English is one of the weirdest languages. We have silent Ks (like in knife) even know “kick” makes a totally different sound. The same thing happens with the “gh” sound in a word like “neighbor,” even though using gh in a word like “ghost” makes it sound completely different.
In addition to letters and words, certain phrases can be easy to get wrong as well. In fact, there are tons of phrases many of us are guilty of saying wrong. In fact, you probably don’t even know you’re not saying it correctly!
Don’t believe us? Here are 15 phrases that almost everyone says incorrectly (and how it’s actually supposed to be pronounced).
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“I could care less”
You mean you couldn’t care less! If you could care less, the thing you’re talking about isn’t actually that bad.
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“Irregardless”
Somehow a pesky “Ir” ahs popularly made its way to the front of “Regardless,” which is actually the proper way to use this phrase.
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“Nip it in the butt”
Er, you actually don’t want to nip anything in your butt. It’s “nip it in the bud.”
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“You’ve got another thing coming”
While this totally makes sense, you’ll want to change “thing” to “think” to use the proper phrase. This phrase is actually derived from the saying “If that’s what you think, you’ve got another think coming.” Interesting, huh?
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“Scotch free”
You actually get off scot-free, not scotch free (unless you ran out of whiskey!).
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“For all intensive purposes”
The correct phrase actually “for all intents and purposes.” “Intensive purposes” likely became popular due to mishearing the proper use of the phrase.
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“Case and point”
You actually mean to say “case in point.” It’s not two separate things!
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“Insure”
If you want to make sure of something, you want to “ensure” it—not “insure” it.
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“Entitled”
Sure, “entitled” is a word, if you’re describing someone who feels they deserve special treatment. But if you want to tell someone the title of a book, it’s “titled,” not “entitled.”
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“One in the same”
You mean, one and the same. The phrase is meant to emphasize that two things are almost identical to each other.
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“I’m going to lay down”
You can lay down a blanket or a book or a pair of socks, but you, my friend, lie down.
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“He’s infamous for his cookie recipe”
Infamous should only be used if the person is famous for a negative reason. Otherwise, you should just use “famous.”
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“I should of…”
It’s actually should have. As in, you should have not used “should of.”
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”Of the upmost importance”
Nope, it’s the “utmost” importance, which means “of the greatest or highest degree.”
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“I jived well with her”
Unless you danced with the person you’re referring to, you actually mean you “jibed” well with her!
Are you guilty of using these phrases incorrectly? Which one was the most surprising to you? What are some other phrases you’ve seen used mistakenly?