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 164 of 182
Xanthippe zan-TIP-ee or Zan-THIP-ee.
Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates, and she is as proverbial for henpecking and browbeating the old gadfly as he is revered for dismembering his disciples with casuistry and syllogisms, since the late seventeenth century we have been using Xanthippe, spelled with a capital X, to mean an ill-tempered, shrewish woman—a termagant (TUR-muh-gant), virago (vi-RAY-goh or vi-RAH-goh).
— Jan 22, 2026 04:32AM
Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates, and she is as proverbial for henpecking and browbeating the old gadfly as he is revered for dismembering his disciples with casuistry and syllogisms, since the late seventeenth century we have been using Xanthippe, spelled with a capital X, to mean an ill-tempered, shrewish woman—a termagant (TUR-muh-gant), virago (vi-RAY-goh or vi-RAH-goh).
Like flag
Judi’s Previous Updates
Judi
is on page 165 of 182
Xavier Zay-vee-ur ,ZaY-vyur; or Zav-ee-ur, ZAV-yur.
The Spanish pronunciation is hah-VYAIR.
Xavier should be pronounced in either three or two syllables, and the X should be pronounced like Z in Zanzibar. Beastly mispronunciation occurs when speakers attempt to pronounce the X like ex- in example or excuse, which winds up adding a fourth syllable to the word. Do no say ig-ZAY-vee-ur or ek-SAY-vee-ur; ...
— Feb 01, 2026 08:33AM
The Spanish pronunciation is hah-VYAIR.
Xavier should be pronounced in either three or two syllables, and the X should be pronounced like Z in Zanzibar. Beastly mispronunciation occurs when speakers attempt to pronounce the X like ex- in example or excuse, which winds up adding a fourth syllable to the word. Do no say ig-ZAY-vee-ur or ek-SAY-vee-ur; ...
Judi
is on page 164 of 182
wont WAWNT (rhymes with gaunt); or WUHNT (rhymes with hunt; or WOHNT (like won't). Occasionally WAHNT (like want).
Wont may mean accustomed, and is used attributively, as: "That night he retired at the hour he was wont to" or it may mean custom, usual practice , as: "while visiting Europe, she ran five miles each morning, as was her wont at home."
This word dates back to the twelfth century, and for most of its...
— Jan 20, 2026 07:45PM
Wont may mean accustomed, and is used attributively, as: "That night he retired at the hour he was wont to" or it may mean custom, usual practice , as: "while visiting Europe, she ran five miles each morning, as was her wont at home."
This word dates back to the twelfth century, and for most of its...
Judi
is on page 162 of 182
wizened WIZ-end (WIZ- as in wizard).
Wizened means withered, shrunken, shrivelled. This participial adjective was created in the early 1500s from one of the oldest words in English, the verb to wizen (WIZ-en), to dry up, wither, which dates back to the ninth century. In the late eighteenth century, wizen was used interchangeably with wizened...
— Jan 19, 2026 06:46AM
Wizened means withered, shrunken, shrivelled. This participial adjective was created in the early 1500s from one of the oldest words in English, the verb to wizen (WIZ-en), to dry up, wither, which dates back to the ninth century. In the late eighteenth century, wizen was used interchangeably with wizened...
Judi
is on page 161 of 182
wisteria wi-STEER-ee-uh. Also, for the spelling of wistaria, wi-STAIR-ee-uh.
Wisteria, the climbing shrub kith blooms in lovely pendent clusters of flowers, is often associated in literature and in American popular culture with the porticoes and verandas of steely eighteenth- and nineteenth-century dwellings, particularly the ang=tebellum mansions of the American Sopuith. It was named in honor of Caspar Wistar, ...
— Jan 16, 2026 08:58AM
Wisteria, the climbing shrub kith blooms in lovely pendent clusters of flowers, is often associated in literature and in American popular culture with the porticoes and verandas of steely eighteenth- and nineteenth-century dwellings, particularly the ang=tebellum mansions of the American Sopuith. It was named in honor of Caspar Wistar, ...
Judi
is on page 160 of 182
wastrel WAY-strel. Do not say WAH-strel (WAH- as in wasp).
