I can promise you that forte is pronounced "for-tay" and not fort. It's an Italian word used in music meaning 'loud'. So the idiom "that's my forte" is using the correct pronunciation, which you noted as wrong.
KirkJuly 30, 2015
For those who think only Utahns pronounce words wrong…sorry to say, every region has unique regional dialects and pronunciations. Fer sure, :) Utahns have their fair share, but I've lived all over the country and have had fun learning that every area has some fun, unique ways of saying things. Vive la difference!
MerrillJuly 30, 2015
Get off the "Utah" kick. It sounds like many of you have never left your house. Have you been to Boston, or New York, or anywhere in the south. Butchering the language is all over. Not just in Utah or the west..
Jenny RichardJuly 30, 2015
I would bet that the mojority of these mispronunciations are specific to Utahans-- they just have a knack for poorly pronouncing many words in the English language!
HRKJuly 30, 2015
Foyer IS a french word as in:
Au foyer , ils sont incapables de dire s' il était dans sa chambre ou non au moment du meurtre.
It means "home" as in someone is "at home"
Entée is also a french word, but it means "appetizer" in French not "main course"
Many words we use in English are originally French (and a few Italian) and have accents that English has dropped and thus we mispronounce them.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_French_origin
and
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/words-and-language/word-origins/words-from-french,9,HCB.html
SteveJuly 29, 2015
At church, in scripture study we often hear "sep li kur" a lot, instead of
"sep ul kur" (sepulchre).
MJuly 28, 2015
Entrée has an accent which is why is pronounced the way it is. Entree is not a word. Foyer does have the r sound at the end, or not. Both are correct. Also with Forte. Both are correct.
ScottJuly 28, 2015
Back to Ensign please. My father grew up under Ensign Peak in the Ensign Ward of the Ensign Stake. So I grew up hearing the proper pronunciation of Ensign all the time. The Ensign Magazine used to have a phonetic spelling listed on the first page. It is N-Sign in the Church. It is N-sin in the Navy. And I don't know what an N-Zine or N-Zin is. If we are going to be an Ensign to the nations we ought to pronounce it correctly. (Patriarchal is another fun one. Not Patri-article)
Tony Hayden-SmithJuly 27, 2015
Well done Joni but the most common mistake I hear is congradulations instead of congratulations.
GilchristJuly 27, 2015
Some more for the list - peripheral, no periphial, and iron, not i-urn.
ml brown - it doesn't matter where she's from, I've heard many of these words mispronounced in many different parts of the country.
Nick SorensenJuly 27, 2015
Wrong on two: In Worcestershire, the first R is not pronounced; it is said as if it were spelled "Woostershire." And foyer is not a French word. The final R is pronounced, and it is not foy-yay.
As for barbed wire, only somebody who does not use it would criticize either "barb wire" or even "bob wire," both of which are good cowboy usage.
DaneJuly 27, 2015
I disagree with your pronunciation of Worcestershire. You added an "R" before the "S" sound.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/british/worcestershire-sauce
Also, I have seen some dictionaries which show the "ahn-velope" pronunciation of "envelope" as being an alternate pronunciation.
CatJuly 27, 2015
Please, please, please correct Ensign (as in "an Ensign to the nations" vs. Ensign as a military rank.) Though spelled the same, they are pronounced differently :-)
TimJuly 27, 2015
@Patricia - That would be because the word realtor is not capitalized. Just look in a decent dictionary. On the other hand REALTOR®, as explained in the National Association of Realtors website is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics
As for Worcestershire, it is pronounced more like Woostersher. Specifically, the first "r" is not pronounced at all. But thank you for not saying "sheer" or "shire" at the end, and leaving it a simple "sher."
AngelaJuly 27, 2015
Thank you, thank you, thank you for including "mischievous". My toes curl when I hear it pronounced with an "I". However, I have to say that "jewellery" is perfectly correct if you are English. Similarly, envelope, pronounced "on", used to be considered the correct usage amongst educated people in recognition of the word's French origins. Nowadays either en or on is correct and depends largely on one's generation.
Gale BoydJuly 27, 2015
Disagree with 'forte' -- The Merriam-Webster dictionary does, too. Please include the word 'picture' for Utahns who seem to always say 'pitcher.'
ml brownJuly 27, 2015
Where does this lady live that people are pronouncing all these words wrong???
ScottJuly 27, 2015
Here is another one. I hear it all the time.
It is:
especially as in S-pecially
not
expecially as in X-pecially
VelineJuly 27, 2015
Excellent! I'm always wanting to correct pronunciations for those word; and you did it so well! I suggest adding February, it's my all-time pet peeve:)
Patricia WintersJuly 27, 2015
She did not capitalize Realtor. I'll bet she doesn't capitalize Internet, either.
