A list of 54 words by uselessness.
- sects appears on 3 other lists
- norfolk appears on 8 other lists
- dam appears on 24 other lists
- niggardly appears on 62 other lists
- shih tzu appears on 4 other lists
- push it appears on just this list
- gaze appears on 39 other lists
- retardant appears on 1 other list
- seaman appears on 10 other lists
- penal appears on 15 other lists
- cummin appears on just this list
- frigate appears on 24 other lists
- new direction appears on 1 other list
- abhor appears on 118 other lists
- deuce appears on 16 other lists
- pitch appears on 65 other lists
- diktat appears on 24 other lists
- tit for tat appears on 11 other lists
- tittle appears on 46 other lists
- cockle appears on 22 other lists
- ashes appears on 17 other lists
- bushtit appears on 7 other lists
- firkin appears on 40 other lists
- icehole appears on just this list
- funk appears on 41 other lists
- coccyx appears on 53 other lists
- testy appears on 33 other lists
- ship appears on 31 other lists
- horde appears on 33 other lists
- annal appears on 6 other lists
- masticate appears on 113 other lists
- titular appears on 58 other lists
- erratic appears on 85 other lists
- pianist appears on 13 other lists
- bisect appears on 8 other lists
- rapier appears on 28 other lists
- peanuts appears on 15 other lists
- crotchety appears on 27 other lists
- version appears on 19 other lists
- bawls appears on 1 other list
- infucate appears on 9 other lists
- volvox appears on 8 other lists
- nibbles appears on 2 other lists
- congenital appears on 37 other lists
- caulk appears on 22 other lists
- shuttlecock appears on 14 other lists
- twaddle appears on 64 other lists
- heinous appears on 91 other lists
- genitive appears on 13 other lists
- cum laude appears on 5 other lists
- assonance appears on 52 other lists
- diction appears on 30 other lists
- titmouse appears on 16 other lists
- coxswain appears on 43 other lists
sera I like titular.
:) Aug 14, 2007
sera Consider self deprecating. One slip of tongue and... Aug 14, 2007
tankexmortis Wow, this list is so much better than mine. :( Aug 13, 2007
zeichensprache Without masticate, we'd never have been able to infuriate high school teachers and peers who were easily led to believe we were saying t'other. May 17, 2007
uselessness Ooh, I bet that would be especially problematic when spoken with a British accent. Thanks for the recommendation! Apr 25, 2007
violaisokay don't forget caulk or caulking. i will wander the hardware store for days before asking for any assistance in finding this item. Apr 25, 2007
uselessness Now that's a good one. I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner! Mar 29, 2007
generationnext I asked some friends the other night if they wanted some nibbles (food) and they all thought I said "nipples". Mar 29, 2007
abraxaszugzwang Oh, I've thought about that list, but it could go on and on. I was chatting with a Japanese friend of mine the other day and she wrote, "it's an effect of grobal warming." I almost died. Feb 16, 2007
uselessness I can't say that I've actually ever said errata aloud, but now that you mention it, erratic has been problematic more than once.
Masticate and titular were made for this list.
I'm not even going to go down the ESL mispronunciation path... that's a long, winding road paved with all kinds of faux pas and Engrish wonders. Which would make for a great list of its own, if I ever get around to starting it (or someone beats me to it). Feb 16, 2007
abraxaszugzwang My students (2nd language learners) always say shit for sheet.
A student once told be I "have nice ass." I almost sheet. They tend to leave out articles and it took me some time to figure out she meant eyes. Feb 16, 2007
abraxaszugzwang masticate and titular? Feb 16, 2007
reesetee Gee, c_b, isn't that a little personal? Feb 16, 2007
chained_bear uselessness, do you find people staring at you when you speak of errata? Feb 16, 2007
reesetee Classic! How many times do you think *that* phrase has been misinterpreted? Feb 15, 2007
chained_bear Those are both great stories! You made me laugh out loud.
I heard one recently that's probably too long to type here, but involves someone mistaking the shouted words "New-Rigged Ship!" for the slightly less lyrical "You Big Shit!" Feb 15, 2007
reesetee Great story, u! Reminds me of the time I was telling my mother about the directions for cleaning an article of clothing using a damp cloth. "A WHAT cloth??" says she.
"Damp. DAMP! With a 'P'!"
"Oh! I thought you were angry with the cloth for some reason." Feb 13, 2007
uselessness I agree about bushtit! I'll add it. Firkin and icehole are brilliant!
Story time: Years ago, on a scout campout, one of the kids was mesmerized by the smoke and embers around the campfire. He was oblivious to the scoutmaster bending over to tend the fire in front of him. And as one particularly large cinder fluttered past, he blurted "wow, that's a big ash!!" Scoutmaster turned beet red and that was the last happy moment that kid had on this trip. Probably one of those "you had to be there" moments. Feb 13, 2007
chained_bear Firkin is one I came across at work (and reesetee reminded me). An old word, but boy, you gotta be careful... And then there's icehole. Feb 13, 2007
reesetee It's also difficult to discuss certain types of birds...say, a bushtit...in certain circles. Although I suppose it has nothing to do with pronunciation. ;-) Feb 12, 2007
uselessness Another nice one (or not-so-nice?). I added it and another one in a similar vein. Feb 11, 2007
chained_bear I find tit for tat to raise eyebrows when I say it. So I avoid saying it. Feb 11, 2007
uselessness That would be a terrible combo. :-P
I've added a variant of yours, chained_bear. Feb 9, 2007
abraxaszugzwang Suggest never pairing the phrase "that's mighty white of you" with the word niggardly. Feb 9, 2007
chained_bear Ha ha! Great idea for a list. Love it!
I have trouble with several of these words, and also with diction. Feb 8, 2007