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You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse
For word nerds and grammar geeks, a witty guide to the most commonly mispronounced words, along with their correct pronunciations and pithy forays into their fascinating etymologies and histories of use and misuse.With wit and good humor, this handy little book not only saves us from sticky linguistic situations but also provides fascinating cocktail-party-ready anecdotes. Entries reveal how to pronounce boatswain like an old salt on the deck of a ship, trompe l'oeil like a bona fide art expert, and haricot vert like a foodie, while arming us with the knowledge of why certain words are correctly pronounced the "slangy" way (they came about before dictionaries), what stalks of grain have to do with pronunciation, and more. With bonus sidebars like "How to Sound like a Seasoned Traveler" and "How to Sound Cultured," readers will be able to speak about foreign foods and places, fashion, philosophy, and literature with authority.
183 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
March 7, 2019
When we mispronounce words it is often due to a lack of knowledge. Occasionally we’re guilty of metathesis, the rearranging of sounds in a word. Sometimes we can chalk it up to laziness. Whatever the reason, now there’s a guide to help you with the correct pronunciation of 150 commonly mispronounced words. There will be some tricky words in here but also some surprising entries. But mispronunciation is common and it is easy to fall victim to the same hang-ups as others.
Now admittedly many of these words do not come up in regular everyday conversation. But if you’ve ever wondered exactly how to pronounce acai, gnocchi, orangutan, or Oregon (yes, Oregon is in there) then this is the book for you.
Language aficionados will delight in this fascinating history of words and their pronunciation. All of us can certainly gain linguistic knowledge from reading this book and hopefully never be embarrassed again by our botched pronunciation of common and not so common words.
Now admittedly many of these words do not come up in regular everyday conversation. But if you’ve ever wondered exactly how to pronounce acai, gnocchi, orangutan, or Oregon (yes, Oregon is in there) then this is the book for you.
Language aficionados will delight in this fascinating history of words and their pronunciation. All of us can certainly gain linguistic knowledge from reading this book and hopefully never be embarrassed again by our botched pronunciation of common and not so common words.
October 22, 2016
4.5★
What an entertaining, embarrassingly informative resource this is! When you read it, you’ll understand why I say embarrassing. I can almost guarantee that there will be at least ONE word in here that you’ve either been avoiding or worse, you’ve been saying wrong.
There’s a long list of names that are often pronounced not how you’d expect, and I’m not talking about those long, complicated Welsh names. I think most people familiar with England would know that Leicester is pronounced LESS-ter, but might not know that Featherstonehaugh is pronounced FAN-shaw.
Here’s a common error I've heard often, or people just point at the menu! :)
“In a survey of the most commonly mispronounced food words done by the Chicago Tribune, bruschetta easily made it into the top ten. For the record, it’s pronounced “broo-SKET-tah” with a hard ch sound as in modern Italian. The word comes from the old Tuscan Italian dialect and is derived from the word ‘bruscare’, meaning ‘to roast over coals’ (and so on, back to Caesar).
Chiaroscuro is simply key-arrow-SKEW-row. Easy peasy!
Daylight Saving Time. Simple, you’d think. I think everyone I know has always referred to Daylight SavingS, with an S. Wrong. We are saving daylight but we aren’t creating any savings, so no S.
“GIF [jiff] computer graphic image . . . Steve Wilhite says it’s ‘jiff’…and he should know since he developed GIFs for Compuserve. He chose to pronounce it that way because it sounded like Jif, the peanut butter brand. Employees would do a riff on Jif TV ads, saying, ‘Choosy developers choose GIF.’"
And watch out next time you’re celebrating in style. Do you REALLY know how to pronounce Moët et Chandon, the famous French champagne? Wait for it . . . Mwett eh SHA(n)-doh. Yep. Who knew?
Not me. Not that it’s part of my everyday vocabulary, but I’m sure I’ve heard people brag about the Moey, (rhymes with Joey), or Moay, (rhymes with No Way), rather than Mwett, rhymes with Jet.
“The founder of this famous French champagne company, official supplier to Queen Elizabeth among others around the world, had a Dutch name, not a French one, so he pronounced his name the Dutch way with a sounded T at the end. It’s “Mwett” . . . That’s how the French say it, how it’s pronounced in top New York restaurants, and (probably) how Queen Elizabeth pronounces it as well. And, of course, don’t pronounce the T in ‘et’.
And, by the way, the two dots over the ‘e’ in Moët may be an umlaut (which I’ve always called it, since I’m familiar with German), but there is another (same, it seems) punctuation mark which warrants its own heading in this book, since it’s an easy word to mispronounce as well.
It’s a ‘diaeresis (also dieresis) [dye-AIR-uh-sis] which signifies that a vowel is sounded separately as in Brontë.
There is so much to like and enjoy in this book, but I must finish. So I’ll do so with another that I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know.
Nguyen [wen]. . . “It’s the fifty-seventh most common surname in the United States, and estimates are that 40 percent of all Vietnamese have this name. (Note: We’re using the term ‘surname’ because the Vietnamese like the Chinese traditionally put their ‘last’ name first, as in Smith, John, not John Smith, as in Western countries.) In Australia, Nguyen is second only to Smith in the Melbourne phone book.
A terrific gift for any wordies you know or anyone who likes languages. There’s a bit of history for many words and phrases and quite bit of humour. The authors, Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras, are brother and sister, which accounts for the good-natured ribbing when one has to admit to being wrong when they've disagreed about pronunciation. Good fun.
Excellent. Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the review copy from which I’ve quoted.
What an entertaining, embarrassingly informative resource this is! When you read it, you’ll understand why I say embarrassing. I can almost guarantee that there will be at least ONE word in here that you’ve either been avoiding or worse, you’ve been saying wrong.
There’s a long list of names that are often pronounced not how you’d expect, and I’m not talking about those long, complicated Welsh names. I think most people familiar with England would know that Leicester is pronounced LESS-ter, but might not know that Featherstonehaugh is pronounced FAN-shaw.
