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What is the most misused phrase?

The most commonly misused phrase in America is “I could care less.” The correct phrase is “I couldn't care less.” Americans are most annoyed by the use of “irregardless” and “supposably.” A majority of Americans (3 in 5) find it acceptable to correct pronunciation or grammar, even when unprompted.

preply.com - Study Reveals Commonly Misused Words and Phrases in the US - Preply

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Think of a word or phrase that makes you cringe when it’s mispronounced. What was it? If you learn English you probably already know there are many words and phrases that are often misused, so you may have even had a few examples come to mind. We surveyed nearly 2,000 native English speakers and asked which words and phrases they most often hear misused. They were also asked which mispronunciations were most annoying and which were most contested. Finally, respondents were asked how often they corrected another person on a pronunciation.

Key findings

The most commonly misused phrase in America is “I could care less.” The correct phrase is “I couldn’t care less.”

Americans are most annoyed by the use of “irregardless” and “supposably.”

A majority of Americans (3 in 5) find it acceptable to correct pronunciation or grammar, even when unprompted. Millennials are the most likely to do so.

The most commonly mispronounced words in America

Before the survey, we evaluated Google search trends to find out which words Americans need the most help in pronouncing. A common thread between most of these words is their foreign basis. This usually creates a hidden letter sound within the word, and that discrepancy can make it difficult to pronounce them based on sight alone.

The most commonly misused words and phrases in America

The first component of this survey asked people about the English words and phrases they most often hear misused, and answers ranged from “anyways” to “deep seeded.”

The most commonly misused phrases include the following:

59% of people misstate “I could care less” for “I couldn’t care less.”

58% use “would of” in place of “would have.”

55% add an extra “s” to “anyway.”

Other commonly heard incorrect phrases include “for all intensive purposes” (“for all intents and purposes”), “taken for granite” (“taken for granted”), and “there of bouts” (“thereabouts”). Let’s get you talking Improve your English speaking skills with videos, articles and live lessons! Explore resources

Meanwhile, the following incorrect phrases were heard least often:

9% mispronounce “fall by the wayside” as “fall by the waste side.”

12% of people use “beckon call” instead of “beck and call.”

14% used the word “ruf” rather than “roof.”

More than 2 in 5 respondents admitted to using a mispronounced word or misused phrase for more than a year. Some of the most common mistakes were using “celry” instead of “celery,” “case and point” instead of “case in point,” and “lodge” instead of “large.” This abundance of mispronunciations can be attributed to an inability to ask for help. Only 1 in 5 confirmed that they would ask someone how to properly pronounce a word or phrase. Of the rest, 41% would use another word if they didn’t understand the pronunciation of the original. Nearly one in five would quietly speak the word to the best of their ability, and 15% would say it how they felt it was said. Often, mispronunciations are greeted with laughter and mischievous quips. These reactions may not originate out of malice, but they can negate further attempts at proper pronunciation.

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The most annoying misused words and phrases

More than 80% of respondents stated that they became annoyed when hearing common words and phrases mispronounced. Some misused words and phrases drew particular ire, especially in social situations. When asked to rank the mistakes that annoy them most, these were the most popular responses:

46% hate the use of “irregardless” instead of “regardless.”

44% can’t stand when “supposably” is used instead of “supposedly.”

Other errors that caused annoyance included “should of,” “liberry,” and “mute point.”

One interesting finding involved a popular mispronunciation that doesn’t bother most. Of those surveyed, 67% use the hard G when pronouncing the word “GIF”, as in Graphics Interchange Format. However, Steve Wilhite — the creator of the GIF format — has stated that the word is pronounced with a “J.” As he once said, “Choosy developers choose JIF.” The survey also asked how respondents react to these mispronunciations. Some ignore them. One respondent said they’re able to block it out “as long as I understand their intent and meaning.” But many aren’t able to. In fact, mispronouncing or misusing words in certain social situations elicited the most annoyance of all. Almost half of the respondents say mispronouncing or misusing a common word or phrase is a dealbreaker on a first date.

The most disputed pronunciations

Another interesting result showcased how certain English pronunciations are equally disputed. Often, it was some of the simplest words that had contentious pronunciations. Leading this list was the word “syrup.” In a near-perfect split, 51% say “sir-up” and 49% use “seer-up.” Similarly, 51% say “catty-corner,” compared to the 49% that say “kitty-corner.” Two other pronunciations were just as heated. “Ant” is the proper way to say “aunt” for 55% of respondents, while 45% use “ah-nt.” And the results are even closer for “route,” with 53% using “rout” and 47% preferring “root.” Of course, it’s important to remember that pronunciation differences are often based on the region of the country the speaker is from.

Is it OK to correct others?

Points can be argued for and against correcting a mispronunciation, but a majority of those surveyed indicated that they would or have corrected someone. In fact, 66% said that it’s OK to correct someone even if they weren’t asked to do so. There was some discrepancy between age groups. 69% of millennials believe correcting someone is acceptable, while only 56% of baby boomers feel the same. The likelihood of correcting someone increases dramatically with friends and family. Conversely, only 1 in 5 have corrected a total stranger. There were many reasons given to justify the need to correct others. One common answer stated that “anyone who mispronounces anything” should be corrected. Others limited their grievances to “people who argue about a pronunciation.”

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Of men and women, men are more comfortable correcting someone: 71% of men and 62% of women felt OK doing so. With that said, both men and women were equally as likely to have corrected someone at some point. This leads to a final point of discussion. What drives people to correct others? Based on this survey, it could be said that sharing proper knowledge was the main driving force. Of the 79% of respondents who have had their own pronunciation corrected, only 15% have ever been angry or offended by the act. In fact, 35% were thankful for the information, while only 28% were embarrassed. Based on the nearly 90% of respondents who have ever corrected someone, it can be said that correcting pronunciation is part of the English language. The reasons aren’t always as altruistic as some might hope, but a simple fact rises above the rest: If you mispronounce a word, there’s a good chance someone will let you know.

Conclusion

Mispronouncing a word or phrase is not uncommon. Almost half of the sampled group have done so, sometimes for a year or longer. The survey shows that the most common mispronunciations fall into two major categories: misunderstanding a specific word of a phrase, such as in “taken for granite;” or misunderstanding the meaning of a phrase, including phrases like “I could care less.” Of interest, dialect variations of pronunciations had little contribution to understanding the word, and these variations were likely to have an equal split among respondents. The good news is that friends and family are most likely to point out a mispronunciation — which is much more pleasant than receiving public feedback from a stranger.

preply.com - Study Reveals Commonly Misused Words and Phrases in the US - Preply

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