What do you do when someone pronounces something incorrectly?

The Sandbox General
1

Are you more confrontational or do you try to avoid awkwardness?

ETD: Also I don’t mean subtle mispronunciation like ask or aks.

But like, really really obvious ones where they even get the intonation wrong, where if you pronounce it the right way, it’ll almost sound condescending that you’re correcting the other person

  • Try not to repeat the word again in the conversation
  • Continue the conversation without avoiding using the word, but with the right pronunciation
  • Continue the conversation without avoiding using the word, but with the same wrong pronunciation
  • Directly point out that the person has pronounced the word wrong
  • 42 Telepathy is the way to go

0 voters

2

pronounce it their way and then just roll with it imo

3

that reminds me, need to update my only seen it printed thread

4

the most annoying one is “ask” where people pronounce it like it’s spelled and they expect me to do the same

5

Also I don’t mean subtle mispronunciation like ask or aks.

But like, really really obvious ones where they even get the intonation wrong, where if you pronounce it the right way, it’ll almost sound condescending that you’re correcting the other person

6

I think I got that when I mispronounced sieve, but hey it’s not my fault there’s an e in there.

7

It depends on my relationship with the person, and what’s going on.

1 Like
8

let’s say acquaintance or coworker

9

Well, if it’s a coworker giving a major presentation, i keep my mouth shut. If it’s a coworker doing a run through in preparation for a presentation, i tell them. “I thought that was pronounced ----”

So it still depends.

10

lol I’m afraaaaaid

11

I think I’m more likely to be the one mispronounciating.

2 Likes
12

My daughter and I discovered a few years ago that we had both gone through our teens thinking that misled was pronounced “mizzled,” because we had only read it, never heard it.

13

Where is the option for slap the offender with a white glove and challenge them to a duel?

14

My mil told the story of her and her future husband arguing whether that was pronounced mizzled or maizzled. (First syllable Rhymes with miss or hi.)

I thought that the written word debris and the word I’d heard, “d’bree” were two words with very similar meanings for a while.

1 Like
15

This American Life had a show a few years back, and in the intro someone said they thought it was MI-zeld, with a long i, and didn’t discover the truth until they were like 25.

1 Like
16

When I was a TA in college, I had a student who more than once said “pactorial” instead of “factorial”. I ignored it when said in class, but at the end of class told her she had it wrong , although I liked the p for product idea. Fortunately she wasn’t too embarrassed.

17

FYI - it’s probably best not to try and correct place names if you aren’t a native to the area. You’ll likely be the one that’s wrong.

18

I just call the whole thing off.

4 Likes
19

I have two friends who I know want to be corrected. So I correct them.

Other friends or acquaintances in my life would think I’m just trying to pick on them and would feel put down. So I wouldn’t correct them.

Outside of that, depends on the context. Am I being asked for my feedback? Or is it just in a conversational setting? Does the pronunciation matter at all?

Usually I say nothing.

20

A lot of people mispronounce “I couldn’t care less”. It’s hard for me to take them seriously after that.

1 Like