Judi’s Reviews > There is No Zoo in Zoology, and Other Beastly Mispronunciations: An Opinionated Guide for the Well-Spoken > Status Update
Judi
is on page 157 of 182
victuals VIT-ykz,
You can take your cue on this word from Jed Cllampitt and the other Beverly Hillbillies: VIT-ulz is the only standard pronunciation. )More often than you might think, the plain folk of the world are correct in their pronunciation of plain English words, for sometimes the result of a little education is a lot of over refinement.)
Victuals dates back to 1300. The C is left over from the Latin root,
— Jan 09, 2026 05:10AM
You can take your cue on this word from Jed Cllampitt and the other Beverly Hillbillies: VIT-ulz is the only standard pronunciation. )More often than you might think, the plain folk of the world are correct in their pronunciation of plain English words, for sometimes the result of a little education is a lot of over refinement.)
Victuals dates back to 1300. The C is left over from the Latin root,
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Judi’s Previous Updates
Judi
is on page 14 of 182
atmospheric at-muhs-FER-ik. Regionally, at-muhs-FAIR-ik.
the peer-in atmospheric should be pronounced like fer- in ferry, not like the word fear. It may help to remember that spheric is alway pronounced like the word ferric (FER-ik) which means of or containing iron.
Do not say at-mos-FEER-ik. The word has so often been mispronounced this way that a few current sources now prefer this pronunciation.
— May 03, 2026 03:26PM
the peer-in atmospheric should be pronounced like fer- in ferry, not like the word fear. It may help to remember that spheric is alway pronounced like the word ferric (FER-ik) which means of or containing iron.
Do not say at-mos-FEER-ik. The word has so often been mispronounced this way that a few current sources now prefer this pronunciation.
Judi
is on page 14 of 182
athlete ATH-leet.
Do not say ATH-uh-leet. This is a very common error, especially among athletes themselves, as well as among sportscasters, who should know better. Don't pick ump their bad habit. There is no vowel between the H and the L in this word, and no justification for adding a syllable to it.
— May 01, 2026 05:15AM
Do not say ATH-uh-leet. This is a very common error, especially among athletes themselves, as well as among sportscasters, who should know better. Don't pick ump their bad habit. There is no vowel between the H and the L in this word, and no justification for adding a syllable to it.
Judi
is on page 13 of 182
assembly uh-SEM-blee, not uh-SEM-buh-lee, which adds an extra syllable to the word.
— Apr 29, 2026 05:00AM
Judi
is on page 13 of 182
assuage uh-SWAYJ, not uh-SWAYZH, uh-SWAHZH, or uh-SWAHJ.
This is the story of how a decade or two of neglect can ruing what has been established for centuries. Assuage has been in the language for seven hundred years, and since dictionaries began giving pronunciation there has been only one way to say the word: uh=-SwayJ. In the last three years, however, two dictionaries have recognized the variant pronunciations..
— Apr 28, 2026 07:26AM
This is the story of how a decade or two of neglect can ruing what has been established for centuries. Assuage has been in the language for seven hundred years, and since dictionaries began giving pronunciation there has been only one way to say the word: uh=-SwayJ. In the last three years, however, two dictionaries have recognized the variant pronunciations..
Judi
is on page 13 of 182
assembly uh-SEM-blee, not uh-SEM-buh-lee, which adds an extra syllable to the word.
— Apr 27, 2026 06:32AM
Judi
is on page 12 of 182
asbestos as-BES-tos or AZ-BES-tos.
The last syllable (-tos) is the one to watch out for in this word. Asbestos is often mispronounced as-BES-tohs or az-BES-tohs. The last syllable should rhyme with us or kiss, not with dose (Thoug rarely used, the alternative spelling asbestus, with a final -tus instead of -tos, better indicates the proper pronunciation of the word.)
— Apr 26, 2026 06:31AM
The last syllable (-tos) is the one to watch out for in this word. Asbestos is often mispronounced as-BES-tohs or az-BES-tohs. The last syllable should rhyme with us or kiss, not with dose (Thoug rarely used, the alternative spelling asbestus, with a final -tus instead of -tos, better indicates the proper pronunciation of the word.)
Judi
is on page 12 of 182
argot AHR-goh or AHR-gut.
Argot, which came into English in 1860 from French, by derivation refers specifically to the secret language of beggars, tramps or thieves. In this century it has come to be used more generally to mean jargon, specialized vocabulary.
The pronunciation AHR-goh is closer to the French, and AHR-gut is anglicized—more English. Once about 1900, most dictionaries have given both, with...
— Apr 25, 2026 06:29AM
Argot, which came into English in 1860 from French, by derivation refers specifically to the secret language of beggars, tramps or thieves. In this century it has come to be used more generally to mean jargon, specialized vocabulary.
The pronunciation AHR-goh is closer to the French, and AHR-gut is anglicized—more English. Once about 1900, most dictionaries have given both, with...
Judi
is on page 12 of 182
arctic AHRK-tik. Do not say AHR-tik.
This word is almost universally mispronounced. Take care also with the adjective antarctic (ant-AHRK-tik, not ant-AHR-tik, or even worse, an-AHR-tik) and the continent Antarctica (ant-AHRK-ti-ka). Be sure to articulate the hard C (pronounced like K) in the arc- of all these words.
— Apr 24, 2026 07:08AM
This word is almost universally mispronounced. Take care also with the adjective antarctic (ant-AHRK-tik, not ant-AHR-tik, or even worse, an-AHR-tik) and the continent Antarctica (ant-AHRK-ti-ka). Be sure to articulate the hard C (pronounced like K) in the arc- of all these words.
Judi
is on page 12 of 182
archetype AHRK-i-typ. Do not say ARCH-i-typ.
The adjective archetypal may be pronounced AHR-ki-TYP-uul or AHRK-i-TYP-uul, with the accent on either the third of rat first syllable.
— Apr 23, 2026 06:40AM
The adjective archetypal may be pronounced AHR-ki-TYP-uul or AHRK-i-TYP-uul, with the accent on either the third of rat first syllable.
