… a rare moment where I admit that I don’t, in fact, know everything! (Kidding, mostly)


Today at work, I was sitting  around with co-workers discussing Netflix, and one of my co-workers admitted that until last week or so, she had been pronouncing (at least in her head) the word “queue,” as in britspeak for a line, so that it sounded like “kway.” One day, her husband heard her refer to her Netflix “kway” and laughed his way to correcting her. From here on out, this story/pronunciation does not fail to make me bust into giggles. Not at her (gasp) ignorance of this pronunciation, not out of awkward angst that I mispronounce things, but because it just sounds so funny.


However, I think we could all admit to a few occasions where we read a word, thought it was pronounced one way, and then later either fared the same fate and embarrassed ourselves, or if we’re a bit luckier, hear it pronounced by someone else first and can then pretend in perpetuity that we “already knew that.”


I’ve had both happen to me. At times, I argued that I was using the “french pronunciation” or some other lame lame excuse, but sometimes I just get the giggles again and laugh at the word I invented. Here is a short list of words I either didn’t know how to say at some point, know how to say but can’t make my mouth create, or STILL do not know how to pronounce. 


1. drawer – this is an embarrassing one. I remember reading a particular boxcar children book and wondering what the heck a “draw-er” was, if not an artist. This simply did not make sense in context! Of course, I had heard of a drawer before, but in my head it rhymed with “door” and was probably spelled like “dror” or something. I must add here that I was not a stupid child. This word just caught me off guard. At some point, this one just clicked, with no embarrassing mispronunciation.


2. Hermione– Yep, so if you’re doing the math here, you know I was PRETTY DARN OLD here when I thought this name (Hermione Granger, of Harry Potter fame for you non- Potterphiles) sounded something like “Her-mee-own”. The real pronunciation is much more graceful for such a wonderful, rounded out character (ooooooh eerie a Harry Potter ad just played on the TELLY as I was writing that!) 


I’m noticing a theme with british words here… queue, Hermione, drawer, technically… but now onto a few frenchy sounding words


3. barrage– does this &*#*-ing word rhyme with garage? or carriage? HOW DO YOU SAY THIS WORD?!?! It’s such a good word. But even though I’m pretty sure it rhymes with carriage, I avoid saying it in FEAR that I’ll sound like some mouth breather who says, “expresso” (that was provided to me on annoying missayings by a commenter. Thanks!) Someone please rescue me here.


4. homage– similary, where is the stress placed on this word? does it rhyme with “fromage” or more like “drawbridge”(its a near rhyme, give me a break…) This is another pretty good word, but I sure can’t say it.


5. auxiliary, bouillabaise, vichysoise, bougainvillea- these ones I can hear about a trillion times, completely know how to pronounce, but have to spend about 30 seconds to slowly form in my mouth to say them right. Is this some sort of apraxia I can blame? Seriously, what is the deal?


And finally…. for controversy’s sake… some words of common dispute as to the pronunciation! Place your vote!


-caramel (care-a-mell vs. car-mel)
-coupon (cue-pon vs. coo-pon)
-foyer (foy-er vs foy-ay)
-ketchup (ketch-up vs. catsup)
-tour (toor vs tore)




What am I missing?
Sorry for the boring, photo-less post today. At least I mocked myself several times! That’s gotta be worth something!


One more day of gorgeous weather!