mondegreen
“
The technical term is mondegreen-originating in 1954 when American writer Sylvia Wright published an essay in Harper's Magazine on her own lyrical disillusionment.
View all »Definitions (1)
American Heritage Dictionary (1)
- noun A series of words that result from the mishearing or misinterpretation of a statement or song lyric. For example, I led the pigeons to the flag for I pledge allegiance to the flag.
Century Dictionary
GNU Webster's 1913
WordNet
Elsewhere on the web
View all » Examples
-
The technical term is mondegreen-originating in 1954 when American writer Sylvia Wright published an essay in Harper's Magazine on her own lyrical disillusionment.
— Queen's Journal: Latest stories -
It might be a mere mondegreen, but it makes a much better song.
— AMERICAN DIGEST -
I love a good mondegreen, but for the life of me I can't figure out which line you'd mistake for "We all need kung fu."
— Popular Comments Across MetaFilter - But I don’t believe he doesn’t feel that pang of annoyance mixed with smug glee when he sees or hears a glaring grammatical error, a malapropism or a mondegreen.
-
Or is it a subset of mondegreen, maybe?
— MetaFilter
Stats
Mondegreen has been looked up 382 times, favorited 8 times, listed 79 times, commented on 11 times, and is not a valid Scrabble word.
On Twitter
View all »Etymologies (1)
American Heritage Dictionary (1)
- After (Lady) Mondegreen, a misinterpretation of the line (hae laid) him on the green, from the song "The Bonny Earl of Murray”.
Century Dictionary
GNU Webster's 1913
WordNet
Record your own »
Pronunciations
/ (mŏnˌdə-grēnˈ, mônˌ-)/
ahd pronounces "mondegreen"
by
American Heritage Dictionary