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CorinneJuly 31, 2015
I can promise you that forte is pronounced "for-tay" and not fort. It's an Italian word used in music meaning 'loud'. So the idiom "that's my forte" is using the correct pronunciation, which you noted as wrong.
KirkJuly 30, 2015
For those who think only Utahns pronounce words wrong…sorry to say, every region has unique regional dialects and pronunciations. Fer sure, :) Utahns have their fair share, but I've lived all over the country and have had fun learning that every area has some fun, unique ways of saying things. Vive la difference!
MerrillJuly 30, 2015
Get off the "Utah" kick. It sounds like many of you have never left your house. Have you been to Boston, or New York, or anywhere in the south. Butchering the language is all over. Not just in Utah or the west..
Jenny RichardJuly 30, 2015
I would bet that the mojority of these mispronunciations are specific to Utahans-- they just have a knack for poorly pronouncing many words in the English language!
HRKJuly 30, 2015
Foyer IS a french word as in: Au foyer , ils sont incapables de dire s' il était dans sa chambre ou non au moment du meurtre. It means "home" as in someone is "at home" Entée is also a french word, but it means "appetizer" in French not "main course" Many words we use in English are originally French (and a few Italian) and have accents that English has dropped and thus we mispronounce them. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_French_origin and https://www.collinsdictionary.com/words-and-language/word-origins/words-from-french,9,HCB.html
SteveJuly 29, 2015
At church, in scripture study we often hear "sep li kur" a lot, instead of "sep ul kur" (sepulchre).
MJuly 28, 2015
Entrée has an accent which is why is pronounced the way it is. Entree is not a word. Foyer does have the r sound at the end, or not. Both are correct. Also with Forte. Both are correct.
ScottJuly 28, 2015
Back to Ensign please. My father grew up under Ensign Peak in the Ensign Ward of the Ensign Stake. So I grew up hearing the proper pronunciation of Ensign all the time. The Ensign Magazine used to have a phonetic spelling listed on the first page. It is N-Sign in the Church. It is N-sin in the Navy. And I don't know what an N-Zine or N-Zin is. If we are going to be an Ensign to the nations we ought to pronounce it correctly. (Patriarchal is another fun one. Not Patri-article)
Tony Hayden-SmithJuly 27, 2015
Well done Joni but the most common mistake I hear is congradulations instead of congratulations.
GilchristJuly 27, 2015
Some more for the list - peripheral, no periphial, and iron, not i-urn. ml brown - it doesn't matter where she's from, I've heard many of these words mispronounced in many different parts of the country.
Nick SorensenJuly 27, 2015
Wrong on two: In Worcestershire, the first R is not pronounced; it is said as if it were spelled "Woostershire." And foyer is not a French word. The final R is pronounced, and it is not foy-yay. As for barbed wire, only somebody who does not use it would criticize either "barb wire" or even "bob wire," both of which are good cowboy usage.
DaneJuly 27, 2015
I disagree with your pronunciation of Worcestershire. You added an "R" before the "S" sound. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/british/worcestershire-sauce Also, I have seen some dictionaries which show the "ahn-velope" pronunciation of "envelope" as being an alternate pronunciation.
CatJuly 27, 2015
Please, please, please correct Ensign (as in "an Ensign to the nations" vs. Ensign as a military rank.) Though spelled the same, they are pronounced differently :-)
TimJuly 27, 2015
@Patricia - That would be because the word realtor is not capitalized. Just look in a decent dictionary. On the other hand REALTOR®, as explained in the National Association of Realtors website is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics As for Worcestershire, it is pronounced more like Woostersher. Specifically, the first "r" is not pronounced at all. But thank you for not saying "sheer" or "shire" at the end, and leaving it a simple "sher."
AngelaJuly 27, 2015
Thank you, thank you, thank you for including "mischievous". My toes curl when I hear it pronounced with an "I". However, I have to say that "jewellery" is perfectly correct if you are English. Similarly, envelope, pronounced "on", used to be considered the correct usage amongst educated people in recognition of the word's French origins. Nowadays either en or on is correct and depends largely on one's generation.
Gale BoydJuly 27, 2015
Disagree with 'forte' -- The Merriam-Webster dictionary does, too. Please include the word 'picture' for Utahns who seem to always say 'pitcher.'
ml brownJuly 27, 2015
Where does this lady live that people are pronouncing all these words wrong???
ScottJuly 27, 2015
Here is another one. I hear it all the time. It is: especially as in S-pecially not expecially as in X-pecially
VelineJuly 27, 2015
Excellent! I'm always wanting to correct pronunciations for those word; and you did it so well! I suggest adding February, it's my all-time pet peeve:)
Patricia WintersJuly 27, 2015
She did not capitalize Realtor. I'll bet she doesn't capitalize Internet, either.
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