Things Americans Say Wrong
Yes, the title is intentional.
Please take the following grains of salt before criticizing the list too harshly:
- I am a (naturalized) American citizen, and thus a proud American.
- I have no formal training in linguistics.
- These are just some personal pet peeves, so don’t get your panties in a bunch.
| a whole other… | Not “a whole ‘nother…” |
| abercrombie | Not “ambercrombie” |
| across | Not “acrost” or “acrossed” |
| addictive | Not “addicting” |
| all I did was… | Not “all’s I did was…” |
| all of a sudden… | Not “all of the sudden…” |
| alumni | This is often mistaken as the singular form of itself. The correct form is alumnus for singular masculine, alumna for singular feminine, alumnae for plural feminine, and alumni for masculine or generic plural. |
| Alzheimer’s disease (ALTS-heim-ers) | Not “old-timer’s disease” |
| Antarctica | Not “Antartica” |
| anticlimactic | Not “anticlimatic” |
| anyway | Not “anyways” |
| as best as you can | Not “as best you can” (pronoun may vary). Even more appropriate would be “as well as you can.” |
| as long as | Not “so long as” |
| as opposed to | Not “as oppose to.” This one is fairly subtle, since even in the correct pronunciation, the “d” is almost inaudible. However, many people do indeed consciously and audibly omit the “d.” |
| ask | Not “axe” |
| asterisk (AS-te-risk) | Not “asterix” (AS-te-riks). This error is made frequently by low-ranking office employees or people who are beginning to learn computer terminology. |
| beck and call | Not “beckon call” |
| better than the last | Sometimes, to express pleasure toward something, someone might incorrectly say, “every day is better than the next,” or “every bite is tastier than the next,” and so on. If you think about this carefully, you’ll realize that these are actually negative statements. When a person says, “every day is better than the next,” it is equivalent to saying, “every day is worse than the previous.” The person is essentially implying that every day since the beginning has been getting progressively worse. The correct phrase, therefore, should be, “every day is better than the last.” |
| biceps | Not “bicep.” The singular of biceps is still biceps. |
| boisterous | Not “voice-terous” |
| bystander | Not “by-standard” |
| calculate | Not “caculate.” |
| cavalry | Not “calvary.” Of course, if you’re referring to the place outside of Jerusalem, then you’re fine. |
| card sharp | Not “card shark.” A reader contributes: “When someone is good at shooting pool or playing cards, they are sharp. Therefore, they are a ‘pool sharp’ or a ‘card sharp.’ They are not sharks as in ‘pool sharks’ or ‘card sharks.’” |
| chipotle (chi-POT-lay) | Everyone seems to have their own pronunciation of this word. Most commonly, however, people mispronounce it by saying “chipolte” (chi-POL-tay), or “chipote” (chi-PO-tay), omitting the “l” altogether, or even “chipottle” (rhymes with “bottle”). The word itself has its origins in the Aztec language Nahuatl, where the “tl” sound was very common. It is derived from the words chil (chile), and pochilli (to smoke). |
| comeuppance | Not “comeuppins” |
| comfortable | Not “comfterble” |
| couldn’t care less | Not “could care less.” When you think about it, to say “I could care less” really means that you actually do care about something, and it’s possible for you to care less about it. It is more appropriate to say “I couldn’t care less” to indicate that you have reached the rock bottom of carelessness about something. |
| data | The word data is plural. Therefore it is inappropriate to use a phrase like “this data.” It is more appropriate to say “these data.” The singular form of the word is datum. |
| daylight saving time | Not “daylight savings time” |
| drivel | Not “dribble.” Dribble is what one does with a basketball. Drivel is childish or nonsensical language. |
| drowned | Not “drownded” |
| enormity | The word enormity refers to excessive evil or wickedness. It does not, however, refer to general excessive size. For that, the preferred term would be enormousness. |
| espresso | Not “expresso.” I mean, come on. |
| et cetera | Not “exetera.” Commonly abbreviated “etc.,” this is literally the Latin words et, meaning “and,” and cetera, meaning “the rest.” When spelled out, this is two words, not one. |
| exact revenge | Not “extract revenge.” |
| exclamation mark | Not “exclamation point.” Do you ever say “question point”? |
