words that should be easy to pronounce but you can't pronounce

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A transposition of sounds of two or more words, especially a ludicrous one, such as Let me sew you to your sheet for Let me show you to your seat. (dictonary.com)

On a very tangential note - I once worked for a guy named A1an R0se. I pointed out to him that his name was a spoonerism (anagram, transposition, what-have-you) for Anal Sore. He got really, really, disproportionately fucking mad.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 03:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe he was tormented as a kid by a group of intelligent bullies.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 05:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Nukeyoular

Abu grabbagabbagabba hey-you know that prison camp

― George W. Bush (AaronHz), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 06:39 (twenty-one years ago)

S'il vous plait.

I was actually better than most of the people in my class at pronunciation (not at other stuff though), but that one phrase just never felt right to me.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 07:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I get humiliated when trying to pronounce humiliated.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 07:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Fith and sicth. My mum does this too, though, so it's her fault.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 11:52 (twenty-one years ago)

my mother pronounces the word "parsley" "parz-lee" rather than "pass-lee" and for years I did too, until someone put me right on the matter.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:07 (twenty-one years ago)

duty to do.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember someone from the US (tho I don't remember who) reacting in horror when an English person said they were going to wipe the dew off their window.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Worry. I need to stop myself saying war-ry and say wuh-ry instead. But now as I'm typing it out I'm not sure either is right. I also say odditer instead of auditor because as a kid I first heard the word from a Glaswegian accountant. (I have a London accent.)

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Gatport Airwick always trips me up.

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Itinerary, sixth, paella, subtly and like Liz my workplace often gets very garbled on the phone - 'SusxLngwidjInstoot' kind of.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:32 (twenty-one years ago)

my mother pronounces the word "parsley" "parz-lee" rather than "pass-lee" and for years I did too, until someone put me right on the matter.

?!??!?!?

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

i learnt to say that word from Simon and Garfunkel and they say "PARRRRSLEY!"

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

and S&G are like my yardstick for measuring correct pronunciation.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

But they are poxy Americans!

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:47 (twenty-one years ago)

but i like americans!

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i also say "possibilidees" rather than possibilities

e.g. while i look around for my possibilidees.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:51 (twenty-one years ago)

and chaainsahhhhhh rather than chainsoaw

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Iron.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Wennsday instead of Wedensday.

― Michael White (Hereward), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)

or even Wednesday.

― Michael White (Hereward), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Does anyone pronounce it some other way besides "Wennsday"? Not around my parts they don't.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

why can't anyone pronounce "nuptials" right? nup - shulls. not nup - shoe - ulls.

― jbr (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

hmmm, i hear it with a "ch" rather than an "sh"...

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Me too.

― Michael White (Hereward), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:31 (twenty-one years ago)

aubade

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

what about 'nupe choo ulls'?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

actually the 'p' and the 't' are supposed to be silent

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:42 (twenty-one years ago)

GWB cracks my shit up when he pronounces "mullahs" as "moo-lahs." It's "mull-ahs," right?

I, on the other hand, have never pronounced anything incorrectly.

― sugarpants (sugarpants), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:49 (twenty-one years ago)

actually the 'p' and the 't' are supposed to be silent

NUH-YALLZ????

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Candicepants, your boyfriend is out of town, surely hyuo can find something bettert o be doing!?!?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't ever quite get "futile" right on first pass. I'm always in a hurry and say "feudal".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Then I repeat myself all fyoo-TAEuhl and sound like a cartoon.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 4 March 2005 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Candicepants, your boyfriend is out of town, surely hyuo can find something bettert o be doing!?!?

HELL NO that would involve leaving the house and talking to people!

― sugarpants (sugarpants), Friday, 4 March 2005 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

nihttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/ubreve.gifphttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/prime.gifshihttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gifl, -chihttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gifl

― jbr (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 4 March 2005 02:29 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck, i had a feeling that wouldn't work

― jbr (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 4 March 2005 02:29 (twenty-one years ago)

i can't say 'rural' very well.

― ai lien (kold_krush), Friday, 4 March 2005 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Perhaps more of a misreading I guess but I went for ever calling that game Morrowind "Morrowmind".

Also some of these pronunciation things seem regional rather than wrong, ya? Not espresso tho, I'm with Jeremy on that one - IT IS NOT EXPRESSO ARGH.

My nan says maintenance as "maintain-ants", ie the same way maintain is said.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 4 March 2005 03:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm totally with ailen on 'Rural'. It's the only word that really troubles me.

My Dad has always pronounced available as 'avaidable'. I have no idea where he gets the 'd' from. It always frustrated me that someone could fuck up such a simple word. And in such a weird way.

― Seuss, Friday, 4 March 2005 08:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never been able to say 'economical' in my entire life. I remember being 7 years old and practicing on the schoolbus!

― Remy (null) (x Jeremy), Friday, 4 March 2005 08:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"excuse me" comes out "ex-cruise me."

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 4 March 2005 08:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i've recently developed a problem with saying 'regularly'

― gem (trisk), Friday, 4 March 2005 09:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't say anything with a "th" in it. Nobody notices, but I notice, and it bugs me greatly.

Also lasagne. I say "la--saaaaaaa-neee-ur". I really stretch the "saaaa". Most distressing.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Friday, 4 March 2005 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Now I think about it Im not so sure I say "regularly" right either gem! I tend to say "regyarly". Wtf.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 4 March 2005 11:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Reservoir = "reserv-wire" when i say it.

― The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Friday, 4 March 2005 11:04 (twenty-one years ago)

i've had several meetings where i've had to talk about the 'ombudsman' and, man, i just can't say it no matter how hard i try.

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 4 March 2005 11:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Geir will be able to help you on the correct pronunciation of "ombudsman"

― Some Dadaismus Implied (Dada), Friday, 4 March 2005 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

"Mwyn"

Though there's no reason that should be easy to say.

― mei (mei), Friday, 4 March 2005 12:27 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

PHOTOGRAPHY

pronounced by everyone I know (incl. me) as 'fertagerphy'

― i'm shy (Abbott), Thursday, 5 February 2009 20:34 (seventeen years ago)

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