Do you have a word or two that make you pause?
I know a lady who just flat out can’t seem to pronounce the word “eclectic” … no matter how hard she tries, her tongue gets tied up in knots and she says it wrong. Mom used to trip over “aluminum.” Every time Missy goes to say “subtle” she stumbles over her own tongue.
For me, the problem isn’t pronouncing a particular word per se, it’s reading the word aloud. I have no explanation for this, it just always throws me for some bizarre reason to see the word “chaos” or “chaotic.” If I’m just using the word chaos, I can say it without a problem, however if I’m reading the word it throws me: I promptly think “that’s not right” and I have to remind myself that it is. Another one that causes a brain fart from time to time is “ciao.”
What’s your problem word(s)? What’s the word you just cannot say, no matter how hard you try? What’s the word that always looks wrong when you see it in print?
December 20th, 2009 at 20:49
RURAL I could pronounce it until a friend told me he couldn’t which makes me think about it, so I haven’t been able to spit it out right the first time in 30 years.
December 23rd, 2009 at 19:36
I say some words wrong when not thinking about them warsh instead of wash, deeshez instead of dishes.
but the one that drives my husband up a wall is quepons instead of coupons.
December 23rd, 2009 at 23:02
You mean they’re NOT called quepons?
December 29th, 2009 at 10:28
Not only can I not pronounce it, I can’t even spell it! Anonymous…. you know, where you are not supposed to know who it is… That is a HARD word! I always trip over it – anomynous, amonomous… Whatever. And I am with Susan, too. Rual (rool) instead of rural.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:58
Judicial. I’m with Dana Carvey, it makes you sound drunk just *trying* to say it correctly.