Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:22     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I struggle with “niche” and “colander”. I can never remember. But yeah OP people were just too polite to correct you. It’s fine. My least favorite is people who say “fustrating” instead of frustrating. Happens more than you’d think.


This.


This is your fault for the company you keep. This isn’t what the thread is about


Why is this different? I know a few young (white, if that is where you are going) female employees who still pronounce a few words as if they are still in their teens. Fustrate is one of them. Libarry is another.


Stop hanging out in Maryland if you can help it. I have literally never heard these pronunciations.

And super lazy of you to go to race 🙄.

-A minority


I hear the "fustrate" one from my husband's sister, who has lived in NJ her entire life. It's not a Maryland thing, it's just an annoying mispronunciation.


Sorry that would just make me think the person is not well educated at all. I have never heard anyone say fustrate. It sounds stupid.


I would just assume that the person has a mild speech impediment, and think nothing more of it. The 'fr' sound can be challenging. My niece pronounces it 'fwustrating', but she really is trying. She knows the right way to say it, just can't get her mouth to cooperate yet (she's only 7).
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:20     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:For the longest time I thought consortium was con-sor-tee-um. Embarrassing.


Uh, I've never heard that word used out loud. How IS it pronounced?
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:17     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I struggle with “niche” and “colander”. I can never remember. But yeah OP people were just too polite to correct you. It’s fine. My least favorite is people who say “fustrating” instead of frustrating. Happens more than you’d think.


This.


This is your fault for the company you keep. This isn’t what the thread is about


Why is this different? I know a few young (white, if that is where you are going) female employees who still pronounce a few words as if they are still in their teens. Fustrate is one of them. Libarry is another.


Stop hanging out in Maryland if you can help it. I have literally never heard these pronunciations.

And super lazy of you to go to race 🙄.

-A minority


I hear the "fustrate" one from my husband's sister, who has lived in NJ her entire life. It's not a Maryland thing, it's just an annoying mispronunciation.


Sorry that would just make me think the person is not well educated at all. I have never heard anyone say fustrate. It sounds stupid.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:15     Subject: Re:My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mischievous - I pronounced wrong for years until someone pointed it out. I have since heard several famous people like Julia Roberts pronounce it wrong as well...made me feel a little better.


I've heard it pronounced two ways with both of them being accepted as correct. MISS-chiv-us, and mis-CHEEV-ee-us. They're both correct. Just like day-ta and dat-ta for "data" are both correct.


No, only the former is correct. The latter is a common mispronunciation. There is no combination of letters in the correct spelling of the word that make a V- EE sound.

Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:13     Subject: Re:My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

My older sister pronounced potpourri POT POR EE when she was 12 or so and she was visibly annoyed when I said it should be PO Poree.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:12     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I struggle with “niche” and “colander”. I can never remember. But yeah OP people were just too polite to correct you. It’s fine. My least favorite is people who say “fustrating” instead of frustrating. Happens more than you’d think.


This.


This is your fault for the company you keep. This isn’t what the thread is about


Why is this different? I know a few young (white, if that is where you are going) female employees who still pronounce a few words as if they are still in their teens. Fustrate is one of them. Libarry is another.


Stop hanging out in Maryland if you can help it. I have literally never heard these pronunciations.

And super lazy of you to go to race 🙄.

-A minority


I hear the "fustrate" one from my husband's sister, who has lived in NJ her entire life. It's not a Maryland thing, it's just an annoying mispronunciation.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:10     Subject: Re:My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:Mischievous - I pronounced wrong for years until someone pointed it out. I have since heard several famous people like Julia Roberts pronounce it wrong as well...made me feel a little better.


I've heard it pronounced two ways with both of them being accepted as correct. MISS-chiv-us, and mis-CHEEV-ee-us. They're both correct. Just like day-ta and dat-ta for "data" are both correct.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:10     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I thought biopic was bi- OPIC instead of BI-oh-pic.


