What words & phrases did you mispronounce as a kid?

Or, for many people, well into adulthood?

Just curious about what your silly and cute screw-ups of words you had (have).

Can't possibly make options for this, so we'll just ask, is it normal to mispronounce words as a kid?

Voting Results
95% Normal
Based on 80 votes (76 yes)
Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 79 )
  • dappled

    Necessarily. I'd say "nessa-celery". Still do, sometimes. My brother couldn't pronounce my name. He called me Lemon.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Wüstenfuchs

    The one I get the most "awh!" from is when I was a toddler and my parents would drive me around neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights: I would exclaim "Peepee lights!", meaning "pretty lights". o.O

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Valetion

      When I was little, I used to mix up my words.

      My favorite cereal has always been Corn Pops, they're the best!

      Well, when I was little, I used to sit at the table and go

      "MOMMY CAN I HAVE SOME PORN COPS?!"

      She used to laugh and laugh and I never knew why until I was older...

      So don't worry about your peepee lights lol :p

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Dad

    One; two; fwee; eleventy eight; twenty twelve; five.
    Yaaaay, I can count. (This according to my parents praising and tears of joy)

    Anyway, 'Fwee' would have to be the most common in my view.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • dinz

    One word that I had trouble as a kid is the English word "Hospital" I would pronounce it as "Hos ta pool"

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • KeddersPrincess

    I could't say the word "flower" until I was at least 4. I used to say "fower" and I remember everybody at my grandmas house thinking it was funny and cute, and that used to piss me off/

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • mupurple11

    i also would and still do say melk instead of milk

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Failedcasanova

      My sister does this despite my efforts to correct her.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • theytookthisone

    "Specific" I'd say "pacific". And for "very" i'd say "berry"

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • charli.m

    Apparently, instead of 'dog' I said 'ffffffff!' with lots of flapping. I guess that's kinda what I still do now, except it's more excited squealing :-S

    One of my kids calls duplo "luplo". Belly button is "beh bah!" (sounds more like "bare butt" haha). There's heaps more he does, but I'm too tired. Kinda unrelated (but cute!) he's taken to randomly saying "I SEE WOU DERE, DAT MY CAR!" which I find hilarious. (Wou not a typo, he says woo instead of you :) )

    Oh oh! His favourite band is the Beatles - pronounced Beebles.

    My cousin couldn't pronounce "ck" sound when she was little. Her name is Kendall and she pronounced it "Ten-oo".

    Her best one was naming the dog my family got. She (being four) was rather toilet minded, and yelled excitedly "Call her 'wee'!" only it came out "tall a whee!' So the dog got called Taulawhee. And everyone used to ask if it had Aboriginal origins. I have no idea where they got that from.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • dappled

      Hehe! The family dog once got really excited by my dad saying "ground-up cobalt" and when he said it again she nearly wet herself and he had to take her for a walk. From then on whenever we wanted to walk her, we'd say "ground-up cobalt". It came to mean "walkies" to her. Caused some interesting looks when we had visitors, though.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • charli.m

        That is hilarious! I wonder why it excited her so much in the first place...

        Our current dog doesn't answer to her name. She does answer to "arsehole" and "get the fuck out of it, mongrel" though...

        ...that makes me sound like SUCH a good person...

        Comment Hidden ( show )
    • charli.m

      More I remembered today (feel free to tell me to fuck off, OP, cos it's entirely possible I'll add daily ones :-S).

      3yr old reading me The Ugly Duckling: Once upon a time, there were three cracked ducklings (turns to me, and says VERY seriously) In Hebrew, we call them ducks.

      And apparently, the Hebrew word for "turtle" is "tortoise" :D

      This one is more a case of using the phrasing correctly, but just rather bizarre coming from a little kid. She was sobbing into a tissue, a few weeks ago, and when her mum asked her what was wrong, she said "I'm just SICK of it, Mummy! I'm SICK of it!" Her mum said, "What are you sick of?" and she replied, "I'm SICK of my Abba (her dad). He just comes in the room, and out. In and out, in and out. I'm DISGUSTED! I'm SICK of it!"