| fateful day | Not “faithful day” |
| February (FEB-roo-a-ry) | Not “Feb’uary” (FEB-yoo-a-ry). |
| founder | Not “flounder.” Founder is what a ship does when it collides with something and sinks in the water. Flounder is a kind of fish. |
| for all intents and purposes | Not “for all intensive purposes” |
| hair’s breadth | Some believe that this metaphor is actually “hare’s breath.” |
| heart-rending | Not “heart-rendering” |
| height | Not “heighth” |
| hertz | This applies to the singular form of the unit, which is still hertz. Some people mistakenly say, “1 hert.” |
| how many feet are in a mile? | Not “how many feet in a mile?” (Units may vary) |
| I’d just as soon… | Not “I’d just assume…” An example phrase might be, “I’d just as soon not go to the park today.” |
| I’m not sure | Not “I’m not for sure” |
| I’ve seen | Not “I seen” |
| in other words | Not “another words” |
| infinitesimal | Not “infintesimal” |
| instant messaging | Not “instant messenging” |
| integral | Not “intregal” |
| inverse square law | Not “invert square law” |
| jewelry | Not “jewlery” |
| kielbasa (kil-BA-sa) | For some reason, this is commonly mispronounced “kielbasi” (kil-BA-see) |
| lackadaisical | Not “laxadaisical” |
| laundromat | Not “laundrymat” |
| let it be | Not “leave it be” |
| library | Not “libery” |
| literature | Not “litature” |
| mano a mano | In Spanish, this literally means “hand to hand.” However, many Americans incorrectly pronounce it as “mano y mano,” which would mean “hand and hand.” |
| mayonnaise | Not “man-aise” |
| memento | Not “momento” |
| menstruation | Not “menstration” |
| mischievous (MIS-chee-vus) | Not “mischievious” (mis-CHEE-vee-us). |
| moot point | Not “mute point” |
| myrrh | Not “myrth” |
| nauseated | Not “nauseous.” A reader contributes: “Too often I hear people who are sick to their stomach say “I am nauseous” rather than “I am nauseated.” Saying “I am nauseous” means that I cause OTHERS to feel sick to THEIR stomachs.” |
| nuclear (NEW-clee-ar) | Often disgustingly mispronounced as “nucular” (NOO-kyoo-lar). I still cringe when remembering George W. Bush say “nucular” in his speeches. |
| nunchucks | Not “numchucks.” A reader contributes: “Nunchaku is technically correct. However in English usage it is acceptable to use nunchucks, but not in Martial Arts usage or Japanese.” |
| off | Not “off of” |
| olfactory | Not “old factory” |
| on one hand… | Not “on the one hand…” |
| one and the same | Not “one in the same” |
| orangutan | Not “orangutang” |
| oriented | Not “orientated” |
| parenthesis | One of these “(” is a parenthesis (as opposed to parentheses, which is plural) |
| phenomenon | The word phenomena is plural. Therefore it is inappropriate to use phenomena when speaking of a single phenomenon. |
| picture | Not “pi’ture” |
| pieces and parts | Not “pieces parts.” For some reason, this is catching on at an alarming rate. |
| powers that be | Not “powers to be” |
| prescription | Not “perscription” |
| pronunciation | Not “pronounciation” |
| realty/realtor | Not “real-a-ty” / “real-a-tor” |
| regardless | Not “irregardless” |
| relevant | Not “revelant” |
| repercussions | Not “reprocussions” |
| rhombus | Not “rhumbus” |
| sacrilegious | Not “sacreligious” |
| sherbet | Not “sherbert” |
| sidetracked | Not “sidetracted” |
| statute of limitations | Not “statue of limitations.” To quote Jerry Seinfeld, “Fine, it’s a sculpture of limitations!” |
| strength | Not “strenth” |
| supposedly | Not “supposably” |
| tact | Not “tack” |
| take for granted | Not “take for granite” |
| that’s not fair | Not “that’s no fair” |
| touch base with… | Not “touch bases with…” |
| triathlon | Not “triathalon.” Also applies to biathlon, tetrathlon, pentathlon, etc. Even the word athlete is sometimes mispronounced “ath-a-lete.” |
| utmost | Not “upmost” |
| verbiage | Not “verbage” |
| vertebra | The word vertebrae is plural and should not be used as the singular. |
| vice versa | Not “vice-a-versa.” |
| voluptuous | Not “volumptuous” |
| where are you? | Not “where are you at?” and certainly not “where you at?” |
| width | Not “wi’th” |
| would have | Not “would of” |
| wreak havoc | Not “wreck havoc” |
| yin/yang | Not “ying/yang” |
August 8th, 2005 at 12:46 am
Ummm no… Turpentine is perfectly acceptable. You’re really over-reaching here. Most of these are beyond annoying, but please don’t get ahead of yourself.
