Are you pronouncing the "W" in "sword" or the "L" in "salmon"? Well, you're doing it wrong.
Hey, it's cute when kids say "liberry" instead of "library," but it's not so cute when you are an employment-seeking adult, or when you're trying to act snooty at cocktail parties.
(Trust me, I've found this out the hard way. How does one pronounce quinoa, again? Kee-no-uh?)
However, there are a few words that you can mispronounce without feeling all that embarrassed about, and that's because we've all been doing it wrong.
As a society, we sometimes make the mistake of arbitrarily deciding it's easier to say things our way instead of the correct way. Call it arrogance or convenience — call it whatever you want. I think our collective ignorance is worth that sensational feeling of having your mind blown when you finally realize the truth.
For all those budding wordsmiths out there: feel free to completely throw this in all of your friends' faces.
1. BANAL
You're putting emphasis on all the wrong parts.
2. LARVAE
English is crazy, man. I don't even know.
3. PRESTIGIOUS
I thought only prestigious people pronounced it "pre-STI-jus." I guess they're prestigious for a reason.
4. SHERBET
The collective unconscious invented an "R."
5. ADIDAS
This is totally an American thing. Everywhere else on Earth it's "AH-dee-das."
6. OFTEN
SPOILER ALERT: The "T" is silent.
7. PREROGATIVE
Bobby Brown started this trend.
8. AFFLUENT
We've been mispronouncing this word so long, dictionaries have begun to change the official pronunciation.
9. MISCHIEVOUS
The invisible "I."
10. CELTIC
Don't say it the wrong way in Boston!
11. LAMBASTE
Baste that lamb, you get it?
12. CACHE
This word is not French.
13. COMPTROLLER
No idea why that "P" is there either.
14. ELECTORAL
Stress the second syllable, not the third.
15. CHICANERY
Can we stop spelling "S"-sounding words with "C"s?
16. KIBOSH
I will continue to say this the wrong way for dramatic effect.
17. GIF
Oh, the controversy!
