The following lists of errors in pronunciation are from Paul L. Soper, Basic Public Speaking, Third Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1968), with gratitude. The correct pronunciation or proper spelling is given in parentheses.
Misplacing the Accent
| admir’able | (ad’mirable) |
| applic’able | (ap’plicable) |
| ce’ment | (cement’) |
| compar’able | (com’parable) |
| exemplar’y | (exemp’lary) |
| exig’ency | (ex’igency) |
| finan’cier | (financier’) |
| formid’able | (for’midable) |
| hor’izon | (hori’zon) |
| i’dea | (ide’a) |
| impi’ous | (im’pious) |
| impot’ent | (im’potent) |
| incompar’able | (incom’parable) |
| incongru’ous | (incon’gruous) |
| infam’ous | (in’famous) |
| in’terest’ed | (in’terested) |
| irrepar’able | (irrep’arable) |
| municip’al | (munic’ipal) |
| prefer’able | (pref’erable) |
| proj’ectile | (projec’tile) |
| reg’ime | (regime’) |
| respite’ | (res’pite) |
| superflu’ous | (super’fluous) |
| u’nited | (unit’ed) |
| vehe’ment | (ve’hement) |
| vehi’cle | (ve’hicle) |
Addition of Sounds
| athaletics | (athletics) |
| attack-ted | (attacked) |
| barbarious | (barbarous) |
| colyum | (column) |
| corpse | (corps) |
| drawr | (draw) |
| drownded | (drowned) |
| elum | (elm) |
| enterance | (entrance) |
| ekscape | (escape) |
| filum | (film) |
| grievious | (grievous) |
| height-th | (height) |
| hinderance | (hindrance) |
| idear | (idea) |
| lightening | (lightning) |
| mischievious | (mischievous) |
| of-ten | (of[t]en) |
| rememberance | (remembrance) |
| sing-ger | (singer) |
| stastistics | (statistics) |
| sub-tle | (su[b]tle) |
|
484 sufferage |
(suffrage) |
| umberella | (umbrella) |
| warsh | (wash) |
Omission of Sounds
| assessory | (accessory) |
| accerate | (accurate) |
| actully | (actually) |
| blong | (belong) |
| canidate | (candidate) |
| defnite | (definite) |
| jography | (geography) |
| guarntee | (guarantee) |
| ineffecshal | (ineffectual) |
| nuclus | (nucleus) |
| particlar | (particular) |
| pome | (poem) |
| plice | (police) |
| quite | (quiet) |
| reconize | (recognize) |
| resume | (résumé) |
| sedimentry | (sedimentary) |
| simlar | (similar) |
| sussinct | (succinct) |
| superntenent | (superintendent) |
| temperture | (temperature) |
| uzhal | (usual) |
| vilent | (violent) |
Sound Substitutions
| agin | (again) |
| blaytant | (blatant) |
| boquet | (bouquet) |
| brochr | (brochure) |
| capsl | (capsule) |
| calvary | (cavalry) |
| tshasm | (chasm) |
| click | (clique) |
| conscious | (conscience) |
| crooks | (crux) |
| cullinary | (culinary) |
| dictionury | (dictionary) |
| diptheria | (diphtheria) |
| dipthong | (diphthong) |
| dis-hevel | (dishevel) |
| fewtyle | (futile) |
| genuwine | (genuine) |
| gesture | (g is soft) |
| gigantic | (first g is soft) |
| hiccough | (hiccup) |
| homidge | (homage) |
| ullusion | (illusion) |
| interduce | (introduce) |
| irrevelent | (irrelevant) |
| jist | (just) |
| larnyx | (larynx) |
| lenth | (length) |
| longgevity | (longevity) |
| loose | (lose) |
| memor | (memoir) |
| miradge | (mirage) |
| preform | (perform) |
| prespiration | (perspiration) |
| preelude | (prelude) |
| prestidge | (prestige) |
| rench | (rinse) |
| saloon | (salon) |
| statue | (stature) |
| strenth | (strength) |
| substantuate | (substantiate) |
| tedjius | (tedious) |
| theayter | (theater) |