August 8th, 2005 at 7:23 am
“Turpentine” removed after verification. Both variations do indeed appear to be correct. Thanks!
September 13th, 2005 at 10:14 am
good website to listen to the pronunciation is http://www.m-w.com. According to the site one can debate about some words on the list (e.g. February, library and pronunciation).
September 28th, 2005 at 6:18 pm
ONE. Please add the following to your list: “realty / realtor” I hear these often mispronounced as “real-a-ty” and real-a-tor”, which adds in a middle syllable that should not be there.
TWO. I was wondering about the correct pronunciation of “nuclear”. I’ve always said “NEW-clee-ar” (3 syllables) rather than “NEW-clear” (2 syllables). What do you think?
THREE. Please add the word “boisterous” to your list. Many people say “voice-ter-ous”. Although a boisterous child may be loud, boisterous is also used to describe physical movement.
FOUR. I was so glad to see the correct pronunciation listed of the word “mischievous”. However, after a boy at the library where I work told me it was a vocabulary word in his class and the teacher pronounced it “mis-CHEE-vee-us”, I looked it up and was extremely dismayed to find that pronunciation is now listed in some new dictionaries as an acceptable alternative to “MIS-che-vus”. Do you find that if a word is pronounced incorrectly long enough and by enough people, it becomes formally acceptable? Personally, I hope not, but it seems this is happening. On this word, I don’t see how it could ever be accepted, as it does not coordinate with the spelling of the word, and turns a 3-syllable word into a 4-syllable word.
LOVE your list! Thanks, Melissa
September 28th, 2005 at 8:18 pm
Regarding “nuclear,” I do believe the truly correct pronunciation is “NEW-clee-ar” (like you say it), since it’s logically consistent with the noun “nucleus,” but to nitpick between that and “NEW-clear” may be a stretch.
That’s really surprising that an incorrect pronunciation was found in a dictionary. But, then, I guess that’s how a language evolves — by people mispronouncing words. How else would all the different languages have arisen?
I don’t know about you, but I would love for Esperanto to come back into vogue and finally put an end to ambiguity, mispronunciation, and silent letters!
October 1st, 2005 at 12:53 am
I’ve got one for you: I’ve always said “beck and call”. Turns out my husband, as well educated as I am, says “beckon call”. Sounds and literally means the same but which is correct? Of course I think I’m right! Would you let us know?
October 1st, 2005 at 1:03 am
OK I have one more. Sure sign of semi-literacy: “drownded” as opposed to “drowned”. Please add!
October 1st, 2005 at 1:08 am
OK, ONE more. (I fear this is an addiction). I’ve heard many people say “ath-a-lete” instead of “athlete”. “Triathlon” made me think of it.
October 1st, 2005 at 1:10 am
Must add one more. Cannot stop. Help me.
I actually work with people and have neighbors who constantly say “I seen” instead of “I saw” or “I’ve seen”.
October 1st, 2005 at 1:23 am
Regarding “what/when/why”: my mother was a very well-educated woman who grew up in upper-class Manhattan in the 20′s-40′s, daughter of a prominent MD, and always insisted that the “hwat/hwen/hwere” pronunciations are correct and proper, and a sign of educated people. In fact my 1936 Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary gives ONLY those pronunciations (spelled phonetically of course). So I NEVER associated the “hwat” pronunciation with hillbillies, etc., but quite the opposite! Personally though, I hated to pronounce those words that way, and have always wished that the more regularly-used “wat/were/wen” way was correct. I don’t have a modern dictionary – how are these words phoneticized (is that a word) currently? I imagine both ways are given as optional. Will have to remember to look these up tomorrow (I work at a library).
