I have learned a thing (2 things!)

[marcicat]

An unexpected (though entirely predictable) side effect of listening to audiobooks is that I hear words spoken that previously I'd only seen in writing. And it turns out 'the way my brain imagined that word sounded' and 'the accepted pronunciation of that word' are not always quite the same.

EXAMPLE 1: DIVAN
As in, a fancy couch. I can't recall ever having the need to speak this word out loud, but I was definitely imagining it with an 'i' sound like in the word 'dive.' Audiobook says no, and the internet agrees. (sounds like duh·van, emphasis on the second syllable)

(ahahaha I was going to add 'but I was definitely right about tousled,' and then I thought I'd better double check, and I was NOT right, lol)

EXAMPLE 2: TOUSLED
As in, tousling someone's hair. Different word than 'the kids were tussling in the yard,' but I was Very Confident these were pronounced the same. BUT NO. APPARENTLY NOT. (Sounds like tau·sld, emphasis on the first syllable).

I am boggled. What in the world am I going to learn next?

Comments

[starandrea]

I was Very Confident these were pronounced the same. BUT NO. APPARENTLY NOT.

WHAT

...at least we are not alone???

we've all been pronouncing tousle wrong

[china_shop]

You've been pronouncing "divan" with a New Zealand accent is all. *g*

I was confused to find via audiobooks that at least some US accents pronounce "shone" closer to "shown" than I do. We say it to rhyme with "con" or "don".