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • dom180

    Debris. I said it "deb-riss" not "deb-ree".

    Anything with an R would be pronounced with a W. The best one was "rhino", which I'd say "whinooooooo", with many os, loudly and excitedly whenever I saw one. That was when I was a very little kid :

    I know I have countless others, but I can't remember them! :P

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • dappled

      I never know with hubris. Some people pronounce the S and some don't. :/

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • dom180

        I've always said that with the S and I think most people I know do as well, but you've got me thinking now :/ I wonder what most people say? :)

        Google Translate's hubris pronunciation amusingly sounds quite close to "huge breasts" :D Unless that's my mind imagining things again... <_<

        Comment Hidden ( show )
  • bananaface

    Too many:'(. I pronounce a lot of things in ways which they aren't meant to be pronounced, mainly because of my accent, though. I mean don't even get me started on words like "supernatural"! I sound like a fool saying that word.

    I'll stick with the ones that I had as a kid but don't have anymore:

    Crisps= qwips
    banana= booona
    Sarah= Shearer
    Library= Weebree (I was very young with that one:P)

    That should be enough.:D

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • KnightNigelWellingtonXXI

    EMERGENCY IS HARD AS FUCK!
    I used to pronounce it as "ememgency", until my sister said it for me.

    Signed,
    Knight Nigel Wellington XXI

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • SoftballGirl12

    The only problem I had with pronouncing anything was when I was small, I would call my Uncle David, Unga Data. That's how it came out and he loved it haha
    R.I.P. Uncle David

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Acerbic

      I, too had an Uncle David. Funny, because when he was a little boy he couldn't pronounce his own name; David Eugene. He called himself Daisy Bluejeans until he was about 5. My mum loves telling that story to this day. =P
      RIP Daisy Bluejeans

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • charli.m

        That is hilarious! And awesome!

        Comment Hidden ( show )
      • shuggy-chan

        i feel like that should be a title to a song or album

        Comment Hidden ( show )
  • lucyisfalling

    I once wrote a note to my father telling him I would be next store, my boyfriend who was standing behind, took the pen and crossed it out and wrote "next door" I felt like such a fool! 25 at the time I realized I had been saying it wrong my whole life! Another one is wolf I guess I pronounce it woof. lol :)

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Bubbles-for-life

    newyork and unique

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • bellasky56

    Hat dog= hotdog
    sex = six
    nanners = bananas :D

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • drumandpickchick

    Cinnamon.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • y2k2012now

    I had the hardest time with s, r and v sounds. My name is Valerie and I would pronounce it like alawie. I would also pronounce s words like g and I would saw gowing for snowing. Most of these went away but I still had troubles with my r sounds (I made a w sound) until the end of 8th grade. I remember people would ask me to say random r words just so they would hear me mess it up lol

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Francophile22

    When I was little I pronounced the word oriental as ornamental, and thought the word 'woe' in the expression woe is me was pronounced 'who', plus a couple of other little dumb things like thinking that Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata was The Moonlight Sinatra and that the Lone Ranger was the Long Ranger.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • davesumba

    pronouncing words with a TH, as an F

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • That_One_Man_

    Well, I'm guessing it's quite common but I used to say 'lellow' instead of 'yellow'

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • saddenedunicorn

    Purse. I pronounced it as "paws".

