What are some words commonly mispronounced? (Not by elision/reduction (like ה׳→אדְני) or assimilation (like תזכרו→תשׂכרו), but rather words that are pronounced wrong simply because that's how people think they should be pronounced.) I'm excluding from this request errors in stress (emphasis), as those are, alas, too numerous to list. I'm including, however, words mispronounced in a person's own dialect (הברה), though others would consider them correctly pronounced. And I mean any "Jewish" word: a word relevant to, and mispronounced in, Jewish life, be it Hebrew, Yiddish, Aramaic, or other.
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I like the allusion to vidui.– Isaac Moses ♦Feb 21, 2011 at 16:22
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1I'm not clear on exactly what you mean by "pronounced wrong simply because that's how people think they should be pronounced". Are you specifying that the mistakes have to be due to whim or that they have to be due to conviction? Does it matter if people have divergent convictions depending on context? (The first divergence that comes to mind is between colloquialism and Torah reading of the "same" word.)– WAFFeb 21, 2011 at 19:16
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@R'IM, it was quite unintentional. @R'WAF, I guess I meant that people will pronounce them wrong even when asked to pronounce them carefully.– msh210 ♦Feb 21, 2011 at 22:58
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Are you also excluding mistaken dialects? i.e. correct (or I should say common) in a given dialect, but that dialect is not correct Hebrew?– AviDMay 13, 2011 at 0:07
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2@AviD, I don't know why you're saying havara Ashk'nazis is incorrect, but, in any event, yes, I mean to exclude things that are correct in havara Ashk'nazis and used therein.– msh210 ♦May 15, 2011 at 3:46
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37 Answers
A real big one: אלוה (with a patach under the hei) - many people pronounce it: elohah, while the correct pronunciation is eloah (like noach, and not nocha).
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6True. Also other words of the same mishkal, like גבוה (which they mispronounce in Lakewood for sure!).– AlexFeb 22, 2011 at 18:02
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4@R'Alex, gavoah is certainly mispronounced, but I don't think it's the same mishkal as eloah....– msh210 ♦Feb 22, 2011 at 20:48
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1Same rule is true when the word ends in 'Ayin (Yodea'). People who are careful to pronounce every syllable individually but do not pronounce an 'Ayin as a guttural will very often insert a simple glottal stop in between the Tzereh and the Patah (Yo-dey-ah instead of Yodeya'). This drives me nuts.– Seth JFeb 25, 2011 at 15:01
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@Seth: it's not so simple. Sephardim, who do in fact pronounce a guttural ayin (and het), insert an "extra" consonant before the patach ganuv (the technical term for it is an epenthic consonant), depending on the preceding nekudah: "w" if it was a cholam or shuruk, "y" if it was a tzeirei or chirik. Thus, "yode-ya'", "gavo-wah", "elo-wah", and so forth.– AlexFeb 27, 2011 at 15:32
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Many, many kids when singing birkat hamazon out loud:
"umeitiv lakol umeichin mazon le'echol b'riotav ..."
G-d feeds us so He can then eat us up?
Instead of:
"umeitiv lakol umeichin mazon l'chol b'riotav ..."
The problem is the standard "benching tune" tends to push this one.
Often the problem is we see a familiar-looking word and our brains assume it's the word we know, rather than sounding it out carefully as it may be slightly different. E.g. a word that looks just like "edosav" but is actually "edvosav."
The best example that I know of, though, is when the Chazzan takes the Torah back on shabbos; the congregation chimes in with "Hodo al eretz v'shamayim"; "His glory is on the earth and heavens ...". Unfortunately the word "hodo" is less common in our prayers than the word "hodu", give thanks; I usually hear about half the shul saying that. (Maybe it's just my hearing?)
Then there's the fellow who would do Psukei D'Zimra every day and say "v'yimalei ch'vodEE es kol haaretz, amen v'amen." ("may His glory fill the Earth" -- just with my instead of His.) Heh.
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Or the one who went "Orech yomim asibehu" instead of "asbiehu" Sep 25, 2017 at 20:24
"zecher lemaase bereshit" in the "magen avot" of shabbos, should be "zecher lemaase vereshit"
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...and many an initial ב or כ or פ or ת pronounced with a dagesh when following a mater lectionis in the same phrase.– msh210 ♦Feb 27, 2011 at 4:35
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Many Jews don't even have "vet refu'ah". I generally ignore it when that happens, as it doesn't change the MEANING of the word. Aug 10, 2011 at 4:12
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4Even if it doesn't change the meaning of the word still it's a wrong pronunciation.– jutkyAug 10, 2011 at 6:10
ספר ישׁעיה פרק מ פסוּק לא וְקוֹיֵ ד' יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ is often mispronounced as וְקוֹוֵי ד' יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ
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"Rebbe" (or "Rebbi") is one. Depending on who you ask, the proper form is either רַבִּי (Ashkenazic), רִבִּי (Sephardic), or רְבִי (R' Yaakov Emden).
