You're Saying It Wrong - podcast cover

You're Saying It Wrong

KMUW•www.kmuw.org
Education
Language Learning
Comedy
Society & Culture
History
From KMUW Studios and part of the NPR Podcast Network, You're Saying It Wrong is a podcast that looks at what we get wrong—and what we sometimes get right—when it comes to this English language. Hosted by KMUW's Fletcher Powell, each episode features a conversation with the sister and brother who wrote the book on it. Literally. You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse is by Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras.On June 24, 2022, You’re Saying It Wrong received first place in Division B for Interview Podcasts from the Public Media Journalists Association. The awards recognize the best work in public media journalism from across the country.
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Episodes

Who Gets Credit, Anyway?

This week, we're looking at words with literary origins. You may not know this, but sometimes writers just make words up.

May 03, 2025•32 min

We're Gonna Party Like It's 1985

1985 may not seem like a long time ago, but people back then had some pretty different ideas about how to speak "properly."

Apr 26, 2025•35 min

Tulip Mania!

What does the stock market have to do with piracy in the West Indies? The Dutch, of course! (Really!)

Apr 19, 2025•36 min

Where Are the Beeves?

The plural of thief is thieves, so why isn't the plural of chief chieves? And as the old woman once said, where are the beeves??? On today's show, we tackle the tricky nuance of plurals and synonyms that aren't actually synonyms.

Apr 12, 2025•32 min

The Letter of the Day is E!

We return to our series looking at the most enigmatic, evil words ever found on the SAT.

Apr 05, 2025•33 min

Spring Has Sprung!

We're talking about some words of the season as the temperatures have fortunately turned for the better and allergies unfortunately have not.

Mar 29, 2025•34 min

We're looking to the past

Today we're taking a trip back into the past — past tense, past participles... When we try to tell someone about something that already happened, it can be trickier than we might think.

Mar 22, 2025•29 min

Happy 200!

We celebrate our 200th episode (!) by taking a trip back in time to look at some words that popped up 200 years ago.

Mar 15, 2025•31 min

Let's Get Fancy

Put on your best evening wear, we're getting fancy! Or maybe we're just getting stuffy. This week we're looking at language that's grammatically correct, but that sounds like you're just trying to impress.

Mar 08, 2025•29 min

Mailbag Day!

We answer listeners' most burning language questions, including one about how the letter "R" seems to disappear and reappear in the strangest places, and about whether or not anything can ever be called "epic" ever again.

Mar 01, 2025•36 min

Enough With the Latin Already!

Latin may be a dead language, but it sure seems to come up a lot! This week, we'll look at some common Latin phrases that we think we understand, but that we may not get quite right.

Feb 22, 2025•29 min

Getting a D on the SAT

We return to our series looking at the most devilish words ever found on the SAT.

Feb 15, 2025•31 min

Canadian English

We've tackled the differences between American and British English, but let's not forget Canadians also have a language of their own.

Feb 01, 2025•29 min

The Norman Conquest of the English Language

The year is 1066: William the Conqueror lands upon the shores of England and changes the course of the English language forever. So what does that mean for us?

Jan 25, 2025•30 min

Get These Words Outta Here!

We look at a list of words people want to banish in this new year. Some of them we agree with, some of them we won't let go without a fight!

Jan 11, 2025•29 min

Getting a C on the SAT

We continue our alphabetical trip through the most challenging words from the SAT.

Jan 04, 2025•29 min

The Words of 2024

We'll run through the various dictionaries' selections for the words of the year and offer up a few of our own.

Dec 28, 2024•29 min

A Plethora of Plurals!

What could be more fun for the holidays than digging into the bizarre world of Latin and Greek plurals? Nothing! That's what!

Dec 21, 2024•29 min

Is This Socially Acceptable??

We wade into the social media wars as we take a look at some of the most common language mistakes people make when they're posting online.

Dec 14, 2024•29 min

Grab-bag Day

We hit a number of language-related topics this week, kicked off by a listener question about what the heck a participle actually is.

Dec 07, 2024•24 min

It's All Relative

This week, Kathy and Ross quiz Fletcher on words that are surprising relatives– and some that are surprisingly not.

Nov 30, 2024•29 min

ENCORE: These Names Have Snob Appeal

We look at some names of famous people that, when you pronounce them correctly, can let people know you're an expert... or a snob.

Nov 23, 2024•30 min

Getting a B on the SAT

The letter of the week is "B," as we move on to the second part in our series looking at the hardest words on the SAT.

Nov 16, 2024•29 min

A Little Stress Relief

This week, we're here to help you relax a little bit by telling you that some of those little language mistakes that raise your blood pressure might not actually be mistakes.

Nov 09, 2024•29 min

Electoral Confusion

With the U.S. election upon us, Kathy and Ross quiz Fletcher on the pronunciation and origins of some words related to our democratic process.

Nov 02, 2024•29 min
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