this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2023
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I'm picking "Colonel" needs to be respelled to match how it's pronounced.

Try to pick a word no one else has picked. What word are you respelling?

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[–] MajorHavoc@lemmy.world 74 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In this thread, a lot of folks who would use their one wish to make the language better.

But I would change "their" to be spelled "the're" and pronounced "all'y'all's".

I hope I do grow up to be more like the rest of you, and make better choices, in the future.

[–] ericbomb@lemmy.world 46 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

People like you being in charge is how English got to this position in the first place!

[–] MajorHavoc@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Your rite, and I regret my choices.

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[–] GeekFTW@kbin.social 61 points 1 year ago (13 children)

Nesscary

...Neccisary

.......Neseccary

Fuck it, it's now "Nesisary"

[–] fubo@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] averagedrunk@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago

Do the needful.

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[–] guyrocket@kbin.social 29 points 1 year ago (7 children)

English orthography is awful. Hard "c" AND soft "c"? Are you crazy? How about that "k" that is already the hard c sound? It should be "kat" and "kar". And it only goes downhill from there (or their?!?).

We should clean it up someday. But we'll probably end up with LOL-WTF-speak.

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[–] quortez@kbin.social 28 points 1 year ago (13 children)

Macabre. Why do you need two silent letters?

[–] SulaymanF@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

Blame the French.

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[–] whointhewhatnow@sh.itjust.works 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] StorageAware@lemmings.world 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Might start an argument but:
GIF -> GHIF

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 56 points 1 year ago (11 children)

It’s actually pronounced β€œJIF”

It stands for the Jraphics Interchange Format

[–] fubo@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

Giraffics? πŸ¦’

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[–] QubaXR@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] fubo@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (6 children)

"Arkansas" and "Kansas" are both from the Osage language, but the former passed through French on its way to English.

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[–] WtfEvenIsExistence@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 25 points 1 year ago (22 children)

It's aluminium you stupid Americans.

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[–] Rob@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Since Queue has already been posted: Quay. Now spelled Kee.

[–] EssentialCoffee@midwest.social 21 points 1 year ago (8 children)

You and I pronounce 'quay' very differently.

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[–] KrapKake@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I just wish we spelled things in a more German-'esk' fashion. They use K more appropriately. Examples such as "panik" and "akkordeon" for accordion. I find their spelling to be more straightforward and sensical.

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[–] RyanLiu@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (7 children)
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[–] gasgiant@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Thou shalt spell the word "Pheonix" P-H-E-O-N-I-X, not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.

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[–] elxeno@lemm.ee 21 points 1 year ago
[–] Fauxaly@lemmy.one 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (10 children)

Wednesday to Windsday or Wensday.

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[–] Downcount@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] ericbomb@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I like this one because I instantly knew what word it was despite it having a brand new spelling. Almost like letters should have meanings.

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[–] son_named_bort@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Aisle should become something like ile.

[–] jeremy@midwest.social 17 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Though shall now be spelled: Tho.

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[–] XEAL@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Oh boy, a word wouldn't be enough.

I would make English as consistent as Spanish is regarding phonetical consistency, or even more.

Oh, you have never seen this word ever before and you don't know how to pronounce it? No worries, these universal rules will allow you just get it right, because letters always sound the same!

[–] snowyday@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

β€œSpanish regarding phonetical consistency”

Checking in from Oaxaca

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[–] Zippy@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (4 children)

All those words that are pronounce the same but have completely different meanings. Particularly the common words.

To two too

No know

Their there

By buy bye

Then there there ones spelt the same but two different meanings and silent letters to even be better.

Go right, you're right.

Didn't know how messed up English spelling/pronunciation is till I started to learn Spanish and nearly every word is pronounced exactly as spelled.

[–] legion@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

By buy bye

N'SYNC intensifies

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[–] query@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think the main issue with this is that pronunciation changes over time, in addition to varying by area. So if we keep changing the spelling, written works will became unreadable faster.

But I would suggest that any band names that use umlauts/foreign letters should be pronounced accordingly.

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[–] CleverFunnyName@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] charlytune@mander.xyz 15 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Highpurrbolley.

I pronounced it hyper-bowl in my head for a loooong time until I had to say it out loud one time and got laughed at.

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[–] thelsim@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Segue
I always trip over that one and start reading it as French.

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[–] ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 14 points 1 year ago (3 children)
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[–] LancelotGaming@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (6 children)
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[–] lordxakio@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (4 children)
[–] Nemo@midwest.social 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The pronunciation already matches the spelling!

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Arkansaw.

IF KANSAS IS PRONOUNCED "KANSAS"
THEN WHY ISN'T ARKANSAS PRONOUNCED "ARKANSAS"

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago
[–] Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

February. (US pronunciation)

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[–] bernieecclestoned@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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