After we puzzle over some words Kathy and Ross recently found in the news, we'll tackle a list of the English language's most misspelled words. Two billion tweets can't be wrong, can they? (Yes, they can, and are.)
Nov 25, 2022•42 min
Turns out agentive suffixes are popular! We tackle a number of listener questions we got after our first episode on the topic, and Kathy gets VERY excited about a couple of the words that come up.
Nov 11, 2022•33 min
It's the spoooookiest episode we've ever had, as we dive into the roots of the scary words we hear each Halloween. Vampires! Werewolves! Witches and Warlocks! Press play... if you dare...
Oct 28, 2022•38 min
A listener asks why some words end in -er, while other similar words end in -or, like "seller" vs. "vendor," or "supervisor" vs. "manager." My friend, you may be sorry you asked!
Oct 14, 2022•37 min
WARNING: There is some very heated sibling rivalry in this episode, about some things we never would have expected (that title is a hint).
Sep 30, 2022•40 min
OK, kids! The SATs are coming up, and we've got your perfect study guide right here! We look at some words that tend to trip people up, or maybe that you've never even heard before at all. Disclaimer: We don't actually know how the SAT even works anymore.
Sep 16, 2022•34 min
Our discussion of spelling differences between American English and British English continues.
Sep 02, 2022•33 min
On one side, you have people spelling it "realise," on the other, it's "realize." And the poor Canadians are caught right in the middle.
Aug 19, 2022•38 min
After we take another (brief) run at the lie/lay problem, we continue our discussion of words we often use interchangeably that might actually have different meanings.
Aug 05, 2022•34 min
A listener question has us talking about words we often use interchangeably that actually might mean different things.
Jul 22, 2022•38 min
We celebrate our 100th episode with a bunch of listener questions, including some age-old language controversies and even a question from someone we've driven to drink...
Jul 11, 2022•50 min
We had such a great response to the call for listener questions for the 100th episode of You're Saying It Wrong that we decided to take a little extra time to sift through them. It will be a few more days before that episode comes out, but it'll be worth the wait!
Jul 08, 2022•31 min
Listen up! After we learn not to take investing advice from Kathy, we move on to a discussion of phrasal verbs. What are phrasal verbs, you ask? Stick around to find out...
Jun 24, 2022•34 min
You're Saying It Wrong's 100th episode is on the horizon, and we have a special request.
Jun 20, 2022•1 min
In honor of the National Spelling Bee, we return to our trip through the list of most commonly misspelled words in the English language. Wait... misspelled? Mispelled? Mis-spelled? These darn double letters... Also, we start out with a brief discussion that is *chef's kiss*.
Jun 10, 2022•41 min
Jumping off from some recent Twitter confusion, we look at how much trouble there can be when we misplace our modifiers, or just let them dangle in the wind. Recording this podcast, no animals were harmed.
May 27, 2022•31 min
We set aside our usual games and quizzes for a wide-ranging discussion about the necessity of grammar rules, when we need them and when we don't, who gets to decide what's "right" and what's "wrong," and whether we need to rethink that.
May 13, 2022•53 min
We continue on with our discussion of trademarks by looking at words that were once trademarked, but have become so widely used that they've actually lost that trademark. Also, Kathy sings! And Ross explains why he never sings.
Apr 29, 2022•39 min
Hey, can we trademark this? No, I mean, can we trademark the word, "this"? We may not be lawyers, but that's never stopped us from having opinions, especially when it comes to trademarking every word under the sun. I'm sure we can trademark "digression" though, we've cornered the market on that one...
Apr 15, 2022•33 min
Which came first, the chicken or the chickening out? The egg or the egging on? The noun or the verb? Today we're looking at verbing nouns and nouning verbs, and maybe even a little adjectiving while we're at it. Trust us, this episode is NOT cringe!
Apr 01, 2022•35 min
Have you ever wondered who Jimi Hendrix was talking about when he sang, "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy"? We don't know! Because that's not what he said. Today we look at mondegreens, those times we mishear lyrics or phrases in ways that completely change their meaning.
Mar 18, 2022•36 min
Horrors! As a result of some unforeseen circumstances, we're without a new episode this week. We're disappointed, too! But this does give us a chance to listen back to one of our favorite episodes (actually two of them, combined), from early 2020, which also contains some information that's very relevant to current global events. We really do apologize, and we'll be back in two weeks with a shiny new episode for your ears to enjoy.
Mar 04, 2022•45 min
First we take a look at a survey of words that people think make other people sound smart, and then we tackle the most difficult word quiz we've ever had on the show. No, really, this is sorta nuts. Plus, some investing advice you should definitely NOT take.
Feb 18, 2022•43 min
If I were you, I'd hold on to my hat, because in this week's episode we're going to try to tackle the subjunctive mood! We're doing a lot of this under protest.
Feb 04, 2022•30 min
Some listener emails prompted Kathy and Ross to take a look at the idea that women are the real drivers of innovation in language.
Jan 21, 2022•29 min
It's our annual airing of grievances, as we vent about the words we'd like to leave in the rear view mirror as we head into a new year. And fair warning: we get pretty petty!
Jan 07, 2022•38 min
We wrap up 2021 with a look at the most mispronounced words of the year-- we don't even know what some of these things are, let alone how to say them!
Dec 24, 2021•35 min
Prompted by some listener emails, we're returning to our bread and butter: words we accidentally use when we mean to use other words. It's confusable time!
Dec 10, 2021•36 min
Medial cluster what now?? Come on, you know you want to hear this. It's something you're doing basically all the time...
Nov 26, 2021•37 min
We won't turn a blind eye if you get caught red-handed trying to steal our thunder, because today we're digging into the sometimes surprising, usually murky origins of phrases we use every day (and we want all the credit, darn it!).
Nov 12, 2021•41 min