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • TuMpY

    I used to say ambulance as ambubance and a lot of people from childhood even into adulthood say aminals instead of animals

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • lukeuser

    Fascism as face-ism. Actually, my memory isn't great and I'm sure there were others, just can't remember any.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Idiosyncrasy. Such a tough one.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • erica1925

    The word horror. I was about 9, I just couldn't say that freakn word.ill say something like hur-ur with an accent. I'm 19 and I think I still can't pronouce it correctly .Lol

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Donice09

    Mine was mazagine instead of magazine and aminal instead of animal and cimena instead of cinema

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Mocha_Crust

    I pronounced injection as ''inection''. Lol

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Rear view mirror = River view mirror

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • mupurple11

    i would pronounce furniture like fruniture

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Fish-E

    I couldn't say specific as a kid...it always came out as pacific. I also can't pronounce three correctly, I say it like free and all my friends make fun of me for it :\

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • anti-hero

    I still can't say the word paper correctly. I don't know why, so I just avoid saying paper at all costs.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • charli.m

      I can remember my sister at 4 being asked by my brother to get some paper. She got it, came back, threw it at him and yelled, "Here's your fucking pafer!"

      He and I were in shock at the time. Now I find it both sad and hilarious that she got "fucking" right, but not "paper".

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • qwerty098765

    I used to pronounce "bear" like "beer"

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • howaminotmyself

    For the longest time I thought the phrase was "bear the grunt" and not "bear the brunt." And I sometimes slipped and wrote "bare the grunt" which means someting quite different.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Saycheese

    Me and my twin brother would always call anything we drank "moke".

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Bonnabell

    Theatre. I pronounced it Thee Ate ter. Everyone I know says it Thee et er.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • midnatwilight

    For some strange reason, I had a hard time pronouncing "blanket" when I was growing up haha.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Acerbic

      So did I. It's the only word I can remember mispronouncing; it was when I was a baby just learning to talk. I had a security blanket and I couldn't pronounce 'blanky' so I said 'ginkie.' To this day that blanket's name is Ginkie. I still have it and occasionally sleep with it. So comforting. =D

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • midnatwilight

        Hahaha, that's great! :) I used to say something like "blank-aa-let." I'd practically choke on the word. I think I was still having trouble when I was about 6 or so. XD

        Comment Hidden ( show )
  • YesIamaretard

    "Six" and "Sex"
    English is my second language. I had a hard time pronoucing them right

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • NeuroNeptunian

    Rear wheel drive.
    I pronounce it re-wreal drive.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Ldizzy1234

    I used to sneak into my sisters makeup and put on her, 'lipspick' aka 'lipstick'. And then deny that I was wearing any. :p My mom told me it used to be so cute. <BR><BR>And for some reason I called towels tails. Whenever I got out of the water I'd ask for a tail. Haha!

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Wendell

    Negro, haha. On my baseball game for Gamecube they had the old Negro League as a choice to play. I pronounced it "neh-gro"

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • cookiesaregreat

    I remember pronouncing a lot of words wrong, but I cant really write down which ones because i'm not English and it wouldn't make sense to y'all.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Cuntsiclestick

    Minimal= Mimimal
    The Simpsons = The Simsims
    My mother's name: Mabel = Maple

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • I had trouble with my R's. Then one day the lady told me how to cup my tongue to make the R sound and I got it. Geez coulda said that to begin with!

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • theaverageatheist

    my brother alex I pronainced it: Ali-ex,
    most probably was: most obby
    once I ment to say to my dad: dad I whant one bisquit,
    but i said dalawaity-one biscut,
    not dalawaity-one has been my nick name in my family ever since :D

    since we spoke two languages in the house I used to mix Italian and inglish together alot like car I said machiar (macchina in italian)

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • CheyChey

    You know those "beware of dogs signs" on people's gates I used to pronounce it the beware as Be wah re. (be worry). Now years later there's still one word I have to remember to pronounce slowly & that's "lyrics" because if not it'll come out as "lylics"

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Darkoil

    I thought that lesbian was 'alesbian'.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • OswaldCobblepot

    Bagel, plague, & anything else with that sort of a sound in it. Still do sometimes if I'm not paying attention. The odd thing is that it didn't start until I was in middle or high school…

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • flax

    I used to say "towata" TOR Toyota and my sister used to call Land Cruises "lamb cruise"

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Justsomejerk

    I called speed racer "ghospee racer".