Thanks for putting up with me, I get wired on the computer at night! But I shall say goodnight now: Goodnight!
October 1st, 2005 at 5:02 pm
From Garner’s Modern American Usage (0-19-516191-2, Oxford University Press, Fall 2003):
October 8th, 2005 at 3:05 pm
Hi Dmitri! I’m a little embarrassed you’re posting all my comments on your site! Nevertheless, here’s another mispronunciation I often hear: “Treasure (and pleasure)” pronounced like “tray-zher / play-zher” rather than “treh-zher / pleh-zher”. Good day!
October 10th, 2005 at 7:51 pm
New suggestion: Thousands of times I have heard people pronounce “a” like “ay” instead of “uh” (I believe this happens mostly or only when people are reading something aloud). Example: “There once was ‘ay’ funny old man”, rather than “There once was ‘uh’ funny old man.”
I’m not sure how you’d word this for your list, but it bothers the HELL out of me when I hear it!!!
October 10th, 2005 at 7:54 pm
This may be regional (I’m in the L.A. area) but I hear a lot of people use incorrect grammar when asking a question such as “What time is it?” or “Where is this book?” They will say “What time it is?” or “Where this book is?”. Please list this as incorrect!!!
October 13th, 2005 at 3:45 pm
I’d sure like to see you add irregardless as one of the common words people use incorrectly in place of regardless. It makes me cringe every time I hear this mistake!
October 15th, 2005 at 6:46 pm
Ruin is a two-syllable word, but I hear it pronounced “roon” rather than “roo-in” quite frequently. Please add this to your list!
October 19th, 2005 at 8:34 am
Nice site, thank you.
Here’s a suggestion for something to add:
“Daylight saving time” more often than not gets a bonus plural and becomes “daylight savings time”. The first is correct, the latter is not.
October 31st, 2005 at 5:11 pm
Drives me insane to hear teachers and other normally reasonable people say “sim-u-lar” for similar!
November 3rd, 2005 at 10:37 pm
You say that “data” is plural. Why? Because it’s plural in Latin? By that line of reasoning we should say “These spaghetti are delicious” because “spaghetti” is plural in Italian.
November 10th, 2005 at 3:45 pm
It is my contention that the title of this commentary should be: “Words that Americans use (or say) incorrectly”.
November 10th, 2005 at 3:48 pm
I don’t think that those who say “guesstimate” really think that it means estimate but rather they are saying it as a kind of joke. Because estimating is a form of educated guessing, hence guesstimate.
November 10th, 2005 at 3:51 pm
I hear people use the word orientate for orient as in to orient yourself to a new way of thinking or toward another direction.
Please add this if I am correct that there is no word as orientate.
November 10th, 2005 at 3:53 pm
I used to hear people say conversate when they meant to say to have a conversation. If you want you may add that also.
November 10th, 2005 at 3:57 pm
There are people who say boff for both and recanize for recognize.
Some say drawring for drawing or warsh for wash. I have been known to take off the “g” on words like heating by saying heatin’.
Hey this is kind of fun!
November 11th, 2005 at 9:46 pm
Sean’s comment about “orientate” made me question myself but it is indeed in the dictionary, right where it should be! It means the same as to orient oneself. But I’ve never heard anyone say “conversate” instead of “converse”. That’s definitely incorrect! However the comment about “warsh” made me wonder if this pronunciation isn’t just from a regional dialect.
November 13th, 2005 at 12:57 am
Many people say af-a-ghan instead of afghan (a knitted blanket)
November 14th, 2005 at 6:16 pm
Melissa,
I am surprised and amused that orientate is a correct usage for orient. I will have to do some research on that one. Also, I was referrering to regional dialect types of mispronunciation when I submitted “warsh”. Partly because the list included “axed” for asked. And because I think that falls into the same category and leads to the type of poor usage that we find people quilty. Also, Americans are by no means the only offenders. The British, ironically, are well known for their mispronunciation of the so-called King’s English.
Thanks for your input.
