Aman from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, grew up in a region of India where an e– sound was added to English words beginning with consonant clusters, such as scooter and school. Later he noticed the same pattern in Spanish. The sound-sequencing...
Why do some people pronounce the word sixth as “sikth”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “”Sixth” Pronounced as “Sikth”” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Augusta calling from...
Lori from North Georgia asks whether a person with a sloppy appearance is unkempt or unkept. Unkept is a word for things not preserved or retained such as an unkept promise or an unkept house, but a person who looks disheveled is far more commonly...
A box of biscuits, a box of mixed biscuits and a biscuit mixer is a tricky tongue twister due to its many consonant clusters. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Biscuit Tongue Twister” Here’s another tongue twister...
A San Diego, California, man is having a dispute with his wife, who is a linguist. How exactly do you pronounce the word exactly? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pronouncing “Exactly”” Hi, you have A Way...
Sangwich, sammitch, and samwidge are natural workarounds for the tricky consonant cluster in sandwich. Eric in San Antonio grew up hearing sangwich from parents, grandparents, and friends, then changed his pronunciation after seeing the word in...