Are there words that you thought your whole life were spelled one way, but you found out late in life they were spelled differently?

[AG31]

Last night I discovered that slight-of-hand was really sleight-of-hand - "the use of dexterity or cunning, especially so as to deceive." That reminded me of how I learned that there's a 'p' in raspberry in my mid-seventies. I had many occasions to read it and write it, as it's my favorite fruit.

This has nothing to do with erotica except that you could stretch a point and say it has to do with author-ship.

Any of you with similar experiences?

 

[THBGato]

Segue.

For decades I thought I thought it was pronounced "see-guh", until my broadcaster wife told me it was pronounced "seg-way". I was aware the real pronunciation existed, even used it in speech, but thought it was a separate word written "segway".

 

[AlinaX]

For years I read 'tousled' as 'tussled' and I still instinctively want to reject tousled (pr. towzelled) as a real word.

 

[TheLobster]

Since I learned English later, and largely from reading rather than talking to natives, it's been the other way around for me. A word that I thought was pronounced one way should actually be said completely differently.

"Colonel" is probably the most egregious. "Queue" is not far behind. "Indict" was also a surprise.

None of these are even close to what the British came up with for their place names, though, what with Leicester, Gloucester or Marylebone.

 

[Lady2020]

When I want to orgasm, I go to the AH for advice.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I have a friend who for decades used the phrase "don't blow a gas gauge." I was the first person to correct her. She didn't believe me that it's actually "don't blow a gasket." She was adamant that it was still 'gas gauge' since she had never heard of the word gasket, and that no one else had corrected her over the years. It took much convincing. It's a huge joke between us now.

 

[TheLobster]

Oh yeah, “gauge” is another fun one, especially when you don’t know “gouge” is also a word so you pronounce the former as ‘gowdge.’

 

[StillStunned]

Not spelling, but pronunciation: "awry". I mean, how often do you hear someone say it out loud? In my head it was always "awe-ry", until at uni when it appeared in a poem we were analysing.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Segue.

For decades I thought I thought it was pronounced "see-guh", until my broadcaster wife told me it was pronounced "seg-way". I was aware the real pronunciation existed, even used it in speech, but thought it was a separate word written "segway".

I always thought it was pronounced 'seg' with a silent ue, and that the 'segway' pronunciation was just a joke that started about the same time as the Segway devices were launched. I'm still not entirely convinced, so avoid saying the word.

Getting onto Usenet in the early 90s taught me that a lot of people think standard British spellings is mistakes. Most often 'correcting' spelt to spelled and claiming spelt is a type of wheat (I mean, it is a type of wheat, but...)

 

[TheLobster]

Not spelling, but pronunciation: "awry". I mean, how often do you hear someone say it out loud? In my head it was always "awe-ry", until at uni when it appeared in a poem we were analysing.

Isn’t it great how “awry” is close to “alright” despite having basically the opposite meaning? English is so fun.

 

[StillStunned]

Isn’t it great how “awry” is close to “alright” despite having basically the opposite meaning? English is so fun.

I was in Jamaica a few years ago, and what struck me was that many of the older people pronounced "irie" with the emphasis on the second syllable, instead of the first. And it sounded exactly like how my Lancashire granddad said "alright" (ah-ree').

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Not spelling, but pronunciation: "awry". I mean, how often do you hear someone say it out loud? In my head it was always "awe-ry", until at uni when it appeared in a poem we were analysing.

And of course the great debate: BA-nal or buh-NAL? To which I always ask, "why can't it rhyme with anal?"

 

[THBGato]

I always thought it was pronounced 'seg' with a silent ue, and that the 'segway' pronunciation was just a joke that started about the same time as the Segway devices were launched. I'm still not entirely convinced, so avoid saying the word.

My wife spent nearly 20 years working for a very prestigious broadcaster as a reporter, presenter and news reader. Pronouncing things correctly was literally her job. I trust her on this.

If you think about it, the name William comes from the French name Guillaume, so it's not surprising that "gu" can produce a "w" sound.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

My wife spent nearly 20 years working for a very prestigious broadcaster as a reporter, presenter and news reader. Pronouncing things correctly was literally her job. I trust her on this.

If you think about it, the name William comes from the French name Guillaume, so it's not surprising that "gu" can produce a "w" sound.

Nothing in English is surprising...

I'd been thinking of the 'ue' separate from the g, given people usually say seg-way rather than se'-gway. And it's probably more common to have a silent/vowel-lengthening 'ue' suffix - vague, plague, vague, pique, queue... (let's not mention ague, which I assumed rhymed with plague until I was an adult).

