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Let’s face it. Most of us weren’t born great orators who can step onto a barrel and captivate the whole square with their speech like Cicero.

In reality, we can barely pronounce words like isthmus, myriad and… just wait until you get to "otorhinolaryngologist." But some people are doing everyone a public service and suggesting whole new pronunciations for some very popular words.

From Wayne pronounced like Kanye to baseline pronounced like vaseline, I sign up for every one of them. I suspect that Merriam-Webster’s dictionary won’t approve, but hey, language is a living thing and we may as well have some fun with it!

#1

Words-Should-Be-Pronounced

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Jo Morris
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why stop at Onety-one? Onety-two, Onety-three, Onety-four ... and on it goes!

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#3

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Yayaboobo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked at a place where a baby girl was named Female pronounced exactly like that.

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There are tons of words in the English language that do make our heads spin now and then if we have to pronounce them. Luckily, these are usually not ones we use often.

For example, the word "defibrillator" is an example of a linguistic phenomenon in which similar consonants or vowels in a word become less alike, e.g. defibrillator becoming "defibyulator." Blame your mispronunciation on them.

Another confusing word for many is "February," which is a case of dissimilation. According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, "The y heard from many speakers is not an intrusion but rather a common pronunciation of the vowel U after a consonant, as in January and annual."

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Steve Lor
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol, I purposefully pronounce vaseline as vase-line all the time though.

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If you want to get your tongue twisted, try saying "antidisestablishmentarianism" out loud. For many, it’s the longest word they know with 28 letters in total and 13 syllables.

However, the longest word in most English dictionaries is “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,” which refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano.

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#11

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Dora Giakoumi
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"AristotElis" in Greek, and there is no other way to be pronounced. ;)

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shado
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

still a favorite ... if you are going to bastardize a vocabulary, at least do it with some style!

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shado
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

hey ... when "Homer" and "F*ck" become a common word in the dictionaries ... why not o_0

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#14

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Dave In MD
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, Nike like Adidas is pronounced differently by us Americans than by everyone else.

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#16

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Melissa Meaux
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

you have to squeeze your thumb, middle, and index fingers together and shake them slightly when saying it that way

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#19

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Dragonfruit'nrollerskates
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

*Horse gallops through a field of roses* *Random lady in flowing dress waves some fabric around to the Halo song* (soft male voice whispers) *its Horsé*

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Wolfstar
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

BUT YOU LIKE HER BETTER, WISH I WERE HEATHER!!! I'm sorry I love Conan Gray so much I'm just gonna go now...

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#29

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ravn
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This entire thread has reminded me of a great book about Dr. Seuss; "The Tough Coughs as he Ploughs the Dough".

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#30

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