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CHAPTER 13
Mispronounced Words
Nothing brands your speaking as “unpolished” faster than mispronouncing words, particularly if they’re common words. In this chapter, we’ll help you with some of the most common pronunciation problems. There’s no written test at the end of this unit, because a written test can’t tell you much about how well you’re pronouncing a word. Use the time you would have used quizzing yourself to practice saying these words out loud until the correct pronunciations feel more natural to you.
149. Air vs. Err
Don’t Say: Air. Say Instead: Err (rhymes with “purr”).
Say “err” when you mean the verb “err,” meaning to make an error, as in the phrase to err is human.
150. Anyways vs. Anyway
Don’t Say: Anyways. Say Instead: Anyway.
“Anyway” never, ever has an “s” at the end.
151. A ways vs. A way
Don’t Say: A ways. Say Instead: A way.
“Way” never has an “s” on the end when it’s being used as part of the expression “a way,” as in she has a way to go.
152. Cent vs. Cents
Don’t Say: Five cent. Say Instead: Five centS.
“Five cent” is perfectly fine as an adjective: a five-cent gumball. But when you use it as a noun, you need to add an “s” to “cent” if you’re talking about more than one: She can remember when stamps cost five cents. My parents gave me 25 cents when I lost a tooth, but I have to give my kids a dollar. Compare these sentences to: That 99-cent pen will break in three days.
153. Libary vs. Library
Don’t Say: Li-ba-ry. Say Instead: Li-bRa-ry.
Make sure you pronounce both “r”s. “Li-bra-ry.”
154. Reconize vs. Recognize
Don’t Say: Re-con-ize. Say Instead: Re-coG-nize.
Don’t leave out the “g.” It’s “re-cog-nize.”
155. Stricly vs. Strictly
Don’t Say: Stric-ly. Say Instead: StricT-ly.
Don’t leave out the second “t.” It’s “strict-ly.”
156. Heighth vs. Height
Don’t Say: Heighth. Say Instead: Height (rhymes with “bite”).
Perhaps people mispronounce “height” as “heighth” because they’re thinking of the “th” at the end of “width.” But it’s wrong; “height” always ends with a simple “t.”
157. Athaletics vs. Athletics
Don’t Say: Ath-a-le-tics. Say Instead: Ath-le-tics (just three syllables).
Leave out the extra “a.” And this goes for the person, too. It’s never “ath-a-lete,” it’s always “ath-lete.”
158. Goverment vs. Government
Don’t Say: Go-ver-ment. Say Instead: Go-verN-ment.
Don’t forget the first “n”—think of the verb, “govern.” “Go-vern-ment.”
159. Irrevelant vs. Irrelevant
Don’t Say: Ir-rev-e-Iant. Say Instead: Ir-RELL-e-Vant.
Don’t transpose the “1” and the “v”. Think of the “rel” in the words “relevant” and “related.” “Ir-rel-e-vant.”
160. Temperment vs. Temperament
Don’t Say: Tem-per-ment. Say Instead: Tem-per-a-ment (say all four syllables).
There’s a little “a” you have to sneak in near before the “ment.” “Tem-per-a-ment.”
161. Lightening vs. Lightning
Don’t Say: Ligh-ten-ing. Say Instead: Light-ning (two syllables).
Say “lightning” when you’re referring to the thing that happens during a storm. “Lightening” (three syllables) means that something is becoming lighter.
162. Mischevious vs. Mischievous
Don’t Say: Mis-che-vi-ous. Say Instead: Mis-chie-vous (three syllables, mis-cha-vuss).
“Mischevious” is not a word. Leave out the extra “ee” sound. It’s always “mis-chie-vous.”
163. Grevious vs. Grievous
Don’t Say: Gre-vi-ous. Say Instead: Grie-vous (two syllables, gree-vuss).
Like “mischievous,” “grievous” is a word people love to stick an extra “ee” sound into—but it’s always “grievous.”
164. Histry vs. History
Don’t Say: His-try. Say Instead: His-tor-y (three syllables).
Only an Englishman gets to say “his-try.” You need “tor,” in there when you’re in America, my friend. “His-tor-y.”
165. Nucular vs. Nuclear
Don’t Say: Nu-cu-lar. Say Instead: Nuc-le-ar (nu-CLEE-ar).
The word comes from “nucleus.” So you must begin “nuclear” the same way, with “nu-clee,” never “nu-cue.” It’s “nuc-lear.”
166. Perscription vs. Prescription
Don’t Say: Per-scrip-tion. Say Instead: Pre-scrip-tion (pruh-scrip-shun).
Think of “pre” in its sense as “before.” You need the prescription before you can get better. The same thing applies to the verb—it’s never “per-scribe,” it’s always “pre-scribe.”
167. Prespiration vs. Perspiration
Don’t Say: Pre-spi-ra-tiori. Say Instead: PER-spi-ra-tion.
Don’t substitute “pre” for “per” when you’re talking about perspiring. “Per-spi-ra-tion.”
168. Disasterous vs. Disastrous
Don’t Say: Di-sas-ter-ous. Say Instead: Di-sas-trous (di-zass-truss, three syllables, not four).
Don’t throw a “ter” in there, even though the word clearly comes from “disaster.” It’s “di-sas-trous.”
169. Accidently vs. Accidentally
Don’t Say: Ac-ci-dent-ly. Say Instead: Ac-ci-den-tal-ly (five syllables).
In a flip-flop from the previous explanation, here we need to keep the “tal” from “accidental” when we make the word “ac-ci-den-tal-ly.”
170. Representive vs. Representative
Don’t Say: Rep-re-sen-tive. Say Instead: Rep-re-sen-ta-tive (five syllables).
Don’t leave out the “ta.” It’s “rep-re-sen-ta-tive.”
171. Preform vs. Perform
Don’t Say: Pre-form. Say Instead: Per-form.
It’s “per,” not “pre,” to start off words about showing off your talents: per-form, per-for-mance, per-for-ming.
172. Asterik vs. Asterisk
Don’t Say: As-te-rik or as-te-riks. Say Instead: As-ter-isk (as-tuh-rik).
Boy, does this one give people trouble! The little star you use to tell a reader that there’s a note elsewhere on the page is an as-te-risk (*), with the word “risk” tacked on to the end. Not “as-ter-ix.” Not “as-ter-ick.” It’s “as-te-risk.”
173. Artic vs. Arctic
Don’t Say: Ar-tic Say Instead: Arc-tic.
You need the “c” in there—“arc-tic.”
174. Anartica vs. Antarctica
Don’t Say: An-ar-ti-ca Say Instead: Ant-arc-ti-ca.
The first syllable is “ant’ with a “t”. The second syllable is “arc” with a “c”. “Ant-arc-ti-ca.”
175. Expresso vs. Espresso
Don’t Say: Ex-pres-so. Say Instead: Es-pres-so (ess-PRESS-oh).
When you’re ordering coffee that will keep you up all night, the first syllable of the word isn’t “ex,” it’s “es.” “Es-pres-so.”
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