7 Words You Might Be Saying Wrong
These of-the-moment words (see especially slide 2) are often mispronounced. The authors of
You're Saying It Wrong are here to help.
By Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
Illustration: Florie Duhau
2 of 8
electoral
Numerous websites and dictionaries put "electoral" among the top 100 most mispronounced words in the English language. For the record, the accent is on the second syllable, not the third, so it's "ee-LECK-tor-uhl," not "ee-leck-TOR-uhl," and most definitely not "ee-leck-TOR-ee-uhl," which we've also heard.
Having said that, it's time for a caveat. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition), which tends to have a more liberal, go-with-the-flow attitude toward language than most other dictionaries, now accepts that second pronunciation and even adds a third "ih-LECK-trul" pronunciation.
Published 10/28/2016
