How do you say tomato?
Which pronunciation is correct for the red fruit many of us regard as a vegetable? Ta-may’-to or ta-mah-’to? And who cares if its byproduct is called catsup or ketchup? No matter: It’s still a favorite when topping a burger or smothering French fries.
A recent television broadcast listed some mispronounced words from 2021.
In the forefront, omicron, a Greek letter labeling the latest COVID-19 variant. Broadcasters put their own spin on how it’s said. Delving further, I’m more curious about its choice. Earlier the assigned variant was delta, a letter easily said, thanks to its many definitions: an airline, a fraternity letter and alluvial river deposit.
Fast forward a few Greek letters to omicron (phonetically pronounced om’-i-kron) per my dog-eared, duct-taped Random House Dictionary of the English Language. I understand avoiding mu, a letter when uttered could mimic a cat’s or cow’s vocalization. But why wasn’t a more familiar and easier said letter — say kappa, theta, or pi — chosen? Suffice it to say, it’s all Greek to me. I digress so I’ll return to words sometimes slaughtered in diction.
A new-to-me, cheugy, is said choo’-gee. Generation Z incorporates this term to mock anything outdated and unfashionable. I’m guilty as charged on both counts. Back in my day, we used the word “square,” clear in its meaning and not controversial in its pronunciation.
Another, dogecoin, dohj’-coin, has me stymied in both definition and way it’s said. It’s a divisive cryptocurrency and in my non-tech brain, I still prefer currency as paper or coin.
Lots of old words raise eyebrows but endure. Whether we say vahs or vays, it’s a container for floral arrangements. Whether we belonged or looked longingly from the sidelines, a clique (cleek or click) denoted a grouping separating the popular kids from the amorphous mass of wannabelongs.
This 75-year-old cheugy has a hankering for some tomato soup. Either (is it eye’-thur or ee’-thur) way you say tomato, the comfort food goes great with the easily pronounced grilled cheese sandwich.
Patricia Misiuk is a Lakeland resident who depresses the mute button when there’s an advertisement (ad-ver’-tis-ment or ad-ver-tize’-ment) on TV. You can reach her at SHOOK46@aol.com.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Most mispronounced words
