You're Saying It Wrong - podcast cover

You're Saying It Wrong

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.You're Saying It Wrong is available to public radio stations through PRX.
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Episodes

Big News!

You’re Saying It Wrong is now more than just a podcast!

Jan 19, 20241 min

The Words of 2023

This week we rizz you up (did we say that right?) by looking at what dictionaries picked as the words of the year for 2023!

Jan 05, 202424 min

Deck the Halls!

We look at the origins of some holiday-related words, including a reindeer controversy and a little bird that's surprisingly rude.

Dec 22, 202328 min

Autumn Mailbag!

Now that we're out of summer, it's finally cooled down enough for us to go outside to check the mailbox! We tackle some listener questions and pet peeves, and we take a look at a bizarre new phrase that's entered the language.

Oct 27, 202327 min

The dictionary's newest words

Hot off the presses (or whatever the internet is... cyberpresses?), we look at the newest entries into Dictionary.com!

Sep 29, 202333 min

Grammar thingies

This week, we look at some of those nitpicky little grammar traps that sometimes trip us up.

Sep 15, 202332 min

You're Spelling It Wrong 2023

With the kids headed back to school, Kathy and Ross decided to challenge Fletcher (former two-time district spelling bee runner-up) to a spelling bee!

Sep 01, 202330 min

The words of summer

It's hot! Still. And why mess with a good thing? We heat up a little more with a quiz about summer-related words!

Aug 18, 202334 min

Around the world in 30 minutes

Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia... England... a lot of places have tough to pronounce names for Americans, and our listeners aren't letting us forget it. It's time for a global road trip!

Aug 04, 202334 min

You're telling me that's English?? (Part 2)

Having been bamboozled by Kathy and Ross in the previous episode, Fletcher resolves to get at one question right this time around. Don't hold your breath, Fletch.

Jul 21, 202336 min

You're telling me that's English??

With the words we use in English coming from so many different languages, Kathy and Ross challenge Fletcher to a quiz about word origins. And somehow we end up talking about both bazookas and grenades, so things escalate quickly.

Jul 07, 202334 min

Let's do a grammar quiz!

Kathy and Ross try to stump Fletcher with some tricky grammar questions, including a long, confusing trip through collective nouns.

Jun 22, 202334 min

Road trip!

This time, we're taking a trip through some of the most commonly mispronounced places in the good ol' USA. Hop in! Things might get a little bumpy...

Jun 09, 202343 min

That used to mean what??

Hey there, guy, grab a plate of meat and join us as we look at some everyday words that have REALLY changed their meanings over time!

May 26, 202329 min

We did it by (on?) accident!

A listener question forces us to take a hard look at how we use prepositions, including whether we do things "by" accident or "on" accident, and Fletcher asks why we can't just do things "by" purpose.

May 12, 202338 min

Big words we actually kind of like

We've been a little bit cranky lately, so we thought we'd dig up some big-sounding words we're actually fond of. How deliquescent! (wait, that's not right...)

Apr 28, 202340 min

The twisted world of bureaucracy

Having tried to wrap our heads around the world of academic language, we now take a stab at trying to untangle the meaning of phrases bureaucracies and corporations produce as they try to sound fancy (and avoid legal trouble).

Apr 14, 202332 min

In the hells of academia

A listener question prompts us to try to translate some nearly impenetrable examples of academic writing.

Mar 31, 202337 min

Mailbag day!

We head back to the mailbag to answer some listener questions, including one about the origins of "woke," and another about the power of the bossy R.

Mar 17, 202328 min

That still doesn't mean what you think it means

We revisit Kathy and Ross' 2018 book That Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means (now out on audiobook!) and some of the words they wrote about that still give them trouble.

Feb 17, 202333 min

The Staying Power of Slang

A lot of slang words only last a year or two, but others stick around. We take a look at some that have stood the test of time, and it turns out a bunch of them are older than we realize.

Feb 03, 202333 min

Searching for meaning in Gen Z slang

The old people try their hand at sussing out the meanings of Gen Z slang words, although we all remain skeptical that actual people in Gen Z use any of these words. Groovy!

Jan 20, 202329 min

The most mispronounced words of 2022

It's an episode we look forward to each January, as we take a look back at the most mispronounced words of the previous year. Even the dinosaurs said one of these wrong!

Jan 06, 202346 min

Wait, THESE are the words of the year??

Kathy and Ross take major issue with various choices for words of the year for 2022. What makes for a good word of the year? Can anyone please our experts?

Dec 23, 202233 min

Will We Ever Learn?

While recording the audio versions of their books, Kathy and Ross discover there are words they've written about that they STILL say wrong, even after all these years.

Dec 09, 202243 min
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