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One that I notice a lot is v'taher libeinu l'avd'cha (to your servant) instead of l'ovd'cha (to serve you).
There's also a bunch in "yeshivish dialect" that are to numerous to count (lichora, b'dieved, machmas, etc.)
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2I hear a lot of Americans brought up with the Mizrachi-style havara pronounce many "o" _kamatz_es as "a".– msh210 ♦Feb 22, 2011 at 21:56
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@msh210, I know people who switched from Ashkenazi to American-Israeli who miss certain instances of kamatz katon. I use Ashkenazis but I try to differentiate Sep 25, 2017 at 20:26
Has anybody else noticed that many people attempting to sound "Israeli" or "Sephardi" often pronounce a Kametz as a Pata*h even when it is supposed to be pronounced as a Kametz Katon?
Worst examples are: "Kal" instead of "Kol" - I mean, come on, couldn't they at least pronounce it like Ashkenazim and say "Kawl"?
"Karban" instead of "Korban" - I have not heard many people make this mistake, but I have heard it a handful of times. It makes me cringe.
"Le'Avdecha" instead of "Le'Ovdecha". :(
"Kadshecha" instead of "Kodshecha". This one actually makes me want to cry.
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Yep! This was already mentioned, too: mi.yodeya.com/questions/5995#5995– msh210 ♦Mar 9, 2011 at 20:10
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"Kal 3atzmotai tomarna", "kal hamira", "kal nidre". There are exceptions, but bikhlal it should be "kol". I know some Moroccans (including great Hakhamim!) who pronounce hataf qamatz as "ah", rendering total mispronunciations as "tzahala" and "tahara". But what really irked me was when a ba3al qeri'ah was "corrected" to say "vayaQAM" in stead of "vaYAqom". MULTIPLE TIMES. Aug 10, 2011 at 4:16
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Actually, there is no Kametz Katon in Aramaic. However, as there is a difference between a Kametz and a Patah, when reciting a passage in Aramaic, it should be Kawl. Kawl Hamiraw, Kawl Nidrei.– Seth JAug 10, 2011 at 13:35
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@B.BarNavi, there's no such differentiation in Tiverian pronunciation, although that assumes that one differentiates komotz and patach Sep 25, 2017 at 20:27
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It is only Kawl if you pronouce in an American accent. I pronouce it Kol. That is different to the word meaning voice where the o is a bit longer (more like coal but not quite).– CashCowOct 24, 2017 at 13:20
I'll start off with two:
- בָּתִּים (of תפלין) is commonly pronounced as if it were spelled בַּתִּים, even by those who distinguish the two.
- נַחוּם is commonly pronounced נָחוּם by those who distinguish the two.
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2Also דם, ים, and many other words containing a kamatz, which are pronounced as though they had a patach.– AlexFeb 21, 2011 at 16:36
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In the Shabbos Davening there is often the word Shabbas which is mispronounced as Shabbos. For example באהבה וברצון שבת קדשך
Not sure if I should add another answer for this (or append to above ^^^)
Yontiff - as opposed to Yom Tov
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1Yontiff is already a recognized Yiddish word (at least according to someone on wikipedia!) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yontif– YahuFeb 23, 2011 at 1:55
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1@Yahu Interesting. I always though it was a mistake. Wonder where it came from {eyes "Ask Question" button}– yydlFeb 23, 2011 at 3:46
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1yydl, you are joking right? Of course it comes from a perversion of Yom Tov. So does Shaleshudos come from Seudah Shlishis.– YahuFeb 25, 2011 at 0:00
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1Yeah. But still, it's strange how words come about just because they require less effort to say– yydlFeb 25, 2011 at 1:16
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Bitya Bat Par'o instead of the common mistake of Batya.
Da-ni-yel instead of da-ni-el
ברוך הוא אלוהינו שבראנו לכבודו should be pronounce sheb'ra'anu (that He created us) and not she'baranu (that we created)
and a biggie. people say Ha'shem (with segol) instead of Ha'sheim (with a tzerei) causing a subtle but fundamental difference in connotation between it sounding like a personification of a person's name (Hashem said this and Hashem did that) versus the way it should be taken, a non-physical third-person entity: THE NAME.