Here’s a common error I've heard often, or people just point at the menu! :)
“In a survey of the most commonly mispronounced food words done by the Chicago Tribune, bruschetta easily made it into the top ten. For the record, it’s pronounced “broo-SKET-tah” with a hard ch sound as in modern Italian. The word comes from the old Tuscan Italian dialect and is derived from the word ‘bruscare’, meaning ‘to roast over coals’ (and so on, back to Caesar).
Chiaroscuro is simply key-arrow-SKEW-row. Easy peasy!
Daylight Saving Time. Simple, you’d think. I think everyone I know has always referred to Daylight SavingS, with an S. Wrong. We are saving daylight but we aren’t creating any savings, so no S.
“GIF [jiff] computer graphic image . . . Steve Wilhite says it’s ‘jiff’…and he should know since he developed GIFs for Compuserve. He chose to pronounce it that way because it sounded like Jif, the peanut butter brand. Employees would do a riff on Jif TV ads, saying, ‘Choosy developers choose GIF.’"
And watch out next time you’re celebrating in style. Do you REALLY know how to pronounce Moët et Chandon, the famous French champagne? Wait for it . . . Mwett eh SHA(n)-doh. Yep. Who knew?
Not me. Not that it’s part of my everyday vocabulary, but I’m sure I’ve heard people brag about the Moey, (rhymes with Joey), or Moay, (rhymes with No Way), rather than Mwett, rhymes with Jet.
“The founder of this famous French champagne company, official supplier to Queen Elizabeth among others around the world, had a Dutch name, not a French one, so he pronounced his name the Dutch way with a sounded T at the end. It’s “Mwett” . . . That’s how the French say it, how it’s pronounced in top New York restaurants, and (probably) how Queen Elizabeth pronounces it as well. And, of course, don’t pronounce the T in ‘et’.
And, by the way, the two dots over the ‘e’ in Moët may be an umlaut (which I’ve always called it, since I’m familiar with German), but there is another (same, it seems) punctuation mark which warrants its own heading in this book, since it’s an easy word to mispronounce as well.
It’s a ‘diaeresis (also dieresis) [dye-AIR-uh-sis] which signifies that a vowel is sounded separately as in Brontë.
There is so much to like and enjoy in this book, but I must finish. So I’ll do so with another that I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know.
Nguyen [wen]. . . “It’s the fifty-seventh most common surname in the United States, and estimates are that 40 percent of all Vietnamese have this name. (Note: We’re using the term ‘surname’ because the Vietnamese like the Chinese traditionally put their ‘last’ name first, as in Smith, John, not John Smith, as in Western countries.) In Australia, Nguyen is second only to Smith in the Melbourne phone book.
A terrific gift for any wordies you know or anyone who likes languages. There’s a bit of history for many words and phrases and quite bit of humour. The authors, Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras, are brother and sister, which accounts for the good-natured ribbing when one has to admit to being wrong when they've disagreed about pronunciation. Good fun.
Excellent. Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the review copy from which I’ve quoted.
September 8, 2016
You're Saying It Wrong is an excellent collection of the most commonly mispronounced words in the English language. Not only does the book give the correct pronunciations but it also gives the incorrect ones and pithy explanations as to why they are so widely mispronounced. It's a great book for readers because if you're a huge consumer of the written word, a lot of your exposure to these words might come from books, where you aren't able to actually hear the correct pronunciation. Initially I had intended to first browse through the book a little but found myself reading half of it in one sitting. And yes, I definitely found several words that I wasn't pronouncing correctly. This is a great book for fans of words and knowledge and also a great reference guide to check yourself against.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Press for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Press for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2016
(Review posted within one week of publication date, no earlier, per publisher request.) Thanks to YOU'RE SAYING IT WRONG: A PRONUNCIATION GUIDE TO THE 150 MOST COMMONLY MISPRONOUNCED WORDS AND THEIR TANGLED HISTORIES OF MISUSE, by Ross and Kathryn Petras, I will never, ever forget how to pronounce the Vietnamese menu word for the soup I love so much: "pho". The hilarious naughty little joke shared within is forever embedded in my memory and will be "preventive" of future errors. (And saved me from another common usage one right here!).
You don't have to be a grammar nut to love this short and sweet guide of mispronounced words. I laughed, caught out, on a number of words which I might READ and understand correctly but which do slide off my tongue casually with letters misplaced, added or missed.
The blunder “Tumeric” instead of the correct TURMERIC. It’s REMUNERATION– not “renumeration“: the municipality is the source of the cash, not a number. And, TRIATHLON doesn’t have that extra syllable most of us tend to slip in; there is not a word “the” anywhere to be found in triathlon! ! And, then there is that soup…
The little anecdotes and notes on the origins of the words are not at all high falutin’; the Greek, Latin, French, German or Dutch roots make no difference when their thoroughness is tempered with terrific humour about the goofiness of the English language. Naughty or nice, my list for mispronouncing friends and family (and aren’t we all?! ) this Christmas will definitely include “You’re Saying It Wrong“.
Oh, yes… That great mnemonic with its naughty twist, to remember how to pronounce “pho”? Get in line to get your copy of this terrific little reference book to find the answer to that and many other conundrums.
ARC from NETGALLEY
Published September 13, 2016, Ten Speed Press
You don't have to be a grammar nut to love this short and sweet guide of mispronounced words. I laughed, caught out, on a number of words which I might READ and understand correctly but which do slide off my tongue casually with letters misplaced, added or missed.
The blunder “Tumeric” instead of the correct TURMERIC. It’s REMUNERATION– not “renumeration“: the municipality is the source of the cash, not a number. And, TRIATHLON doesn’t have that extra syllable most of us tend to slip in; there is not a word “the” anywhere to be found in triathlon! ! And, then there is that soup…
The little anecdotes and notes on the origins of the words are not at all high falutin’; the Greek, Latin, French, German or Dutch roots make no difference when their thoroughness is tempered with terrific humour about the goofiness of the English language. Naughty or nice, my list for mispronouncing friends and family (and aren’t we all?! ) this Christmas will definitely include “You’re Saying It Wrong“.
