---
title: "Commonly mispronounced words"
url: https://erroneo.us/language/commonly-mispronounced-words/
description: "Nuclear, espresso, February, often, GIF: which pronunciations dictionaries call nonstandard, which are fine, and the linguistics behind each one."
type: guide
section: "Language"
date_modified: 2026-10-20
publisher: erroneo.us
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# Commonly mispronounced words

> Some 'mispronunciations' really are nonstandard. Others are centuries old and fully accepted by dictionaries. Here is how to tell them apart, word by word.

Pronunciation is where language pedantry gets most personal, and where it is most often wrong. Dictionaries don't decide pronunciations by decree; they record what educated speakers actually say. That means some "mispronunciations" are genuinely nonstandard and will be noticed, while others you may have been corrected for are listed as perfectly acceptable. This page sorts them into three buckets.

## Quick reference

| Word | Heard as | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| nuclear | "NOO-kyuh-ler" | nonstandard | Pulled toward the -ular pattern of *particular* |
| espresso | "ex-PRESS-o" | usually criticized | Influence of "express"; no x in the word |
| mischievous | "mis-CHEE-vee-us" | nonstandard | An extra syllable that was once a real variant |
| height | "hite-th" | nonstandard | Analogy with *length*, *width* |
| ask | "aks" | nonstandard today | A 1,000-year-old variant formed by metathesis |
| February | "FEB-yoo-ary" | **acceptable** | Dissimilation; far more common than "Feb-roo-ary" |
| often | "OFF-ten" | **acceptable** | Spelling pronunciation; with or without t |
| Arctic | "AR-tic" | **acceptable** | Middle English *artik* had no first c |
| sherbet | "SHER-bert" | **accepted variant** | AHD lists *sherbert* as an "also" |
| forte (strength) | "for-TAY" | **acceptable** | The more common US form |
| comptroller | "COMP-troller" | **in flux** | Historically said like "controller" |
| GIF | "gif" or "jif" | **both listed** | Creator says jif; most people say gif |

## Bucket 1: genuinely nonstandard

### Nuclear ("nucular")

The [American Heritage Dictionary usage note](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=nuclear) offers a sympathetic explanation: the ending "-klee-er" is rare in English, while "-kyuh-ler" is everywhere (*particular, circular, molecular, vascular*), so speakers drift toward the familiar pattern. It has been heard from US presidents including Dwight Eisenhower and George W. Bush. Even so, only 10 percent of the dictionary's Usage Panel found it acceptable in its 2004 survey. [Wikipedia's article on the pronunciation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucular) collects more history.

Wrong: ~~NOO-kyuh-ler~~

Right: NOO-klee-er

Why: Think "new clear."

### Espresso ("expresso")

The word comes from Italian *caffè espresso*, "pressed coffee," from *esprimere*, "to press out," as [Dictionary.com's etymology](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/espresso) explains. Dictionary.com describes *expresso* as "a somewhat common variant," but in coffee circles the x is the classic tell, and it is best avoided in writing.

### Mischievous ("mischievious")

Three syllables: MIS-chuh-vus. [Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mischievous) notes that the four-syllable form was a fairly standard alternative from about the 16th to the 18th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, but that both the extra-syllable spelling and pronunciation are now generally regarded as nonstandard.

### Height ("heighth")

People add a final *th* by analogy with *length* and *width*. The [American Heritage note](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=height) adds a twist: the word was originally pronounced and written with a *th*. The standard modern pronunciation is simply "hite."

### Ask ("aks")

This is the clearest case of a pronunciation that is socially stigmatized rather than linguistically broken. The [American Heritage Dictionary](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=ax) labels *ax* nonstandard but explains that it has been used in England for over 1,000 years: Old English had both *āscian* and *ācsian*, and Chaucer's manuscripts use *asken* and *axen* interchangeably. The x form arose by *metathesis*, the swapping of two sounds, which the dictionary stresses "does not arise from a defect in speaking." It was once common in New England before largely dying out there in the early 19th century.

>

**Nonstandard is not the same as wrong.** Usage labels describe where a form is expected and where it will be judged. Knowing the history makes it easier to choose the standard form for a job interview without sneering at people who don't.

## Bucket 2: "corrections" that are themselves wrong

### February

The [American Heritage usage note](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=February) says usage writers prefer "Feb-roo-ary," but "Feb-yoo-ary" is far more common "and so cannot be considered incorrect." The lost first r is explained by [dissimilation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissimilation), where one of two similar sounds in a word changes or drops, helped along by *January*, which has only one r.

### Often

Both "OFF-en" and "OFF-ten" are acceptable. According to the [American Heritage note](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=often), English lost many consonants inside clusters during the 1500s and 1600s (the d in *handkerchief*, the p in *raspberry*, the t in *chestnut* and *often*), and then, as literacy rose in the 1800s, some silent letters were revived. That revival is called a [spelling pronunciation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelling_pronunciation). In *soften* and *listen* the t has generally stayed silent.

