How you say in English ...

Do you remember that episode of The Office where Michael goes on a business trip to Canada? While talking to Concierge Marie, (played by an actor I saw at Groundlings a couple of years ago) he prefaces his questions with: "How you say in English?"

It was pure genius.

(via)

Well, according to this list of the 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English , I may need to be asking myself that very same question. While some of the mispronunciations are downright silly (although we've all heard them before -- aks, probly, bidness), a few caught me off guard.
For instance, I never knew that when I said "chomp," what I really meant to say all along was "champ," of course.

I wonder what those pernickety Sargento people would make of this one. More importantly, where and when did we pick up that extra S?


Here's one you may not say aloud too often, but at least now you can pronounce it correctly in your head when reading.

My friend Stephanie from Aisle with Style made a convert out of me concerning the pronunciation of this word for the yummy summer treat.

Sneaked is one of those past participles that just doesn't sound quite right, but it is. My guess is that the sound of stuck has well, stuck with most people.

While the majority probably doesn't worry too much about their pronunciation on a day-to-day basis, it really does influence the evolution of our language and it can impact others' perceptions of your intelligence.



Hop over to the list to see if there are any that you find surprising.

Mr. Picassohead is the new Mr. Potatohead

Growing up, I adored Mr. Potatohead (and his wife, Mrs. Potatohead, of course). I didn't understand the kids who placed the lips in an eye hole or his nose where the mouth belongs. I always put the pieces in the right places. And yes, I even colored inside the lines (thank you, social norms). It is probably no surprise that Picasso is not my favorite artist — I'm more of a bread-and-butter impressionist lover — but after playing around with this web site a bit, I can see why he enjoyed it so much.

What do you think? I think her name should be Mrs. Duvall.