which mispronounced word annoys you the most?

Question

For me it has to be 'Herb'. It's from Latin and is pronounced with the H. I hate it when it's pronounced 'erb', I think this is because when i was at school we were told never to "drop our h's"

It's from Middle English via old French 'erbe' from Latin Herba 'grass, green crop, herb'

So it's perfectly correct to use 'erbe' in French, but not in English.

source: Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 9th Edition

Just wanted to know if there were any other pedantic folks out there! :o)

Answer 1

"Herb" pronounced with the 'H." Just joking. I think it's funny when someone from out of town pronounces a street in my town wrong. It's ALTAMA (AL-tamm-a), and they pronounce it ALL-ta-ma. But you never know until you hear a local say it.

Answer 2

Glasgow pronounced Glarsgow

Answer 3

i'm no longer even a democrat yet those final 8 years listening to the chief of united states of america say new-q-ler has approximately pushed me over the part. i think of my head will explode if I gotta pay attention Palin say it for 4-8 greater years! And the cat/automobile Jaguar has only 2 syllables. that's no longer jag-you-conflict or Jag-twine! (I stay interior the south and human beings right here say Jag-twine. It drives me slightly nuts yet I comprehend it...jag-conflict is the dazzling way, yet they say "twine" like "conflict" so i assume it a technique or the different is wise...)

Answer 4

All the above I agree with!

also

peugeot - when people say pyoogeot.
athletics - saying athaletics
broccoli said as broccoleye (my husband)

pronouncing the h in birmingham

pasta - as parsta

Better stop myself - I'll be here all day otherwise on this subject!

Answer 5

so...going from latin pronunciation, do you pronounce it with an "open e" or with the common "schwa"? because, if you're using the latter, you're still wrong. there is no schwa in latin. anyhow, i hate it when people pronounce anything in a different language with the butchered "english" pronunciation.

Answer 6

In my country, for some strange reason, people always say "deevastated" instead of "devastated." It's so annoying! Sometimes I can't believe I live in an English-speaking country. lol

Answer 7

Maybe I'm getting old, but when so called "yoof" TV and radio presenters add extra syllables to words such as "SP-LEN-DID!" or when otherwise erstwhile newsreaders like John Humphries uses "gonna" (going to, John!!!) or the increasing "gunnabee" (going to be)

Answer 8

Not quite the same thing but I absolutely hate it when people say they are going to "lay" down. It's lie - lie down! Only hens lay!!!!! Unless it is in the past tense, of course.
And "they hung him" - not, they didn't! It's "hanged". People are "hanged!"
But my own personal foible that annoys everyone who knows me is I say "yo gurt" while all around me say "yoggit". And "scon" instead of "s cone". Don't care. If you can lay around, I can eat scones!

Answer 9

yes, i've recently heard a lot of people pronouncing specific as pacific! two completely different things

oh and instead of ask some people say arks. its just silly

Answer 10

Lol the way ma mama says embarassed. Shes says it the propa African way em- ba- rased jus exactly the way its written. It does ma head in all the time. But i thnk she does it to annoy me.lol

Answer 11

Ever since elementary school it has bugged me when people say "ideal" instead of "idea". I can not count the number of people I know that have a great "ideal" for something.