Tag: words

The Words We Keep Googling Because Spelling Is Hard

If you’ve ever Googled a word to figure out how to spell it, congratulations, you are extremely normal.

According to Google search data shared by Mental Floss, millions of people are quietly doing the exact same thing every single month. And yes, the words tripping us up are words we use all the time.

The most misspelled, most Googled-for-spelling word is restaurant. Americans search for the correct spelling an average of 95,000 times a month. The main problem seems to be that sneaky “A-U” in the middle. You know the word. You have eaten there a thousand times. Your fingers still freeze halfway through typing it.

Right behind it is pneumonia, which makes sense because it starts with a silent “P” and then immediately throws an “E-U” at you for no reason. English really said, “Good luck,” and walked away.

Third on the list is appreciate. People constantly second-guess how many P’s it has and whether there is a C or an S hiding in the middle. It does not help that spellcheck sometimes waits a beat before saving you, just long enough to make you feel judged.

Here are the Top 10:

1.  Restaurant.  We google the spelling an average of 95,000 times a month.  The part that trips a lot of us up is the “A-U” in the middle. 

2.  Pneumonia.  There’s a silent “P”, and an “E-U” in there.  

3.  Appreciate.  People forget how many “P’s” there are, and whether there’s a “C” or an “S” halfway through.

4.  Receipt.  Remember, it’s “I” before “E” except after “C.”  

5.  Beautiful.  Tough because it’s got three vowels in a row.  (When in doubt, think of “Bruce Almighty” . . . B-E-A-UTIFUL.)

6.  Niece.  People can’t remember if it’s an “I-E” or an “E-I”.  

7.  Maintenance.  We forget where the “A’s” and “E’s” go.  

8.  Bougie.  (pronounced booj-ee)  Like, “You bought the expensive champagne?  Wow, you’re so bougie.”  

9.  Diarrhea.  You don’t have to know how to spell it to have it.

10.  Congratulations.  We google it a lot, partly because we write it on Facebook so much. 

Words No One Can Pronounce Correctly

Everyone has at least one word that causes a verbal faceplant. And what is up with the English language, who made all these words that are hard to pronounce?

A Reddit thread asked users to share the common words they still stumble over, and it turns out the struggle is real. These aren’t obscure academic terms or names in Elvish. They’re the kind of words you run into all the time, which only makes it more frustrating when your mouth goes rogue.

Here are some words that are the most frequently mangled:

  1. Rural – Say it too fast and it turns into an engine trying to start.
  2. Brewery – Good luck after you’ve had a few.
  3. Marlboro – The “L” and “B” are locked in a neverending fight for dominance.
  4. Posthumously – I’ve mispronounced it so many times, I have no idea what it’s supposed to sound like.
  5. Worcestershire Sauce – British culinary revenge, pronounced “WUSS-ter-sheer” (roughly).
  6. Sixth – That “xth” combo is where enunciation goes to die.
  7. Anemone – Even Nemo’s friends had trouble with this one.
  8. Hamster – Often mispronounced as “hampster,” despite having no “p” in sight.
  9. Espresso – “Expresso” may sound fancier, but it’s wrong. Very wrong.
  10. Açaí – It looks intimidating, and it is: “Ah-sa-ee.”
  11. Realtor – It’s just two syllables, but many add an imaginary one: “Real-a-tor.”
  12. Negligible – Good luck!
  13. Gyro – Depending on who you ask, it’s “yee-roh,” “jai-roh,” or “jee-roh.” You have no chance.
  14. Proselytize – The word for converting others to your beliefs should probably convert to a simpler form.
  15. Abominable – A word as difficult to deal with as the snowman it refers to.
  16. Metastasized – Science words always bring the pronunciation pain.
  17. Phenomenon – The “Muppets” made a whole song out of this one for a reason.
  18. February – That pesky first “r” disappears in casual speech more often than not.
  19. Amortization – A financial term that sounds like a mouthful of spreadsheets.
  20. Rear Wheel Drive – As one person put it: “It’s like my lips and tongue are playing Twister.”

Whether you’re giving a toast or just trying to talk about your car, there’s a good chance one of these words will make you stumble. Language is weird.

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