Oh, yes… That great mnemonic with its naughty twist, to remember how to pronounce “pho”? Get in line to get your copy of this terrific little reference book to find the answer to that and many other conundrums.
ARC from NETGALLEY
Published September 13, 2016, Ten Speed Press
September 13, 2016
Note: I finished this one in not much more than a couple of hours on Sept. 9. The publisher asked that reviews be held till the week of release.
When I first heard about this book, I knew right away it was perfect for me. As a long-time writer, news reporter and copy editor (and now that I've pretty much settled into retirement, an avid reader), I figured getting a mere 150 words correct would be a no-brainer.
Was I right? Well, not exactly.
These words range from "acai" to "zydeco" and are, the brother-and-sister authors say, words that will, if you pronounce them incorrectly, make you sound like an ignoramus. That's something, of course, we all want to avoid at all costs. By the end of the book, I learned that my vocabulary words fall into three major categories, beginning with those I absolutely nailed (like "gnocci" and "Louisville"). Those two I attribute to spending nearly 50 years of my life in the middle of what I fondly call the Little Italy of northeast Ohio and the fact that when I was growing up, the great state of Kentucky was but a little over an hour's drive away (even at 1950s speeds).
On the other hand, I was humbled by words I've apparently been screwing up for most of my life, among them "detritus," "kibosh," "liqueur" and (gasp!) the name of a favorite author of children's books - Dr. Seuss. And third, I learned how to pronounce words I never even knew even existed and am quite certain I'll never use in a sentence for the rest of my natural life: "Antipodes?" "Chiaroscuro?" The ever-popular "foevvre?"
Joking aside, the book makes for quite an interesting and informative experience. Not only do we learn proper pronunciation (shown phonetically), we learn their definitions, etymology and, in many instances, related tidbits that often are amusing. The authors also make distinctions among words that are correctly uttered only one way, those that have two or more acceptable pronounciations and those that are territorial (meaning they're okay said one way in Seattle but not when you're in Tallahassee).
Scattered in between are "sidebars" of pronunciations of terms on a related subject, like travel, fashion and wine (I'll have you know I aced that latter category), adding even more enlightenment. Reading it for me provided not only positive mental exercise but a bit of the physical; by the time I'd passed "C," I started to really get into it - nodding my head enthusiastically when I got a word right and slapping myself upside the head when I didn't.
The extensive amount of research it took to compile all this makes it well worth 5 stars in my book, and the fact that it's done in an entertaining fashion makes it a shoe-in. If you're a bit of a wordsmith like me or just want to expand your knowledge base, this one is well worth consideration. Many thanks to the authors and publisher (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
When I first heard about this book, I knew right away it was perfect for me. As a long-time writer, news reporter and copy editor (and now that I've pretty much settled into retirement, an avid reader), I figured getting a mere 150 words correct would be a no-brainer.
Was I right? Well, not exactly.
These words range from "acai" to "zydeco" and are, the brother-and-sister authors say, words that will, if you pronounce them incorrectly, make you sound like an ignoramus. That's something, of course, we all want to avoid at all costs. By the end of the book, I learned that my vocabulary words fall into three major categories, beginning with those I absolutely nailed (like "gnocci" and "Louisville"). Those two I attribute to spending nearly 50 years of my life in the middle of what I fondly call the Little Italy of northeast Ohio and the fact that when I was growing up, the great state of Kentucky was but a little over an hour's drive away (even at 1950s speeds).
On the other hand, I was humbled by words I've apparently been screwing up for most of my life, among them "detritus," "kibosh," "liqueur" and (gasp!) the name of a favorite author of children's books - Dr. Seuss. And third, I learned how to pronounce words I never even knew even existed and am quite certain I'll never use in a sentence for the rest of my natural life: "Antipodes?" "Chiaroscuro?" The ever-popular "foevvre?"
Joking aside, the book makes for quite an interesting and informative experience. Not only do we learn proper pronunciation (shown phonetically), we learn their definitions, etymology and, in many instances, related tidbits that often are amusing. The authors also make distinctions among words that are correctly uttered only one way, those that have two or more acceptable pronounciations and those that are territorial (meaning they're okay said one way in Seattle but not when you're in Tallahassee).
Scattered in between are "sidebars" of pronunciations of terms on a related subject, like travel, fashion and wine (I'll have you know I aced that latter category), adding even more enlightenment. Reading it for me provided not only positive mental exercise but a bit of the physical; by the time I'd passed "C," I started to really get into it - nodding my head enthusiastically when I got a word right and slapping myself upside the head when I didn't.
The extensive amount of research it took to compile all this makes it well worth 5 stars in my book, and the fact that it's done in an entertaining fashion makes it a shoe-in. If you're a bit of a wordsmith like me or just want to expand your knowledge base, this one is well worth consideration. Many thanks to the authors and publisher (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 20, 2016
Five stars! As a casual word nerd and a lifelong reader, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The entry for each word is only a page, which is enough for a bit of etymology and pronunciation explanation but not too much to get bogged down or boring. The authors really know how to appeal to the reader's sense of humor, which is a good tactic when correcting prickly nerds. Many of these words were pronounced as I expected, but there were some true shockers (Dr. Seuss and desultory, I'm looking at you!) If you have a word nerd in your life who also likes to laugh, this would be the PERFECT gift! Funny and educational is a total winning combo.
October 5, 2016
The book is written by a brother sister combo Ross and Kathryn Petras, who say they are word nuts. I have been fascinated with words for a long time but I have a problem with pronunciation so thought this book might help me. I purchased it as an e-book as no audiobook was available. This book would be great as an audiobook so we could hear the correct pronunciations.
The author uses humor, puns and word play along with a broad knowledge of language history to make the book fascinating. The words are in alphabetical order. The word that surprised me the most as being mispronounced frequently was “anyway”; according to the authors many people say “anyways”. The book will make a good addition to my reference library.