### Arctic

If someone corrects your "AR-tic," they may be surprised to learn that the [American Heritage Dictionary](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=arctic) lists both "ARK-tik" and "AR-tik." The dictionary's etymology shows the Middle English form was *artik*; the first c was put back under the influence of Latin *arcticus*.

### Sherbet

Both the [American Heritage Dictionary](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=sherbet) and Dictionary.com list *sherbert* as a secondary form. "SHER-bit" remains the safer choice in formal contexts, but "SHER-bert" is a recognized variant, not an illiteracy.

### Forte

When *forte* means "a strong point," purists insist on one syllable, like the French. The [American Heritage note](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=forte) says the two-syllable "for-TAY" is the more common American pronunciation and was the choice of 74 percent of its Usage Panel in both 1996 and 2016.

## Bucket 3: genuinely unsettled

### Comptroller

The *mp* spelling arose around 1500 from a mistaken link with *count* (sometimes spelled *compte*), and the word was historically pronounced exactly like *controller*, says the [American Heritage Dictionary](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=comptroller). Readers then started sounding out the letters. By its 2011 survey, only 30 percent of the Usage Panel still said "controller"; the dictionary calls the pronunciation "in flux."

### GIF

The image format was created by a CompuServe team led by Steve Wilhite and released in 1987. According to [Wikipedia's GIF article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF), Wilhite publicly rejected the hard g when accepting a lifetime achievement award at the 2013 Webby Awards, but polls have generally found the hard-g pronunciation more prevalent, and Merriam-Webster and Oxford list both, hard g first. This is one argument nobody gets to win.

## A related case: nauseous

Meaning can shift the same way pronunciation does. Traditional guidance said *nauseous* means "causing nausea" and you should say *nauseated* when you feel sick. The [American Heritage Usage Panel](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=nauseous) rejected *Roller coasters make me nauseous* by 88 percent in 1965, but only 23 percent in 2013, and the dictionary now calls it a classic example of an "incorrect" usage that has become standard practice.

## How to handle pronunciation uncertainty

- Check a dictionary that shows multiple pronunciations. If two are listed, both are standard.
- For names, brands and places, use the owner's pronunciation where it is known.
- Don't correct other people's accepted variants. Plenty of "corrections" (February, often, Arctic) are the actual error.
- In high-stakes speech, use the first-listed form and move on.

Pronunciation and spelling feed each other: *Febuary* and *libary* are spelled the way they are said. See [commonly misspelled words](https://erroneo.us/language/commonly-misspelled-words/) for the written side, and [misused idioms and phrases](https://erroneo.us/language/misused-idioms-and-phrases/) for what happens when a mishearing becomes a new expression.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is it wrong to pronounce the t in 'often'?**

No. The American Heritage Dictionary says often is acceptably pronounced with or without the t. The t fell silent in the 1500s and 1600s and was revived in the 1800s as literacy spread, a so-called spelling pronunciation.

**Is 'Feb-yoo-ary' wrong?**

Not according to the American Heritage Dictionary, which says that pronunciation is far more common than 'Feb-roo-ary' and so cannot be considered incorrect. The dropped r is explained by dissimilation and by the influence of January .

**How do you pronounce GIF?**

Both are in dictionaries. Its creator, Steve Wilhite, said it is pronounced with a soft g ('jif') when accepting a lifetime achievement Webby Award in 2013, but polls have generally found the hard g more common, and Merriam-Webster and Oxford list both.

**Is 'ax' for 'ask' a mistake?**

It is labeled nonstandard today, but it is not a speech defect or a new error. The American Heritage Dictionary notes that Old English had both āscian and ācsian , Chaucer's manuscripts use asken and axen interchangeably, and the x form arose by metathesis, a normal sound change.

**Is 'nucular' acceptable?**

It is widely heard, including from US presidents Dwight Eisenhower and George W. Bush, but it is generally considered incorrect. Only 10 percent of the American Heritage Usage Panel found it acceptable in 2004.

## Sources

1. [American Heritage Dictionary: usage note at 'nuclear'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=nuclear)
2. [Wikipedia: Nucular](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucular)
3. [American Heritage Dictionary: usage note at 'February'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=February)
4. [Wikipedia: Dissimilation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissimilation)
5. [American Heritage Dictionary: usage note at 'often'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=often)
6. [Wikipedia: Spelling pronunciation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelling_pronunciation)
7. [American Heritage Dictionary: 'ax' (Our Living Language note)](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=ax)
8. [American Heritage Dictionary: usage note at 'height'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=height)
9. [American Heritage Dictionary: usage note at 'forte'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=forte)
10. [American Heritage Dictionary: usage note at 'comptroller'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=comptroller)
11. [American Heritage Dictionary: 'Arctic'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=arctic)
12. [American Heritage Dictionary: 'sherbet'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=sherbet)
13. [Dictionary.com: espresso](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/espresso)
14. [Dictionary.com: mischievous](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mischievous)
15. [American Heritage Dictionary: usage note at 'nauseous'](https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=nauseous)
16. [Wikipedia: GIF (Pronunciation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF)

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