15 Most Annoying Mispronunciations That People Say

When kids mispronounce words, it’s cute. But when adults do the same, people judge their intelligence. Yes, some words sound the same, but in context, you should know how to say words properly. Otherwise, people won’t understand you. Here are 15 words that people commonly pronounce incorrectly and drive others mad.

Pacific Instead of Specific

First on this list is “specific,” with some people mispronouncing it as “pacific.” Here’s an example in a sentence, “Could you be more pacific?” or “I don’t know how much more pacific I can get.”

Manyerism Instead of Mannerism

“My wife says ‘mannerism’ like aneurysm, and I think she’s going to cause me to have one,” shares a husband. 

Weary Instead of Wary

People also use “weary” instead of “wary,” which doesn’t make sense. Wary means being cautious, while weary is a state of extreme tiredness. 

One poster says, “It drives me bonkers. I have even seen the mistake in a professional setting many times.”

Wreck Instead of Wreak

Also, “It is wreak havoc, not wreck,” says a user. “Wreak rhymes with week, and wreck rhymes with neck,” explains another user. 

Fustrated Instead of Frustrated

Instead of saying “frustrated,” some people omit the first “r” with a few saying “flustrating,” sending online users into a rage. “Fustrating makes me crazy. And it’s shocking how many people say it like that,” writes a poster. 

Mute Instead of Moot

Moot is also mispronounced as mute despite their different pronunciations. But one user suggests it is more than mispronunciation, “I think people just legit don’t know that it is moot and not mute.“

Chipotlee Instead of Chipotle

“My mom cannot pronounce Chipotle. She says chip-ol-tee,” says a user. In addition to mispronouncing this Mexican dish, more people cannot accurately pronounce jalapenos and instead say “jah-la-pen-ohs.”

Nucular Instead of Nuclear

It is wild that mechanics, engineers, and people in Masters Programs mispronounce “nuclear” as “nucular.” “It hurts even more that it’s usually in some important context, and officials are mispronouncing it on national TV,” mentions a commentator. 

Lie-Barry Instead of Library

“I am a librarian in a large system, and some of my colleagues pronounce it ‘lie-barry,” says a poster. Another librarian writes, “I understand the kids saying it that way, but I cringe a little internally when I hear adults pronouncing it that way.”

Perbatim Instead of Verbatim

A commentator writes, “I try not to get worked up about mispronunciations, but I had a manager who said ‘perbatim’ instead of ‘verbatim,’ and I winced every time she said it.” It turns out more people have this mispronunciation problem. 

Physical Year Instead of Fiscal Year

When someone says “physical year” instead of “fiscal year,” it becomes “mind bottling.” A user suggests that those who make this mistake “probably thought this is spelled in no way how it is pronounced.”

Eye-talian Instead of Italian

Also, some individuals say Eye-taly or Eye-talian instead of I-taly and I-talian. Others omit the “a” to say “Itly.” 

Supposably Instead of Supposedly

“Supposedly” means believed to be true, whereas “supposably” means conceivable. Considering both words have different meanings, online users get mad when people mispronounce “supposedly” as “supposably.” 

Exspecially Instead of Especially

“There is no X in the word,” points a user. And it’s the same with “espresso” with some users mispronouncing it as “expresso.”

Askrisx Instead of Asterisk

A coworker says, “My co-worker keeps saying ‘ask-rix’ instead of ‘asterisk.’ It drives me insane.” Other mispronunciation variations are “ask-risx,” “asterick,” and “asterix.” 

Source: Reddit
Featured Photo from Shutterstock

12 Unspoken Rules That Are Not Completely Obvious

12 Unspoken Rules That Are Not Completely Obvious

21 British Words That Are Confusing to Americans

21 British Phrases That Are Confusing to Americans

10 Worst Things About Owning an Electric Vehicle

10 Worst Things About Owning an Electric Vehicle

10 Words and Phrases That Make You Sound Stupid

10 Words and Phrases That Make You Sound Stupid