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • iEatZombies_

    I don't remember phrasing too many words wrong. My mother said I was always particular with my speech; I can only remember two wrong phrases. Spaghetti (pasketti) and Reese's Pieces (Reesees Peesees).
    I was actually so particular I pronounced 'comfortable' correctly, whereas everyone I knew pronounced it 'comfterbul'. -Everyone- does that.. I'll never understand.
    Comfterbul....
    Kuhm-fer-tuh-buhl <-- Thadaway. >=P

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Acerbic

      I can sympathize. Everyone I know says the word 'miniature' wrong; they say it as 'minature.' No- it's min-i-a-ture. Four syllables, not three. Enunciate, people! =P

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • ILOVEJEFFREESTAR

    I couldn't say vinegar I used to say finger instead :P I also struggled to say shoulder, and called my sister jess, Chee Chee haha :)

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • ToxicCrayons

    I didn't mispronounce words. My younger sister still pronounces magazine and spaghetti wrong. She says "mazagine" and "sgetti"

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Ryan556

    Grass and glass I said grass when I ment glass the girls thaught it was cute i never got it but I lived on a farm with everyone else so they thaught I did it on purpose haha

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • ILoveJoshHutcherson

    I also have an uncle David
    But he's still alive...
    RIP the other two uncle David's :(
    Up until I was like 4? I would call my older brother Daniel, Daiyo.
    And my twin brother couldnt say "please" he always said "quese" until we made him practice a bunch.
    Sometimes now instead of saying "memorize" I'll say "rememberize" (combination or memorize and remember) heh.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • iHeartMaydayParade

    I can't remember many, but I know I used to 'hosbidal' instead of 'hospital'.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Avant-Garde

    The word I most commonly have a problem with is "Bathroom". I've had allot of people to make fun of me for it.

    - Judi Dench and New York, but I'm getting better.

    - Free. I often say "Three" by a mistake.

    I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember them right now.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Avant-Garde

      Another one was "techniques". I couldn't pronounce it for the longest time and every time I looked at it I would say it as either "tentacles" or "testicles". I remember being in about 4th or 5th grade and I was talking to a male friend about Pokemon. I kept telling him about the 4 "tentacles and testicles" that my team knew. Oh boy, when I got to Tentacruel I kept going on about her "testicles" and how powerful they where. I didn't really know what I was saying, but I noticed that he stiffened every time I said it:/

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • thanksforthefreecar

    Scissors, specific, anything with Ls

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • NothingxCrazy

    When I was 6 I had a problem saying 'other' and 'bouquet'. I'm not sure why I couldn't say other, but in time I managed to force it out. I could say bouquet, but when I randomly saw the word, I would forget how to pronounce it. My mom had a poem picture thing hanging on the wall that had 'bouquet' in it and from time to time I'd walk by and see it and forget how to say it.

    I also, to this day, still have a problem trying to say 'permanent' and 'feminine' if I don't stop to think about it first.

    I have a slight lisp so I have to fight with some other words.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • lc1988

    Instead of bare feet I would say mare feet

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • purpleflower

    I never had a hard time pronouncing words when I was younger, but even today I can't say the word 'unique' when put in a sentence. It always comes out sounding like 'new-yeek'.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • dirtybirdy

    A friend of mine can not say gargoyle. And my mother, forget it. I make her say photosynthesized or cynthia so I can giggle. She's a good sport :) a bit lispy with some words hehe

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • lyokofury

    I had a horrible time saying "squirrel."

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • shannoniscool666

    Stem. I still pronounce it stim. I don't know why and my friends laugh at me
    For it lol

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • UhhhOK

    Yellow, world, anythig with an R.
    I still cannot say my Q's. I say hue.
    I was in speech until 10th grade...

    Comment Hidden ( show )