The book is 172 pages and was published on September 13, 2016. I read this using my Kindle app on my iPad.
The author uses humor, puns and word play along with a broad knowledge of language history to make the book fascinating. The words are in alphabetical order. The word that surprised me the most as being mispronounced frequently was “anyway”; according to the authors many people say “anyways”. The book will make a good addition to my reference library.
The book is 172 pages and was published on September 13, 2016. I read this using my Kindle app on my iPad.
January 27, 2023
As an honorary member of the "Grammar Police", I have found much of this enjoyable. Although the book could have contained more errors that come to mind, many of the most glaring gaffes are addressed. For example, I was pleased to see Antarctica mentioned. This is frequently mispronounced, even by meteorologists, even on NPR! The authors state that this habit of eliminating the first "c" in this word is mainly a matter of laziness. Another error frequently stated is "I could care less", when they mean the exact opposite. How about "would of" instead of would have? There are certainly many more.
Some words included were those I have not encountered or used, such as, Cthulhu, ikat and pwn.
I even discovered one or two errors which I have made! "Spit and image" is the correct phrase, not the very common,"spitting image"! Another is "dull as ditch water" (not dish water!). The origins of such words and phrases are clearly explained.
I was surprised to see the absence of such words as, "nuclear", etc. Also another phrase frequently misused is, "have a pit in my stomach", when what is meant is, have a (feeling or pain) in the pit of my stomach". I am sure that more examples will surface in my mind. Considering the brevity of this book, the writers have made a good introductory guide. Perhaps they could continue on with Part II.
Some words included were those I have not encountered or used, such as, Cthulhu, ikat and pwn.
I even discovered one or two errors which I have made! "Spit and image" is the correct phrase, not the very common,"spitting image"! Another is "dull as ditch water" (not dish water!). The origins of such words and phrases are clearly explained.
I was surprised to see the absence of such words as, "nuclear", etc. Also another phrase frequently misused is, "have a pit in my stomach", when what is meant is, have a (feeling or pain) in the pit of my stomach". I am sure that more examples will surface in my mind. Considering the brevity of this book, the writers have made a good introductory guide. Perhaps they could continue on with Part II.
July 20, 2023
Here are some words I have been mispronouncing. Maybe you have too.
Gouda: I keep forgetting that it's pronounced HOW-dah
Riesling: it's REESE-ling, not REEZ-ling
spit and image: not "spitting image" even though that version is much more popular
segue: In my teens, I thought this was pronounced SEG-you, but it's actually SEG-way
triathlon: It's try-ATH-lon, not try-ATH-a-lon
Gouda: I keep forgetting that it's pronounced HOW-dah
Riesling: it's REESE-ling, not REEZ-ling
spit and image: not "spitting image" even though that version is much more popular
segue: In my teens, I thought this was pronounced SEG-you, but it's actually SEG-way
triathlon: It's try-ATH-lon, not try-ATH-a-lon
Read
October 3, 2016When I saw the book You're Saying it Wrong!, subtitled, "A pronunciation guilde to the 150 most commonly mispronounced words and their tangled histories of misue," I knew it was meant for me.
I am going to memorize this book. I am one of those people who learned my vocabulary from reading, not from hearing the words spoken by the people around me, and consquently I don't know how to pronounce words I understand when I read.
Take chiaroscuro (kee-ahr-uh-SKYOOR-oh, according to You're Saying it Wrong!) I knew it referred to the effect of light and shadow in art, as seen in Rembrandt's The Night Watch. I had no idea how to say it.
I was particularly needed the page "How to Sound Well Read", because although I've read these writers I didn't know how to say J. K. Coetzee (j.m. koot-See-uh), Ta-Nehisi Coates (tah-nuh-HAH-see cotes), and Jonathan Lethem (JON-uh-thun LEETH-em).
But at least I know "How to Sound Like a Season Holder to the Symphony," perhaps because I HAVE BEEN a season ticket holder, and because radio announces know how to pronounce Antonin Dvorak (AHN-to-neen DVOR-zhahk) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (PYAW-ter ihl-YICH chuh-KOFF-skee). 'Rayf" Vaughn Williams was in my pocket--but in "How to Sound Like You 're From Acorss the Pond" I learned that Ranulph is... 'ralph'.
I can now order at the Greek diner with confidence since I know gyro is 'YEE-roh'. Nor will I avoid ordering wine after learning how to say "reece-ling" and "PEE-noh nwar".
There has been a disagreement in America on pronouncing Iran (ee-RAHN) and Iran (ee-Rahk), and Dubai (du-BYE).
Included in the book are sayings that are often misspoken, like 'on tenterhooks', meaning a state of anxious suspense, which many people mistakenly call 'on tenderhooks'.
The authors, siblings Ross and Kathryn Petras, are both 'word nuts' and 'grammer pedants' who have appeared in newspapers, television news, radio shows, and magazines.
I need to get back to my memorization. I have to learn to say my virtual friend's name, Siobhan (shih-VAWN) in case we ever meet in real life.
I received a free book from the publisher through Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I am going to memorize this book. I am one of those people who learned my vocabulary from reading, not from hearing the words spoken by the people around me, and consquently I don't know how to pronounce words I understand when I read.
Take chiaroscuro (kee-ahr-uh-SKYOOR-oh, according to You're Saying it Wrong!) I knew it referred to the effect of light and shadow in art, as seen in Rembrandt's The Night Watch. I had no idea how to say it.
I was particularly needed the page "How to Sound Well Read", because although I've read these writers I didn't know how to say J. K. Coetzee (j.m. koot-See-uh), Ta-Nehisi Coates (tah-nuh-HAH-see cotes), and Jonathan Lethem (JON-uh-thun LEETH-em).