November 17th, 2005 at 8:17 pm
Concerning “mischievous” I thought it was interesting what I read at the merriam-webster online dictionary
(www.m-w.com/dictionary/mischievous):
“usage: A pronunciation \mis-’chE-vE-&s\ and a consequent spelling mischievious are of long standing: evidence for the spelling goes back to the 16th century. Our pronunciation files contain modern attestations ranging from dialect speakers to Herbert Hoover. But both the pronunciation and the spelling are still considered nonstandard.”
November 25th, 2005 at 3:43 pm
“Lest we forget”, with “lest” pronounced “least”. Also “hot water heater”. It doesn’t heat HOT water.
December 1st, 2005 at 2:03 pm
Hi everyone! I learned a few years ago the difference between “healthy” and “healthful”, and the common misuse of the former. A person, plant or animal can be healthy, a food or diet can be healthful, but cannot be healthy (or unhealthy).
December 1st, 2005 at 2:27 pm
One of the most common errors in English have to do with the words “lie” and “lay”. My husband constantly drives me crazy when he tells me he’s going to “lay down”.
“Lay” is either the past tense of “lie” (I lie down today. I lay down yesterday) OR the present tense of the TRANSITIVE verb “lay”, which needs a direct object (I lay down my pencil today. I laid the pencil down yesterday.)
The common error is to use “lay” as a substitute for the present-tense verb “lie”, without a direct object. i.e. INCORRECT: I lay down today. I laid down yesterday. Or telling someone to “lay down”. CORRECT: I lie down today. I lay down yesterday. Or you can tell someone “Lie down.”
The following is correct info I just got from a grammar website:
The principal parts (most-common verb forms) of lie are:
lie (present), lay (past) and lain (past participle).
The princial parts of lay are:
lay (present), laid (past) and laid (past participle).
As an aid in choosing the correct verb forms, remember that lie means to recline, whereas lay means to put something down.
• Lie means that the actor (subject) is doing something to himself or herself. It’s what grammarians call a complete verb. When accompanied by subjects, complete verbs tell the whole story.
• Lay, on the other hand, means that the subject is acting on something or someone else; therefore, it requires a complement to make sense. Thus lay always takes a direct object. Lie never does.
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More on “lie”: In its simplest (command) form, when the you is implied, lie is a sentence all by itself. If you tell your dog, “Lie,” as in “(You) lie (down),” that’s a complete sentence. (The same is true, by the way, of sit.) In written material, we generally use down with lie when we mean to recline not because down is needed grammatically but because we wish to distinguish from the regular verb lie, meaning to tell an untruth (as in lie, lied, lied).
——————————————————————————–
Tip: Always remember that lay is a transitive verb and requires a direct object. (A transitive verb acts as a conveyor belt, transmitting action or influence from the subject to the object.) The common saying, “Let’s lay out in the sun,” is not only incorrect grammatically, it suggests a public promiscuity that’s frowned on even in this age of sexual permissiveness because you’re implying the existence of a direct object of lay: “Let’s lay (her/him?) out in the sun.” Not that there’s anything wrong with THAT! It’s just ungrammatical unless you’re talking about sex.
December 1st, 2005 at 2:28 pm
Similar to “lie” and “lay” is the errors in usage of “rise” and “raise”. Rise is a complete verb – you rise, the moon rises, etc. Raise is a transitive verb and needs a direct object – you raise your hand, the dog raises its ears, etc.
December 12th, 2005 at 11:07 am
When people say “I resemble that remark,” they’re typically making a joke about themselves, not using the word “resent” improperly. I think that came from some movie, but could begin to remember which one.
Thank for for including the clarification on “alumni;” my university’s alumni publication uses it incorrectly, which drives me crazy!
I am also seeking an answer on a related topic. I learned that “media” was the plural of “meduim” (a channel of communication), but I occasionally see “mediums” instead. I was taught that “mediums” was a bunch of fortunetellers. Make it stop?
December 12th, 2005 at 4:36 pm
I think the confusion in this is due to the difference between the words “saving” and “savings” themselves.
“Saving” is verb which describes a process.
“Savings” is a noun which describes something saved; a storage or supply of some sort.
The question is: During “Daylight Saving Time” are we actively saving daylight during the entire process, or have we stored a supply of daylight; a daylight savings?