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1@DanielMokhtar, Welcome to Judaism.SE, and thanks very much for these excellent additions to this list!– Isaac Moses ♦May 11, 2011 at 17:20
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2Interesting points. But I don't understand the last one. What is the difference in meaning between "Hashem" and "Hasheim" (especially considering some don't differentiate in pronunciation between segol and tzere)?– WAFMay 11, 2011 at 17:24
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kind of hard to explain in text. I think saying it verbally is the only way to sense the difference. The verbal deviation (of tzerei to segol) is only indicative of a more subtle transition of the word as a name of a person (hashem wants you to be good) when in fact it's meant as a description of an It (The Name wants you to be good). The difference is subtle but worlds apart in how one views the relation of man-to-creator imho. May 11, 2011 at 19:53
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1@Zvi yes in my tanach as well. with a tzerei under the 'yud'. May 17, 2011 at 20:06
The second pasuk in Sh'ma: ואהבת את ה' אל-היך... V'a-hav-ta should be pronounced mil'ra, not the almost universal "V'a-hav-ta". This is serious, because it actually changes the meaning - it should mean "and you shall love Hashem your G-d", whereas the mispronunciation renders it "and you loved Hashem your G-d". Reference: Rabbi Phil Chernofsky of Torah Tidbits.
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See the question: "I'm excluding from this request errors in stress (emphasis)". Note also that v'ahavta with stress at the end as is proper is mil'ra not mil'el.– msh210 ♦May 11, 2011 at 20:31
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3I recognize the reason for the downvote, but given the importance of the placement of the emphasis, I'm giving it back an upvote.– Seth JMay 12, 2011 at 20:13
In Kaddish,
יהא שמה רבא מברך (Y'he sh'meh rabba m'varach)
is frequently mispronounced
יהא שמה רבא מבורך (Y'he sh'meh rabba m'vorach)
switching the kamatz for a cholam in "m'varach."
(In Ashkenazi pronunciation, I also hear "m'voirach" instead of "m'vorach." Drives me crazy!)
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When I read your answer, I said 'hey, that's what I say!'. Actually, the first is a komatz and the second a patach, so (my)ashkenazic pronunciation would be m'vorach.– YDKMay 12, 2011 at 17:49
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2I think this could be because so many people who need to say Kaddish don't actually read Hebrew but instead use a transliteration, which, for reasons I still do not understand, use an 'o' for a Kametz when transliterating in Ashkenazi pronunciation. The 'oi' could also be an offshoot of that. I've heard people say "Yisroyel". -Shudders-– Seth JMay 12, 2011 at 20:10
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@SethJ, but I've heard this error from people who read Hebrew fine, pray thrice daily in it, and are responding to rather than reciting kadish.– msh210 ♦Aug 25, 2011 at 15:23
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1So have I. I've heard Mevoirach and Yisroyel from those who are experienced as well. It's distressing. I do believe it has much to do with the transliteration using an 'o' for a Kametz, whether or not people are using the transliteration or glossing over the Hebrew. Once it's in their subconscious that Kametz is an 'o' it follows that some will pronounce it as such and that some will even pronounce it as 'oi'. I've heard people accidentally pronounce a Tav as an 's' despite the fact that it has a Dagesh. Usually this is corrected, as it's an accidental slip, not a regular habit, though.– Seth JAug 25, 2011 at 17:37
Yeshivish types are trending from a-doinoi to a-dunoi to a-deenoi.
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I recently read a quote from Rav Shimon Schwab ZT"L that said that pronunciation isn't Halachically valid according to any Ashkenazi minhag.– ZviMay 11, 2011 at 15:23
I always cringe when someone replaces the "Ve" ("and"/flip to future) before a verb with the "Va" ("and"/flip to past) they're expecting.
One example of something similar: In Havdala (words are from Esther, but ba'alei keriya are less likely to make this mistake), saying "... vesasson vayekar" instead of "... vesasson vikar."
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3Or vice versa. One that throws me off if I'm not paying attention is וְיאמְרוּ בַגּויִם ה' מָלָךְ, since most times the word is וַיּאמְרוּ.– YDKMar 2, 2011 at 0:23
Perhaps it's my imagination, but I seem to hear people singing v'nahapoch hu (instead of v'nahafoch hu).
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2It's not your imagination. It is either their inebriation or their ignorance!– YahuMar 21, 2011 at 3:20
bruchta, when people should say baruch ata H'
The names of some letters of the alef-beis are commonly mispronounced, at least by Ashkenazim:
ב - with final /z/ rather than /s/
ד - with final /d/ rather than /s/
צ - with final /k/ rather than nothing (the proper name of the letter is "tzadi")
ת - with final /f/ rather than /v/
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I wonder whether tav → taf is an example of a Yiddish tendency to devoice the end of a word, as in yontif and Hashem echat (yes, I've heard it). (Of course, that wouldn't help to explain bes → bez.– msh210 ♦Apr 5, 2011 at 20:17
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1"Beizmedrish". There's your answer: regressive voicing assimilation. Theoretically, once you take off the "medrish" you should be back to "beis", but for some it didn't work out that way. Aug 10, 2011 at 4:21
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Look at this question: Why do many (most?) people call the upcoming holiday “Peysach”?
