You’re Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words—and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse

Those who have avoided ordering mascarpone or moussaka, used “entryway” in favor of “foyer,” or otherwise evaded tricky terminology will be well pleased with this book. Its sibling writing team (That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means), famed for their word-related wit and wisdom, have compiled a collection of the most mispronounced words in American English. Is “irregardless” nonstandard or nonsense? Which is duller: dishwater or ditchwater? Narrated by the authors, audio is the ideal format for this guide to precarious pronunciation. The words run the gamut from literary, such as Dr. Seuss and Don Juan, to culinary, such as croissant and crudités, and everything in between. Some of the words may seem mundane (hats off to those who can handle Hermione or hegemony), but many undoubtedly will be unfamiliar. There are even some words that “humans aren’t physically able to” pronounce (looking at you, Cthulhu). Each entry is concise and clever.