Personally, I think that while “Daylight Saving Time” may be the term as it was defined, the term itself is grammatically questionable. I don’t think we are actively saving daylight during “Daylight Saving Time”, but that when we spring forward an hour we save an hour of daylight in an instant, and that that extra hour of daylight is actively saved, and could appropriately be described as our daylight savings for the duration of “Daylight Saving Time”. In the same respect “Daylight Saved Time” would even seem more grammatically appropriate to “Daylight Saving Time”, due to the fact that the daylight has already been saved, hence the past tence, rather than the active verb.
December 12th, 2005 at 4:46 pm
I’m not sure whether you’re saying they’re the same thing or not, so I’ll say that I don’t think they are.
An estimate is determined through real calculations where numbers are often rounded for expediency. It is not a guess, but it is not 100% accurate either. It is a mathematical approximation.
A “guesstimate” is an “educated guess”, but no real calculations are put into it. To make a “guesstimate” is to say “based on my (possibly limited) experience I would guess..”. This is more of a “gut feeling” than an actual estimate, which is a mathematical approximation.
It is my contention that they are NOT the same thing, and that “guesstimate” is NOT mispronunciation at all.
December 13th, 2005 at 1:26 am
“I resemble that remark” was a common quip used by Curly from The Three Stooges, in case you were curious.
And with medium, the only time “mediums” is appropriate is when referring to multiple fortune tellers, otherwise it’s media.
January 5th, 2006 at 3:17 pm
i debate that “6 of 1, half dozen of the other” makes any sense at all as it is. the phrase “six to one, half dozen the other” is used to indicate that 6 and a half dozen are the same quantities – so, to one person, it’s 6 – to the other, it’s a half dozen. yes?
January 7th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Hi Dmitri! The other day I heard a commentator on TV say “wreck havoc”, but the correct phrase is “wreak havoc”. Please add to your list. Thanks!
January 15th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
Love it.. and there are so many more! Like the use of the prefix “in” to mean extra or better or super…i.e., INvaluable…the IN prefix is meant to indicate “a lack” or “not” such as INconclusive…this means NOT conclusive and INvaluable really means NOT valuable…
don’t get me started!
January 15th, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Oh and…Alchol-ic beverage…that would be a beverage (no matter the content) being owned or consumed by a person who has an addiction to alcohol…NOT a beverage containing alcohol. Alcohol LIKE beverage..maybe, Alcohol beverage..yes. Bear in mind that dictionaries frequently update to include bastardizations (is THAT a word?) of meanings not so much as an authority on how language is assembled but more on the current meaning of the word as used coloquially.
January 15th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
pardon the SP…”Alcohol-ic
January 30th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
An educated guess is a ‘hypothesis’. I also believe that “guestimate” is slang for loose estimate, not a misspeak.
January 30th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
English class is now called “Language Arts” in elementary school. If it is now “art”, maybe there are no longer any rules.
January 31st, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Please add i.e. and e.g. to your list. They are not necessarily pronounced incorrectly; rather they are too often used in place of each other or are not abbreviated properly (ie., eg.). If people knew the Latin translation, most improper usage would be avoided:
e.g. is abbreviation for “exempli gratia” and means “for example”
i.e. is the abbreviation “id est” and means “that is”
January 31st, 2006 at 7:52 pm
I told you /not I toed you.
appreciate/not preciate
February 5th, 2006 at 2:20 am
Ehh, if I ever said “datum” at work, I would get socked in the face and promptly fired.
February 6th, 2006 at 11:23 am
it’s not that invaluable claimes a lacking in value, but that a value can not be placed/determined.
February 25th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
This one drives me INSANE! Please add “founder” to the list. I HATE when people say “flounder”, e.g. “he was floundering”. A ship at sea does not “flounder” – it FOUNDERS!
Thank you.
February 25th, 2006 at 6:29 pm
Please add >> Heart-Rendering!
I was going to mention “take for granite” also, but I see you have it on your list. Someone I know well says that, as well as “heart-rendering”. I have heard the latter on television quite often.
Pedantic addition >> Enormity
I was taught that “enormity” was not the state of being extremely big, but instead something big and bad, an outrage or horror of massive proportion. But no one seems to follow this distinction anymore.
February 28th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Another word that people mispronounce is comparable.
They say Compare-able instead.