100 Words Almost Everyone Mispronounces

by American Heritage

Have you ever been told that a certain word you use is correctly pronounced in a different way? And what about those words with more than one pronunciation -- does it matter which one you use? Will your pronunciation sound silly? This installment in the best-selling 100 Words series , 100 Words Almost Everyone Mispronounces , settles the score on 100 controversies and misconceptions about words with difficult or slippery pronunciations. Selected by the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries, these words are tongue twisters of a different kind. Each word is presented in dictionary format, with a note explaining the pronunciation problem, how it arose, and why it is controversial. Does the word dour rhyme with sour or tour? Which syllable is properly stressed in harass and desultory? Is there a final ay sound in cadre, forte, and lingerie?  Why do people put an extra syllable in words like mischiev(i)ous and triath(a)lon? Should it bother us when presidents and generals say nucular? Fun to read and informative as well, 100 Words Almost Everyone Mispronounces is bound to appeal to anyone who doesn’t want to be the center of attention for the wrong reason.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Linguistics

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2008

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One standard pronunciation of Uranus puts the stress on the first syllable and reduces the second syllable to a schwa sound. This pronunciation also has the advantage of being marginally less likely to provoke giggles if you use it in the presence of twelve-year olds--or adults with the mentality of twelve-year olds, for that matter.

This is a short book of 100 words "almost everyone mispronounces," yet it possesses humor and wimsy in its approach. While some words are definitely in need of clarification (acumen, affluent, banal, coup de grace, debacle, divisive, err, niche, nuclear, oblique, often, quay, schism, timbre, victual), it has entries for words which most people have never heard or will never use in conversation (boatswain, chiaroscuro, claddagh, desuetude, desultory, geisha, jejune, pace, strophe, Xhosa, ye).

The book is a excellent reference to refresh your understanding of correct or acceptable pronunciation. It's not lengthy--the authors hone in on the issues with a specific term and promptly move on. If you read more than you speak, I highly recommend letting the staff at American Heritage inform you whether or not the voice you hear reading in your head is correct.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book's attention to detail – not only defining each word and listing alternate pronunciations, but summarizing etymologies and speech patterns.

Not to mention the stack of words I never before took the time to define, like aegis, diaspora, oeuvre, detritus... It's nice to know when the Greek "ch" should be a "k" sound, or why the Yiddish "ch" is usually replaced by just "h" in English.

Out of 100 words, I found an embarrassing number of words I had been mispronouncing. What's more – I found the why to my mistakes. There's so little knowledge out there regarding this subject, so for only $6 this is worth the read.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but it can't get five stars because a lot of the words are admittedly "correct" either way they're pronounced.

There were a few nice little references to things that only copy editors care about ("copyeditors," one word, according to the authors of this...which looks weird to me and which is zigzagunderlined by spell-checking robots), which made me feel like I should remember the contents of the book or keep it handy or something.

It was nice to know the histories behind multiple pronunciations and all that, but I doubt it'd change the way I pronounce things. Especially since many of these words are obscure academic-type things, and I'd feel too pretentious using them in the first place to have the guts to make sure I pronounced them "properly." And, as the introduction pointed out, language is always shifting and "correct" pronunciation of a word will not necessarily stay so; common pronunciations tend to become correct.

[Charles Houser · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5-star rating is based on the authors' agreeing with me (albeit not as strongly as I would like) on the pronunciation of three terms: forte (a homonym of fort); often (rhymes with soften); and short-lived (long i in lived). Actually, this book is a pleasant read and does not adopt a pedantic or scolding tone. The discussions are one to three pages long and the authors seem sanely and reasonably to accept the notion that all languages change over time. But I guess tolerance is not my forte and my patience is short-lived when I hear people pronounce the T in often.

[Linda Devange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Geeky fun. A fast and enjoyable read.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably akin to making up math problems and then solving them; it is fun to read these things as kind of a test.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying reading a tid-bit from this book every 2 or 3 days and then working the words into conversation.... enunciated correctly. I like that this book gives you the root of the word, the language from whence it originated as well. I also like that it hasn't yet told me that I actually say anything 'wrong'. It's a good reference book, one that will always be around my home and my find it's way to a few people as gifts :~)

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were quite a few words in this book where the editor states that any of the pronunciations are now acceptable. However, I found the origin of some of the words and their original pronunciation quite surprising. I will probably not remember even half of what I read, but if I can add some etymological insight as party conversation over the next year or so, the book will have served some purpose other than to satisfy my curiosity.

[May-Ling · Rating 3 out of 5]

for serious word nerds, this book would be 4 stars. i felt disappointed by the title. basically you takeaway that pronunciations of words change over time with popular trends or different emphases on particular languages and cultures, so each word possesses more than one correct say to say it. in reading this book, you'll certainly learn some interesting historical facts about words and language.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the series.

Also, possibly the most hilarious one. This led to moments of my roommate and I tossing word pronunciations around at each other, and talking about the differences of words pronounced in different regions. And trying out a few words either or both of us didn't know.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is one of the most interesting things I've read in a long time. I don't actually mispronounce most of these words, but there is so much here about the development of the English language that it becomes a great read.

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat little reference

[Karna Converse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needed to concentrate while reading but learned how to pronounce a few words I usually skip. Created a great family discussion!