Accents enrich the tapestry of our language, yet some pronunciations can inexplicably strike a nerve.
A netizen recently asked, “What accent-based pronunciation of a word annoys you for no good reason?”. Below are the top responses.
Vanilla
“The one that makes me way too annoyed is when people say vanilla like ‘vanella’. Idk just sounds irritating and yucky. I know they don’t mean to say it like it’s an ‘e’ and not an ‘i’ it’s just their accent but it annoys me like crazy every time haha.”
Pecan
“Any variation of pecan other than the one I use.”, said one.
“In Missouri it’s picahn. My friend from Ohio pronounces it pee-cann without irony.”, another added.
Realtor
“Realtor. I hate it when people say REEL-a-tor. It’s REEL-tor. Where are you getting that A from?”, said one.
“My theory is that people subconsciously carry the E from ‘real estate’ over to their pronunciation of realtor.”, another added.
Wash
“I hate this word with an irrational hatred. Warsh, Warshington, President Warshington; There’s no R. Stop adding it. I get it, you’re adding the R between the long A and a consonant, but you’re not ‘wartching’ TV, it’s watching.”, said one.
“I knew one person in my town who said “warsh” and it hit a nerve with everyone around her. Something about that pronunciation…idk, it makes me cringe!!”, another added.
Bag
“Saying ‘Bayg’ Instead Of bag.
Minnesota and that greater north area should have to bayg for forgiveness. It sounds Canadian.”, said one.
“In Michigan, we all have a ‘bayg of baygs’ under our kitchen sink.”, said another.
Jaguar
“I’ve heard people pronounce the word jaguar as ‘jag-you-lar’ and ‘jag-wire.’
There are also people who pronounce nuclear as ‘nuke-you-lar’.”, said one.
“I think almost everyone says jag-war/ jag-wire. You only hear “jag-u-war” when it’s a British person talking about a luxury sedan.”, another added.
Milk
“My wife says this and her defense is that her mom pronounced it as ‘Mielk’ and it caused her to not know how to say it.”,aid one.
“Came looking for this one. To hear it pronounced that way makes me irrationally angry.”, another added.
Los Angeles
“I get annoyed when British people pronounce a certain city in California as “Los Angeleez”.
It’s Spanish not Greek, Brits! We’re not saying it right either (it’s more like Los Anhelis), but we’re a *little* bit closer to the Spanish.”, said one.
“My grandfather, who grew up in Santa Monica a century ago, pronounced it with a hard G (something like “Los Angle-eze”) and insisted that it was common in his time.”, another added.
Rural
“Lol, I had issues pronouncing my R’s as a kid and being southern on top of that – this one drove me crazy.”
Schedule
“The British ‘shedule’ instead of ‘skedule’ annoys me to no end.”
Aluminum
“I love the British, but ‘aluminium’ is wrong, and I’ll die on that hill. Bonus mention to ‘aeroplane’.”
Pen
“Pin instead of pen is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. It didn’t help that the first person from the south who I interacted with daily had a nasal voice anyway, and then you add in the Mid-South accent.”
Idea
“Where they add r to the end of a vowel-ending word for no reason. Like idea becomes ider. You idiot, I’ve counted the number of times the letter r occurs in that word and it’s 0!”
Color/Picture
“Saying ‘Keller’ instead of ‘color’ and ‘pitcher’ instead of ‘picture’.”
Resources
“One of my coworkers says “re-ZORSES” instead of resources. It’s like nails on a chalkboard. She’s from Canada.”
12 Fast Food Chains Where You Can Still Eat Cheap
Fast food can be a quick and affordable meal option, but knowing where to go to get the most bang for your buck is essential. Read here.
16 Things That Are Legal in the U.S. but Are Actually Pretty Messed Up
In the United States, there are a number of things that are legal but should not be. These things can range from harmful practices to others. Read here.
13 Inventions That Were Supposed to Change the World… But Didn’t
Though there are both good and bad inventions, it’s fascinating to learn about those that once promised to revolutionize the world, but are now forgotten. Read more.
15 Costco Products That Are a Total Rip-Off
Costco is known for its great deals on bulk items, but only some things at the warehouse club are a good value. Read more.
Did You Know? These 18 Everyday Sayings Are Actually False
Language is a powerful tool, but it can also be misleading. Overused sayings and clichés are often taken for granted as truths. Read more.
This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.