But at least I know "How to Sound Like a Season Holder to the Symphony," perhaps because I HAVE BEEN a season ticket holder, and because radio announces know how to pronounce Antonin Dvorak (AHN-to-neen DVOR-zhahk) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (PYAW-ter ihl-YICH chuh-KOFF-skee). 'Rayf" Vaughn Williams was in my pocket--but in "How to Sound Like You 're From Acorss the Pond" I learned that Ranulph is... 'ralph'.
I can now order at the Greek diner with confidence since I know gyro is 'YEE-roh'. Nor will I avoid ordering wine after learning how to say "reece-ling" and "PEE-noh nwar".
There has been a disagreement in America on pronouncing Iran (ee-RAHN) and Iran (ee-Rahk), and Dubai (du-BYE).
Included in the book are sayings that are often misspoken, like 'on tenterhooks', meaning a state of anxious suspense, which many people mistakenly call 'on tenderhooks'.
The authors, siblings Ross and Kathryn Petras, are both 'word nuts' and 'grammer pedants' who have appeared in newspapers, television news, radio shows, and magazines.
I need to get back to my memorization. I have to learn to say my virtual friend's name, Siobhan (shih-VAWN) in case we ever meet in real life.
I received a free book from the publisher through Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
May 4, 2019
What an entertaining book! The authors have listed dozens of words/phrases that are often pronounced incorrectly. Then they provide the preferred pronunciation, along with the word origin, and some light-hearted information about informal uses of the words. I was pleased by the number of words that I automatically say correctly (maybe half?) and very surprised to learn the correct pronunciation of some that I've been saying wrong. Words like jibe/jive, irregardless/regardless, and supposedly/supposably are pet peeves for me. But I was shocked to learn that spitting image is supposed to be spit-and-image, plethora means TOO many, rather than just many, and prerogative starts with pre- rather than the per- I've been saying for years. I added a few words to my vocabulary, such an synecdoche (sin-NECK-duh-kee) which is a figure of speech in which one uses the name of a part to represent the whole, and that Dr. Seuss is correctly pronounced Soyss. Fun and interesting. A quick read that took a little longer to read because I spent time sounding out each word and trying to commit it to memory.
February 14, 2023
Fun little book filled with fascinating explanations and proper pronunciations sure to eventually annoy your friends and loved ones. 😂
September 14, 2016
Thank you to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What an utterly charming little book. I want to immediately buy a copy for myself and all my friends (except for I can't decide if that's a rude gift to give someone). This is not a stodgy, dry book filled with stern lectures on etymology. Rather, it's an accessible, entertaining read that's filled with delightful asides, entertaining tidbits and yes, lots of commonly mispronounced words. I was surprised to find how many words I have been mispronouncing all these years! Bonus points for learning new words - I'm immediately adding eggcorn to my vocabulary - and hysterical excerpts from Urban Dictionary.
What an utterly charming little book. I want to immediately buy a copy for myself and all my friends (except for I can't decide if that's a rude gift to give someone). This is not a stodgy, dry book filled with stern lectures on etymology. Rather, it's an accessible, entertaining read that's filled with delightful asides, entertaining tidbits and yes, lots of commonly mispronounced words. I was surprised to find how many words I have been mispronouncing all these years! Bonus points for learning new words - I'm immediately adding eggcorn to my vocabulary - and hysterical excerpts from Urban Dictionary.
December 31, 2016
This was fantastic! Grammar goddesses and word nerds rejoice...this is a book for you. There were words in there that I didn't realize people pronounced incorrectly, and I realized there were several that I slaughtered the pronunciation of! *face palm* A lot of fun and informative to read!
December 5, 2017
When I first opened this book at random, I saw that the Vietnamese name of "Nguyen" is simply pronounced "wen" and is one of the 50 most common surnames in America. I was instantly hooked. This book is for the smarty-pants usage stickler and above-average grammar nerd who wants to take his or her pronunciation game to the next level. Specialty phrases from French, German, Latin, and Spanish that have entered our everyday English are given a thorough (but no more than one page) treatment, including the common mispronunciations that historically have dogged words like "dais" (the podium) or "haute couture" (the height of fashion). I loved the full-page pronunciation guides given to subjects like food and wine, or the famous people from the fashion world. The authors, siblings Ross and Kathryn Petras, were an absolute delight. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I truly hope there's a sequel, with 150 more commonly mispronounced words.
September 27, 2017
Can I count it as read if I just skimmed through it? Honestly, this isn't the type of book you can just sit down and read straight through. A few entries were extremely funny (coup de grace, nip it in the bud), but most were dull. A number of words and phrases were ones that I've never heard anyone mispronounce (theater, Wednesday), and others were ones that if I went around saying them correctly, I'd be considered pretentious (croissant, bruschetta). Hands down, the best part was the list of British names and pronunciations. Featherstonehaugh is FAN-shaw?!?!
October 21, 2021
I liked to read this as I pooped. It’s the perfect alternative to scrolling on your phone. The quest to knowledge never ends-am I right?
Jokes aside, SO interesting! There’s little tidbits on the history of said words which are fun to slip into conversation and it’s great to actually know how to pronounce things
Jokes aside, SO interesting! There’s little tidbits on the history of said words which are fun to slip into conversation and it’s great to actually know how to pronounce things
January 23, 2023
I will immediately forget all the pronunciation information I learned herein, but I enjoyed the etymological exploration and the dad humor.
Bonus points for the major mental recalibration I had to do when I realized halfway through that the authors are not a married couple but brother and sister.
Bonus points for the major mental recalibration I had to do when I realized halfway through that the authors are not a married couple but brother and sister.
March 8, 2017
My college library had a special “Word Room” dedicated to etymology. It was one of my favorite places on campus. When I had free time, I would take books down and just read about words. I formed a lifelong addiction to word books, which is why I was drawn to You’re Saying It Wrong by Ross and Kathryn Petras, a brother and sister writing team who have a comfortable niche in collecting inspirational or ridiculous quotes into short, bite size books.