This is actually changing though I prefer the older pronunciation


Bi OP ic sounds better than Bi Oh PIc. I thought I was the former actually but it’s not word that’s been around for long.

Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:08     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

I pronounced “terrace” with an extra syllable, à la “terrorist” until I was many decades old. I judge no one.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:06     Subject: Re:My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mischievous - I pronounced wrong for years until someone pointed it out. I have since heard several famous people like Julia Roberts pronounce it wrong as well...made me feel a little better.


No there are multiple, acceptable, explanations.

Mis-CHIV-is

And Mis-CHEEV-EEE-us

I do not think you are correct re the second pronunciation. “Vous” just doesn’t have a long “e” sound.


No. I’m not wrong.


DP. You are wrong. The correct pronunciation is MIS chi vus

https://writingexplained.org/mischievous-or-mischievious-spelling
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:01     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How do you say "niche"?
I always avoid saying that word allowed


neesh

*aloud


No way really??? I heard it pronounced “nitch” on TV the other day and assumed I’d been saying it wrong . Because I don’t actually know.


I just Googled it and "nitch" is the Americanized version that was most common up through the 20th C, and "neesh" is more British/Canadian/Int'l (and now social media, apparently). It vindicates my belief that I've heard it as "nitch" for almost my entire life (born 1978), but my teenaged daughters were trying to convince/gaslight me the other day that "neesh" is and has always ever been the only correct pronunciation and "nitch" is just flat out wrong. Not exactly true.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/niche


If you want to stick close to the original French word, it's neesh. Which is why the UK and Canada pronounce it like that.


Same for clique: kleek. Often if it's a French word that ends in e, you need to elongate the vowel sound that comes before the terminal e.
Baguette is bag-ay-tt, not bag-ett.



Wait, will someone fluent in French please chime in here. I took French in high school and college and always thought any word that ended in -ette was pronounced et with a short e and hard t.


It’s bag-ett.
Not bag ay tt.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 23:00     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How do you say "niche"?
I always avoid saying that word allowed


neesh

*aloud


No way really??? I heard it pronounced “nitch” on TV the other day and assumed I’d been saying it wrong . Because I don’t actually know.


I just Googled it and "nitch" is the Americanized version that was most common up through the 20th C, and "neesh" is more British/Canadian/Int'l (and now social media, apparently). It vindicates my belief that I've heard it as "nitch" for almost my entire life (born 1978), but my teenaged daughters were trying to convince/gaslight me the other day that "neesh" is and has always ever been the only correct pronunciation and "nitch" is just flat out wrong. Not exactly true.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/niche


If you want to stick close to the original French word, it's neesh. Which is why the UK and Canada pronounce it like that.


Same for clique: kleek. Often if it's a French word that ends in e, you need to elongate the vowel sound that comes before the terminal e.
Baguette is bag-ay-tt, not bag-ett.



Wait, will someone fluent in French please chime in here. I took French in high school and college and always thought any word that ended in -ette was pronounced et with a short e and hard t.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 20:25     Subject: My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

For the longest time I thought consortium was con-sor-tee-um. Embarrassing.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 20:23     Subject: Re:My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mischievous - I pronounced wrong for years until someone pointed it out. I have since heard several famous people like Julia Roberts pronounce it wrong as well...made me feel a little better.


No there are multiple, acceptable, explanations.

Mis-CHIV-is

And Mis-CHEEV-EEE-us

I do not think you are correct re the second pronunciation. “Vous” just doesn’t have a long “e” sound.


No. I’m not wrong.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 20:21     Subject: Re:My whole life I’ve said continuity as “continue-uh-tee” when it’s “con-tuh-new-uh-tee”?!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mischievous - I pronounced wrong for years until someone pointed it out. I have since heard several famous people like Julia Roberts pronounce it wrong as well...made me feel a little better.


No there are multiple, acceptable, explanations.

Mis-CHIV-is

And Mis-CHEEV-EEE-us

I do not think you are correct re the second pronunciation. “Vous” just doesn’t have a long “e” sound.