There is a phrase in the haftarah rani v' simchi [Zech. 3:7] וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ מַהְלְכִים, בֵּין הָעֹמְדִים הָאֵלֶּה (MAHL'CHIM) that for a couple of years in a row I have heard MEHALCHIM. Though I daven where they lein from klaf, so I don't know if that counts.
I hear what sounds like hypercorrection of the o-->oy shift in the form of people pronouncing the words אויבים or אויבינו as אובים or אובינו.
"Vay'hal'lu" in place of "viy'hal'lu" in "ויהללו ויברכו את שמך באמת" in the penultimate b'racha of 18.
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Also words with an prefixed bes, kaf, or lamed with a patach (meaning "in the" or the like) pronounced with a sh'va (meaning "in" or the like), like nogea b'davar.
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Also l'y'rushalayim (instead of lirushalayim) and similar: prefixed vav, kaf, lamed, or bes followed by a yod with a sh'va pronounced as two sh'vas rather than as a chirik.
Often adopted by kids, or others who sing birkas hamazon emphatically. . .
Hashem y'varech es amo bashalom
as the last line, instead of
Hashem y'varech es amo vashalom
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You could categorize that as "Wrong application of the Beged Cefes BeRosh Milah Rule". (The exception is when it is when the word preceding it is a meshares [not a mafsik] and ends with an Alef, Heh, Vav, or Yud - Amo VaShalom is an example of this.)– YahuApr 24, 2011 at 3:03
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עֲרָכִין (the מסכת's name).
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That last one I'm not so sure about. Some mefarshim (will have to look up which ones) say that the proper name is indeed עִדִּיוֹת, meaning "the best" (paralleling the Aramaic name בחירתא by which the Gemara refers to it).– AlexApr 24, 2011 at 5:04
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R'Alex, thank you for the correction; I'll remove eduyos from my answer.– msh210 ♦Apr 24, 2011 at 5:17
It drives me crazy when feminine nouns ending in a "saf" are pluralized into male form e.g. "tallis" => "talleisim" (should be "tallisos"), "shabbos" => "shabbosim" (shabbasos), "machlokes" => "machlokesim" (machlokos), and of course the most ironic "ta'us" = "ta'usim" (ta'uyos)!
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Jastrow notes that מחמת is actually מֵחַמַּת (mechamas) and widely mispronounced. (Thanks to R' Micha Berger for finding this confirmation of my suspicion.)
"דּוֹר לְדוֹר יְשַׁתַּבַּח מַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ" instead of "דּוֹר לְדוֹר יְשַׁבַּח מַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ" in אַשְׁרֵי "
כִּי גָז חִישׁ וְנָּעֻֽפָה instead of "כִּי גָז חִישׁ וַנָּעֻֽפָה" in תְּפִלָּה לְמֹשֶׁה in psukei dzimra of Shabbos.
"נְרַנְּנָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ, וּבְשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ נִגְדֹּל" instead of נְרַנְּנָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ, וּבְשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ נִדְגֹּל in לַמְנַצֵּֽחַ at the end of shaharis weekday.
"וְאוֹמְרִים פְּעָמִים בְּכָל יוֹם" as opposed to וְאוֹמְרִים פַּעֲמַֽיִם בְּכָל יוֹם before korbanos everyday.
וָאֲהַלְלָה instead of וַאֲהַלְלָה in אַשְׁרֵי
חַלָּמִישׁ לְמַיְינוֹ מָֽיִם instead of חַלָּמִישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ מָֽיִם in הלל
וָאַשַׁלֵשׁ instead of וַאַשַׁלֵשׁ in רבוֹן כל העלמים said Friday night before אשׁת חיל.
Instead of כִּי כָּל אֱלֹהֵי הָעַמִּים אֱלִילִים I hear some people constantly say כִּי כָּל אֱלֹהֵי הָעַמִּים אֱלֹהִים in hodu of psukei dzimrah!
Even worse... וַיִרְאוּ הָעָם אֶת ד instead of וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם אֶת ד!
Can it get any worse? Yes! Baruch Hu Elokainu Shebaranu Lichvodo instead of Sheb'ra'anu Lichvodo!
and for now last but certainly not least one of my all-time favorites...
Instead of וּבָרֵךְ שְׁנָתֵֽנוּ כַּשָּׁנִים הַטּוֹבוֹת one guy I hear all the time says וּבָרֵךְ שְׁנָתֵֽנוּ כַּנָּשִׁים הַטּוֹבוֹת!
I have many more and can go on and on and on...
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2Retzeh in the admidah, the first uVIsfilosom is always pronounced usfilosom like the second one Feb 23, 2011 at 10:42
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2Re למעינו, same thing with יֶאְשְׁמוּ (in Shabbos morning davening), and other examples where an aleph or an ayin has a sheva nach followed by a letter with sheva na.– AlexFeb 27, 2011 at 15:33
What about Shkoiach versus Yiyashar kochacho