Apparently, I’ve been saying several words incorrectly my entire life without realizing it.
It took a group of my sophomore Geometry students to finally point this out to me… and now they won’t allow me to proceed with class unless I correct myself.
For example:
Picture. I say “pitcher.” They say “Pick-chur.”
Figure. I say “figger.” They say “fig-yur.”
Length. I say “lenth.” They say “Lane-th.”
(Update: I’m now adding to the original list:)
Tuesday. I say “Chews-day.” They say “Toos-day.”
Coupon. I say “Q-pon.” They say “Coo-pon.”
Sword. I say “sword” (with a “w”). They say “sord.”
Every time I say one of these words — and it happens a lot in a Geometry classroom — I hear giggles followed by the words, “Don’t you coach the Speech Team?”
Now, I’m wondering which other words I’ve been mispronouncing all my life…