Weird History Fans Share The Words They Hate To Hear Mispronounced

Voting Rules

Vote up the words that make your ears hurt when you hear them mispronounced. 

We have conversations all of the time. Whether we're talking to friends, family, colleagues, or strangers, word exchanges go back and forth about everything from the substantive to the mundane. But have you ever been having a conversation and the other person says a word wrong? And it immediately throws you off, send you down a spiral, and derails the whole thing? 

We definitely have - and we're not alone.

Without a doubt, language is tricky and, honestly, English is a bit of a mess. From eggcorns to idioms to smart-sounding words that we try to say but can't, talking is hard. Here are some pretty common words that are often mispronounced though - ones that are especially troublesome to hear. In fact, they kind of make our ears hurt. How about you? 


  • 1
    444 VOTES

    Specific

    From Jamie:

    When people say “pacific” instead of “specific,” makes me cringe all over.

    444 votes
  • 2
    460 VOTES

    Library

    From Joshua:

    The other day I was chatting with a co-worker and she said “liberry” instead of "library."

    460 votes
  • 3
    371 VOTES

    Valentine's

    From Elizabeth:

    When people say Happy “Valentime’s” Day, it’s shocking how many adults say it that way. If my kids are with me, I pull them to the side and whisper the right way to say it. I just don’t want them to mispronounce it…

    371 votes
  • 4
    399 VOTES

    Especially

    From Elizabeth:

    “Especially.” Soooo many people pronounce it “exspecially.” It annoys me so bad!

    399 votes
  • 5
    393 VOTES

    Espresso

    From Arlena:

    "Espresso!!! I hear Expresso all the time. If you can’t pronounce it correctly, you don’t deserve the rich bold coffee that is!"

    393 votes
  • 6
    380 VOTES

    Moot

    From Brian:

    I once worked with a lady that always said, “That's a MUTE point.” And boy did she hate being corrected.

    Sheryl added:

    My boss used to say “moo” instead of moot. 

    380 votes