Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

The root word is simetimes is pronounced leever instead of levver.  I think it's a UKGBNI pronunciation.  The folks who produce Vaseline and Ben & Jerry's ice cream pronounce it that way.  (Do you suppose they changed the name from Leveer Bothers to Unilever because one of them died?)

Someone probably maintains a list of words like lever and protein (pro-teen or pro-tea-un) which are pronounced differently.  Why would they do such a thing?  I don't know, but it's certainly a better hobby than what Ed Gein had, and let's not talk about my activities.  There comes a point where idiosyncracies become idiot-syncracies