(I shouldn't laugh at your wife's job, but I just watched HIGNFY and can conclude that you are not married to Sophy Ridge of Sky News, whose misspeakings appeared twice when she was on the show last week. When they warn at the start of 'very strong language', you know there will be a clip of someone mentioning Jeremy Hunt on TV! He's one of a few individuals immortalised in rhyming slang.)

British (and other) place names are infamous for odd pronunciations, but a bunch have changed even on my lifetime, mostly becoming more similar to how they're spelt. No-one says Hawnslow for Hounslow any more, and Sissiter is getting pretty rare as most people see Cirencester and pronounce it as spelled - (siren-sester, emphasis on first syllable), Siren to its friends.

The Tube announcers tread a fine line between usual pronunciation and trying not to confuse tourists more than necessary - so say 'Lester Square', but there's more than a hint of a dark L in both Holborn (Ho'-bun) and Marylebone (Mare'bun or Mare-'e-bun), so can't blame incomers for copying. If unsure, just make every vowel in a London place name into a schwa and it'll be comprehensible.

 

[THBGato]

Back when I taught English as a Foreign Language in Madrid, I used to use this video to horrify my students! I also used to work with a guy whose first name was St.John (pronounced sin-gent in case you didn't know).

Sissiter is getting pretty rare as most people see Cirencester and pronounce it as spelled

Was it ever pronounced "Sissiter"? My Grandma lived there, and I've never heard it referred to as anything other than siren-sester (or si-ron-ses-tuh occasionally from my more West Country relatives).

 

[TheLobster]

I've got another fun one: acai (as in berries).

Sure, it's technically a foreign word ('c' has an accent at the bottom if you are feeling fancy). But really? An extra syllable that none of the three vowels correspond to? Gimme a break.

(It goes like ah-see-EYE).

 

[lovecraft68]

Back in my teens when I'd play around writing short Lovecraft style stories, I had the meanings of enema and enigma confused. It led to a couple of interesting sentences.

 

[TheLobster]

Back in my teens when I'd play around writing short Lovecraft style stories, I had the meanings of enema and enigma confused. It led to a couple of interesting sentences.

Ah yes, the infamous Enema, that eluded the Anal Forces until it was finally cracked by the folks at Buttplay Park.

 

[lovecraft68]

Ah yes, the infamous Enema, that eluded the Anal Forces until it was finally cracked by the folks at Buttplay Park.

No one could figure Luke out, he was quite the enema.

How I figured it out was reading a Batman comic talking about the Riddler and his name Edward Nygma and he went by E. Nigma

Some people here went to school for writing, I learned from comic books, horror novels and those nasty 60's porn paperbacks written by "Anonymous"

 

[Rob_Royale]

Vacuum. For my entire life I've been spelling it vaccuum. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because when you sound it out, you can hear two C's, but I just learned last year that I was wrong.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I've got another fun one: acai (as in berries).

Sure, it's technically a foreign word ('c' has an accent at the bottom if you are feeling fancy). But really? An extra syllable that none of the three vowels correspond to? Gimme a break.

(It goes like ah-see-EYE).

I must confess I had no idea how to pronounce it. I've only ever seen it written. I'd have said ah-kay if I'd had to try.

 

[AG31]

Since I learned English later, and largely from reading rather than talking to natives, it's been the other way around for me. A word that I thought was pronounced one way should actually be said completely differently.

"Colonel" is probably the most egregious. "Queue" is not far behind. "Indict" was also a surprise.

None of these are even close to what the British came up with for their place names, though, what with Leicester, Gloucester or Marylebone.

How do you pronounce Marylebone? (It was only as I typed this message that I realized it wasn't spelled Marlybone.)

 

[AG31]

I was in Jamaica a few years ago, and what struck me was that many of the older people pronounced "irie" with the emphasis on the second syllable, instead of the first. And it sounded exactly like how my Lancashire granddad said "alright" (ah-ree').

What does irie mean?

 

[AG31]

And of course the great debate: BA-nal or buh-NAL? To which I always ask, "why can't it rhyme with anal?"

I've struggled with that my whole life. Now I have a cue! DON'T make it rhyme with anal.

 

[AG31]

I've got another fun one: acai (as in berries).

Sure, it's technically a foreign word ('c' has an accent at the bottom if you are feeling fancy). But really? An extra syllable that none of the three vowels correspond to? Gimme a break.

(It goes like ah-see-EYE).

Thanks! I always mentailly stumbled over that word. I don't think I've ever had to say it out loud.