1. Dr. Seuss
How not to pronounce it: The way you’ve been pronouncing it forever.
How to pronounce it: Dr. Seuss himself pronounced his surname like “soice”. A college pal of his even wrote this verse to instruct people on how to correctly pronounce it.
You’re wrong as the deuce/And you shouldn’t rejoice/ If you’re calling him Seuss/He pronounces it Soice
Unfortunately it never really caught on and he has been forever immortalised as Dr. Seuss. Looks like we were all wrong as the deuce.
2. Champ at the bit
How not to pronounce it: Chomp at the bit
How to pronounce it: Champ at the bit
The phrase “champ at the bit” means to be very eager or excited to do something. Over the years, however, many have confused “chomp” for “champ” and the former has now entered common use.
3. For all intents and purposes
How not to pronounce it: “For all intensive purposes”
How to pronounce it: For all intents and purposes.
One of the most common malapropisms out there, “intensive purposes”makes literally no sense at all and needs to be eradicated from your speech and writing immediately.
4. Mischievous
How not to pronounce it: “mis-cheev-ee-us”
How to pronounce it: “mis-chiv-us”
A lot of people are guilty of adding an extra syllable to mischievous and not only is it unnecessary, it’s incorrect.
Say it with us now: mischievous, mischievous, mischievous.
5. Hyperbole
How not to pronounce it: hyper-bowl
How to pronounce it: hy-pur-buh-lee
The last thing you want to do is make people think you’re referring to madly energetic bowls.
6. Garth Brooks
How not to pronounce it: ”Gareth Brooks”
How to pronounce it: “Garth Brooks”
The Garth Brooks saga was a trying time for us all, not least for those who had to endure incorrect pronunciations of the country singer’s name. Remember: Garth, not Gareth.
Unless you’re deliberately trying to annoy him, of course.
8. Et cetera
How not to pronounce it: “eck-set-rah”
How to pronounce it: “et-set-rah”
Et cetera, not excetra. Write it on your hand.
9. Asterisk
How not to pronounce it: “ah-ster-ix”/”ass tricks” (*snigger*)
How to pronounce it: “as-ster-isk”
Don’t worry. It’s a common mistake.
Asterisk. Asterisk. Asterisk.
10. Espresso
How not to pronounce it: “expresso”
How to pronounce it: “espresso”
Exactly how it looks!
Absolutely no need to say “doppio espresso” out loud, though. Double espresso will do just fine.
11. Renege
How not to pronounce it: “renejjjj”/”renezh”
How to pronounce it: “reh-negg/”reh-neeg”
It may look vaguely French, but its pronunciation is assuredly not. You can say it to either rhyme with “leg” or “league”.
Just remember that it’s not a soft ‘g’ and you’ll be fine.
12. Bruschetta
How not to pronounce it: “bru-sheh-tah”
How to pronounce it: “bru-sket-ah”
Next time you’re ordering a starter, don’t ask for a “brushetta”. It’s actually “brusketta”.
Yeah, you’ve been embarrassing yourself this whole time. Sorry.
13. Hozier
How not to pronounce it: “hozi-ay”/”ho-zher”
How to pronounce it: ”hoz-ee-er”
Since he burst onto the scene, Hozier’s name has been pronounced every which way by fans and presenters alike. The man himself weighed in on the debate and confirmed that it’s “ho-zee-er”.
So there you are now.