Wastrel has the long A (AY0 of its of its source, the verb to waste (WAYST).
In 1961, Webster 34 included the pronunciation WAH-strel, preceded y the word sometimes to indicate that it was infrequent. Since then the increasing (though still occasional) use of WAH-strel among educated speakers has led Webster's Ninth (1985)—the most current abridgement...
— Jan 14, 2026 06:21AM
Wastrel has the long A (AY0 of its of its source, the verb to waste (WAYST).
In 1961, Webster 34 included the pronunciation WAH-strel, preceded y the word sometimes to indicate that it was infrequent. Since then the increasing (though still occasional) use of WAH-strel among educated speakers has led Webster's Ninth (1985)—the most current abridgement...
Judi
is on page 159 of 182
werewolf WEER-wuulf (WEER- as in weary).
There are three recognized pronunciations for this word: WEER=-wuulf; WUR-wuulf (WUR- rhyming with fur); and WAIR-wuulf (WAIR- rhyming with bear). This is the order in which they appear in most current dictionaries. To remember it, and so recall the preferred pronunciation, ask yourself the question: "We were where? (We as in WEER-wuulf, were as in WUR-wuulf, and where—
— Jan 12, 2026 06:02AM
There are three recognized pronunciations for this word: WEER=-wuulf; WUR-wuulf (WUR- rhyming with fur); and WAIR-wuulf (WAIR- rhyming with bear). This is the order in which they appear in most current dictionaries. To remember it, and so recall the preferred pronunciation, ask yourself the question: "We were where? (We as in WEER-wuulf, were as in WUR-wuulf, and where—
Judi
is on page 158 of 182
wash WAHSH or WAWSH. Do not say WAHRSH or WAWRSH.
Certain speakers allow the sound of R to insinuate itself between the A and S of wash, pronouncing the word as if it were spelled warsh. Only two sources record the pronunciations WAHRSH and WAWRSH, which contain the R sound: Webber's Ninth (1985) calls them "chiefly Midland," and Webster 3 (1961) Calls them "chiefly substandard"
I
— Jan 11, 2026 06:05AM
Certain speakers allow the sound of R to insinuate itself between the A and S of wash, pronouncing the word as if it were spelled warsh. Only two sources record the pronunciations WAHRSH and WAWRSH, which contain the R sound: Webber's Ninth (1985) calls them "chiefly Midland," and Webster 3 (1961) Calls them "chiefly substandard"
I
Judi
is on page 158 of 182
visa VEE-zuh, not VEE-suh.
Lately, more and more people have begun to pronounce this word VEE-suh, with an S rather than a Z sound, perhaps because of the influence of the voice-overs in the television commercials for the popular credit card, where it is habitually mispronounced, In 1961, Webster 3 recognized the variant, but only one source printed since—Webster's Ninth, also a Merriam-Webster dictionary—...
— Jan 10, 2026 09:34AM
Lately, more and more people have begun to pronounce this word VEE-suh, with an S rather than a Z sound, perhaps because of the influence of the voice-overs in the television commercials for the popular credit card, where it is habitually mispronounced, In 1961, Webster 3 recognized the variant, but only one source printed since—Webster's Ninth, also a Merriam-Webster dictionary—...
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,
Judi
is on page 156 of 182
vice versa (VY-see VUR-suh or VY-suh VUR-suh. Do not say VYS VUR-suh,
This is not the same vice as in "vice squad" or Miami Vice." That vice, which rhymes with ice and nice, comes from the Latin vitium, a fault, defect, and means depravity, immoral behaviour. The vice in vice versa is the ablative of the Latin vicis, change, turn, alternation, and is used in English as a preposition meaning in place of, instead of,
— Jan 08, 2026 08:31AM
This is not the same vice as in "vice squad" or Miami Vice." That vice, which rhymes with ice and nice, comes from the Latin vitium, a fault, defect, and means depravity, immoral behaviour. The vice in vice versa is the ablative of the Latin vicis, change, turn, alternation, and is used in English as a preposition meaning in place of, instead of,
