Spoonerisms"

http://www.fun-with-words.com/spoonerisms.html

Still can't make links.

Edit: Here's a link - http://www.fun-with-words.com/spoonerisms.html

Thanks Pesta - ian-hill, Oct 29, 2010

Death warmed over in the US. - lorenzo9, Oct 30, 2010

That is worthy of a toast, " Here's to the queer old Dean" oops 'The dear old Queen" - ray76, Oct 30, 2010

Answer 12

From where I come from the worse case would be the word

Certificate

This was always pronounced

Cestifcate

Answer 13

From the verb to pronounce

I have often heard pronounciation instead of pronunciation.

Answer 14

Mischievous is very often mispronounced as Mischievious in England.

Also, the stress should be on the first syllable, and the people who mispronounce this word also stress the second syllable.

Theatre should be pronounced with stress on the first syllable, but is sometimes pronounced as 'the-e-tre', stressing an 'e' that doesn't even exist in the correct spelling. This is normally an error made by people who think they are better educated than others..

Answer 15

I have heard a number of people mispronounce the Spanish word ciudad (city) by transposing the "i" and the 'u' so it sounds like suidad.