You’re Saying It Wrong is a breezy, conversational collection of words that are frequently mispronounced or misspelled because misheard. It is enjoyable and a fast and easy book to read. I particularly enjoyed a short piece on how the English pronounce all sorts of place names. We know they don’t pronounce all those syllables, but which ones do they pick out to say? It’s a mystery. So there is a list with such gems as Cholmondely, which is pronounced CHUM-lee. I would love even more examples because the British ability to erase multiple syllables in English is magical.
There are several similar collections, though that was my favorite. The ones explaining how to pronounce wines and the names of philosophers, composers, and fashion designers were less useful, but perhaps a lot of people don’t know how to pronounce cabernet sauvignon or Tchaikovsky?
I was thrilled they included “for all intents and purposes.” I swear if I hear “for all intensive purposes” one more time, someone will pay. It’s my pet peeve. It’s an eggcorn, a phrase or group of words that sound similar (like I scream and ice cream) and are used mistakenly. Eggcorn was coined recently by linguists who were bemused by someone spelling acorn that way. They realized there really was not a great word for that kind of mistake, except possibly mondegreen, oronym, or malapropism, but none of those classifications really fit. Most eggcorns are amusing, but this one makes no sense to me. Every time I hear it I wonder what would make a purpose intense? Instead of “Do you want to hurt me?” should Boy George sing “Do you really, really, really, really want to hurt me?”
I enjoyed some portions of the book and picked up a couple tidbits of information. We should say “champ at the bit” not “chomp at the bit,” for example. Champ means chewing or grinding, which is what horses do with the bit. It is more accurate and makes sense to save such a delicious word from obsolescence.
Some of it, though, is silly pedantry. Lord Byron’s character should be pronounced Don JEW-ahn, not Don Juan. Dr. Seuss should rhyme with voice, not goose. Seuss, himself, adopted the rhymes-with-goose pronunciation, so please don’t correct anyone who rhymes Seuss with goose. As to the Byronic pronunciation, it may suit the meter of the poem, but it sounds ignorant.
I thought the book was a bit erratic. There are several examples of mispronunciations that are so widespread, saying the word correctly will make you sound silly. That’s not what I was looking for. Then, sometimes they are seriously loosey-goosey, as in giving permission to mispronounce “chaise longue” while reminding us to be sure to spell it longue, not lounge. Now that is one where I think they should push for the correct pronunciation because if people pronounce it correctly, they may spell it correctly.
Throughout the book, they used their own system to explain how to pronounce the words rather than using a pronunciation guide even though we all learned how to use them in elementary school. This is not easier. Sometimes it is more confusing than helpful. Which brings us to Möbius (Moebius), as in Möbius strip. They say pronounce it “[MEUH(r)-bee-uhs]” Okay, but how to pronounce MEUH(r) remains a mystery. To further frustrate me, I googled “how to pronounce Möbius” and got a slew of links to YouTube videos. The first 18 pronounced it MOH which rhymes with toe which starts with T and that’s trouble, my friend, right here in River City.
Well, then I had to go to the Oxford English Dictionary, my final arbiter anytime I am unsure. And what did the Supreme Court of linguists recommend? Three different pronunciations. In the U.K., they might be saying [mœ-bee-uh s], but for the United States where this book is published, they came firmly down on that German mathematician’s toe, [moh–bee-uh s]
This left me feeling disappointed. There is a lack of consistency and rigor in their suggestions. I guess there is the pedant’s interest in knowing that the whole world is pronouncing it wrong, but that was not my interest. I did not understand their laissez-faire tolerance for mispronouncing chaise longue, an error that perpetuates a misspelling while trying to correct mispronunciations that are ubiquitous and perfectly acceptable to dictionary editors. This made it more of trivia book rather than a reference. It was enjoyable, but not reliable
★★
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
You’re Saying It Wrong is a breezy, conversational collection of words that are frequently mispronounced or misspelled because misheard. It is enjoyable and a fast and easy book to read. I particularly enjoyed a short piece on how the English pronounce all sorts of place names. We know they don’t pronounce all those syllables, but which ones do they pick out to say? It’s a mystery. So there is a list with such gems as Cholmondely, which is pronounced CHUM-lee. I would love even more examples because the British ability to erase multiple syllables in English is magical.
There are several similar collections, though that was my favorite. The ones explaining how to pronounce wines and the names of philosophers, composers, and fashion designers were less useful, but perhaps a lot of people don’t know how to pronounce cabernet sauvignon or Tchaikovsky?
I was thrilled they included “for all intents and purposes.” I swear if I hear “for all intensive purposes” one more time, someone will pay. It’s my pet peeve. It’s an eggcorn, a phrase or group of words that sound similar (like I scream and ice cream) and are used mistakenly. Eggcorn was coined recently by linguists who were bemused by someone spelling acorn that way. They realized there really was not a great word for that kind of mistake, except possibly mondegreen, oronym, or malapropism, but none of those classifications really fit. Most eggcorns are amusing, but this one makes no sense to me. Every time I hear it I wonder what would make a purpose intense? Instead of “Do you want to hurt me?” should Boy George sing “Do you really, really, really, really want to hurt me?”
I enjoyed some portions of the book and picked up a couple tidbits of information. We should say “champ at the bit” not “chomp at the bit,” for example. Champ means chewing or grinding, which is what horses do with the bit. It is more accurate and makes sense to save such a delicious word from obsolescence.
Some of it, though, is silly pedantry. Lord Byron’s character should be pronounced Don JEW-ahn, not Don Juan. Dr. Seuss should rhyme with voice, not goose. Seuss, himself, adopted the rhymes-with-goose pronunciation, so please don’t correct anyone who rhymes Seuss with goose. As to the Byronic pronunciation, it may suit the meter of the poem, but it sounds ignorant.
I thought the book was a bit erratic. There are several examples of mispronunciations that are so widespread, saying the word correctly will make you sound silly. That’s not what I was looking for. Then, sometimes they are seriously loosey-goosey, as in giving permission to mispronounce “chaise longue” while reminding us to be sure to spell it longue, not lounge. Now that is one where I think they should push for the correct pronunciation because if people pronounce it correctly, they may spell it correctly.
