Embarrassment is only one repercussion of mispronouncing a word. Even worse, saying a word incorrectly can make you seem uneducated. Following are common words that are frequently mispronounced-along with proper pronunciation. Let us know if we forgot your favorite!
1. Dilate-It's tempting to say your eyes have Di-a-lated after going to the optometrist. But the fact is they don't. They simply di-late.
2. Espresso-This strong coffee may give you enough jumpstart to call it express-o. But the proper pronunciation emphasizes an "s," not an "x."
3. Especially-As extra special as the word may be, there is no "x" in especially, hence "expecially" is incorrect.
4. February - Since the "r" comes before the "u," proper pronunciation is Feb-ROO-ary, not Feb-U-ary. However, the variant is so popular, it's become an accepted part of our dialect.
5. For all intents and purposes-Yes, this is a phrase, not a word. But there may be no phrase more misused than this one. For the record, it is not "for all intensive purposes."
6. Regardless-There is no such word as "irregardless." Regardless says it all.
7. Prescription-It may be tempting to identify your doctor-ordered medicine as "per-scription," but doing so is incorrect.
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8. Sherbet-If you love flavored frozen ice served at ice cream parlors, you like sher-BET, not sher-BERT.
9. Spit and image-Though it's extremely common to say someone is the "spitting image" of someone else, the actual way to describe precise likeness is "spit and image."
10. Yolk-Eggs don't have yokes. They have yolks.
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