Throughout the book, they used their own system to explain how to pronounce the words rather than using a pronunciation guide even though we all learned how to use them in elementary school. This is not easier. Sometimes it is more confusing than helpful. Which brings us to Möbius (Moebius), as in Möbius strip. They say pronounce it “[MEUH(r)-bee-uhs]” Okay, but how to pronounce MEUH(r) remains a mystery. To further frustrate me, I googled “how to pronounce Möbius” and got a slew of links to YouTube videos. The first 18 pronounced it MOH which rhymes with toe which starts with T and that’s trouble, my friend, right here in River City.
Well, then I had to go to the Oxford English Dictionary, my final arbiter anytime I am unsure. And what did the Supreme Court of linguists recommend? Three different pronunciations. In the U.K., they might be saying [mœ-bee-uh s], but for the United States where this book is published, they came firmly down on that German mathematician’s toe, [moh–bee-uh s]
This left me feeling disappointed. There is a lack of consistency and rigor in their suggestions. I guess there is the pedant’s interest in knowing that the whole world is pronouncing it wrong, but that was not my interest. I did not understand their laissez-faire tolerance for mispronouncing chaise longue, an error that perpetuates a misspelling while trying to correct mispronunciations that are ubiquitous and perfectly acceptable to dictionary editors. This made it more of trivia book rather than a reference. It was enjoyable, but not reliable
★★
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
September 29, 2016
I love books like this one. I enjoy learning the origins of our English language and how to speak and write it properly. This is a very good little reference book for how to correctly pronounce a number of words in common usage today. Many I already knew, but not all. We have a habit of saying lots of words like we THINK they should be said or as we have heard others say them and often make mistakes because of it. This book takes a playful not preachy approach which might entice more people to read it. Still, I do hope the word police haul me away should I ever again say the word remuneration as "re-NOOM-err-ay-shuhn".
August 19, 2019
This is a fun and accessible pronunciation guide to a whole bunch of words, some of which are in common use and often misspelled, others of which are not in common use but are often misspelled when they are used, and still others of which are not misspelled so much as mangled ("for all intents and purposes" into "intensive purposes," for example).
By their nature, books are different for each reader since each reader brings her own life experiences to the text and interprets it through those experiences, and I'd argue this is even more true for a book like this, where the very inclusion or exclusion of certain words and phrases will resonate – or not – based very much on the experience of the reader. To my chagrin, I found several I had been mispronouncing; to my annoyance, I found several where I had been pronouncing them correctly according to modern convention but which had different pronunciations decades or even centuries ago. And to my amusement, I found a host of words derived from French and used in cooking, which means I am likely never to need to know how to pronounce them.
A nice addition to the main text are lists splashed throughout the book of hard-to-pronounce words, phrases and names in specific fields – such as famous artists or varieties of wine. Not only educational, those lists could prove an excellent resource for the next time you're needing to discuss that Slavoj Žižek book you just bought.
The Petrases provide a lot to argue about – which words should have been left out, which should have been included, whether a given pronunciation is even wrong or should be deemed correct by virtue of common usage – and that's almost the point of a book like this. It's well organized, written with a sense of humor (as it must be to avoid insufferable pedantry), and a quick read.
By their nature, books are different for each reader since each reader brings her own life experiences to the text and interprets it through those experiences, and I'd argue this is even more true for a book like this, where the very inclusion or exclusion of certain words and phrases will resonate – or not – based very much on the experience of the reader. To my chagrin, I found several I had been mispronouncing; to my annoyance, I found several where I had been pronouncing them correctly according to modern convention but which had different pronunciations decades or even centuries ago. And to my amusement, I found a host of words derived from French and used in cooking, which means I am likely never to need to know how to pronounce them.
A nice addition to the main text are lists splashed throughout the book of hard-to-pronounce words, phrases and names in specific fields – such as famous artists or varieties of wine. Not only educational, those lists could prove an excellent resource for the next time you're needing to discuss that Slavoj Žižek book you just bought.
The Petrases provide a lot to argue about – which words should have been left out, which should have been included, whether a given pronunciation is even wrong or should be deemed correct by virtue of common usage – and that's almost the point of a book like this. It's well organized, written with a sense of humor (as it must be to avoid insufferable pedantry), and a quick read.
July 26, 2016
As a language teacher I found this especially interesting, but I think it would appeal to a wide and varied audience. It covers words which are commonly mispronounced, and also phrases such as 'I could care less', which is often used instead of the correct version ' I couldn't care less'. It was an enjoyable read, with additional sections on correct pronunciation of names of writers, fashion houses, corporate brand names, and much more.
A preview copy was provided by the publisher in return for a review.
A preview copy was provided by the publisher in return for a review.
September 21, 2016
With such a small selection of words–only 150–you'd expect some kind of coherence in all of this. Instead they seem to have been selected randomly, from common phrases like champing at the bit (not "chomping at the bit", you see) to obscure Asian foods. It's weirdly unsatisfying to read as a book, but fun enough to flip through. Ideal bathroom book for amateur etymologists, I guess.
Nowhere near quality of the average Mark Forsyth book though.
Nowhere near quality of the average Mark Forsyth book though.
May 21, 2016
Great little book for the language geek. Short, sharp and humorous.
April 13, 2018
Let's just admit that English spelling and pronunciation are seldom logical. That takes some of the pressure off right there. We've borrowed and stolen from every other language to the point that it's a wonder as many of us pronounce words as well as we do. If you've ever had to explain to someone trying to learn English why the present and past tense of "to read" are spelled the same but pronounced differently or the ten different ways to pronounce the "ough" cluster, you know Add to that all the regional accents, and English is really just a hot mess.
But it's our hot mess, and we do love it...most of the time.
A quick, fun read for word nerds and pronunciation police, You're Saying it Wrong is basically an alphabetized list of words the authors say are frequently mispronounced. Each entry includes the correct pronunciation, a quick definition, and a page or two of light etymology, all the ways you're saying it wrong, why you're probably saying it wrong, bits of trivia, and too many forced, stale puns. There are also a few collections where words are grouped by topic (fashion designers, wines, place names, etc.) with pronunciation guides. These might be handy for some folks. After all, if you'restupid enough willing to pay $725 for a Givenchy logo t-shirt with "destroyed effect holes in technical organza," you'll probably want to pronounce the brand name correctly.
For those of us whose vocabularies matured from reading rather than listening to orators, there are bound to be some "uh oh" moments with this book. My own included detritus, pathos, and kibosh. Coup de grâce was a revelation, and now I can promise to never say "streak of grease" instead of "stroke of grace" again. In my defense, I don't recall ever hearing the first three (only reading them), and my knowledge of French begins and ends with food (croissant, fromage, crevette) Où est la piscine? (don't ask), and the chorus to "Lady Marmalade." I have no such justifications for my abuse of desultory, peremptory, or pathos. Guilty as charged.
Are they SURE about piquant though? PEE-kent just sounds...wrong. It's as abrasive to the ear as PEE-can or NEW-kyoo-ler.
I absolutely do NOT feel bad about chaise longue (which even spellcheck refuses to acknowledge) or chiton. When, outside of taking the SAT, has anyone ever said those words? Don't lie. You know you haven't.
I have a quibble with some of the entries simply because there is a point where the pronunciation differences, especially when we're dealing with use of syllables with "r" in them, can be attributed to regional accents rather than "wrongness." I'm not into accent shaming, and the much-touted Neutral or Standard American Accent is a big, fat linguistic myth. And I'm not a fan of the author's humor. A bad pun here or there is fine, but shoehorning them onto every page causes contact embarrassment.
But it's our hot mess, and we do love it...most of the time.
A quick, fun read for word nerds and pronunciation police, You're Saying it Wrong is basically an alphabetized list of words the authors say are frequently mispronounced. Each entry includes the correct pronunciation, a quick definition, and a page or two of light etymology, all the ways you're saying it wrong, why you're probably saying it wrong, bits of trivia, and too many forced, stale puns. There are also a few collections where words are grouped by topic (fashion designers, wines, place names, etc.) with pronunciation guides. These might be handy for some folks. After all, if you're
For those of us whose vocabularies matured from reading rather than listening to orators, there are bound to be some "uh oh" moments with this book. My own included detritus, pathos, and kibosh. Coup de grâce was a revelation, and now I can promise to never say "streak of grease" instead of "stroke of grace" again. In my defense, I don't recall ever hearing the first three (only reading them), and my knowledge of French begins and ends with food (croissant, fromage, crevette) Où est la piscine? (don't ask), and the chorus to "Lady Marmalade." I have no such justifications for my abuse of desultory, peremptory, or pathos. Guilty as charged.
Are they SURE about piquant though? PEE-kent just sounds...wrong. It's as abrasive to the ear as PEE-can or NEW-kyoo-ler.
I absolutely do NOT feel bad about chaise longue (which even spellcheck refuses to acknowledge) or chiton. When, outside of taking the SAT, has anyone ever said those words? Don't lie. You know you haven't.
I have a quibble with some of the entries simply because there is a point where the pronunciation differences, especially when we're dealing with use of syllables with "r" in them, can be attributed to regional accents rather than "wrongness." I'm not into accent shaming, and the much-touted Neutral or Standard American Accent is a big, fat linguistic myth. And I'm not a fan of the author's humor. A bad pun here or there is fine, but shoehorning them onto every page causes contact embarrassment.
April 3, 2018
Very cool idea for a book, though it would appear quite a bit shorter than one mentioned in the book that had over 25 thousand words. :) There were several words that I've been saying wrong, but at least the majority of them were due to them being foreign words initially, at least. I was surprised by timbre the most, I think. who knew it was "tam ber"? You know, other than music majors.
August 22, 2017
A book for a word nerd like me! It includes an alphabetized list of often mispronounced words and includes humorous (and punny) background and commentary. I am guilty of pronouncing some of the words wrong, and I hope to remember so I can do better.
June 7, 2019
Purchased with a mixture of kindness and jerkiness for my bro, but I thought I better do a quick read myself lest I have been a fool too. Embarrassingly and delightfully informative - I was especially happy, in a snooty way, to get to the “O” section and find entries on both orangutans and Oregon in there.
October 28, 2020
Otroligt roligt! 0ch lärorikt. Skrattar högt och skäms om vartannat :)
October 5, 2016
Words are a beautiful thing, but sometimes they are pronounced in a way that is confusing, counter-intuitive, or different from what you've learned. Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras's You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse presents the history and correct pronunciation of 150 words.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
This compact collection of commonly mispronounced words and phrases was both enlightening, reaffirming of my word-nerdiness, and humorously presented. It was a bit of an eye-opener to read some of the words that we're used to pronouncing in one way that should actually be pronounced in a very different manner, but just sounds wrong, despite being more accurate, because that's not how many are accustomed to saying it. The humorous asides and punny comments that accompanied each word made this read as less pedantic and more (enjoyably) informative. This book would be even more amazing if it had an audio component that demonstrates the pronunciations, because as fun as it is to talk aloud to yourself, hearing someone else say these words would be helpful.
Overall, I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
This compact collection of commonly mispronounced words and phrases was both enlightening, reaffirming of my word-nerdiness, and humorously presented. It was a bit of an eye-opener to read some of the words that we're used to pronouncing in one way that should actually be pronounced in a very different manner, but just sounds wrong, despite being more accurate, because that's not how many are accustomed to saying it. The humorous asides and punny comments that accompanied each word made this read as less pedantic and more (enjoyably) informative. This book would be even more amazing if it had an audio component that demonstrates the pronunciations, because as fun as it is to talk aloud to yourself, hearing someone else say these words would be helpful.
Overall, I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
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