You're Saying It Wrong
From KMUW Studios and part of the NPR Podcast Network, You're Saying It Wrong is a podcast that explores common mispronunciations and misunderstandings about the English language. Hosted by KMUW's Fletcher Powell, each episode features conversations with Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras, the authors of the book on the subject. The show has won recognition from the Public Media Journalists Association for its interview content. It is distributed to public radio stations through PRX.
Episodes
Pragmatics!
We're talking about how we understand each other even when we're using techniques we don't realize we're using, and how we work together to communicate. We'll dive into Grice's Maxims of Conversation and the importance of implicature in everyday conversation.
Insults 2: Return of the Clunch
We continue our look into the etymologies of various (mild) insults, including the origins of rube, bum, schmuck, and dweeb. (You're none of these things, don't worry, we love you.)
Insults: The Blah-Blahs Are at the Gate
We look at the etymologies of various insults throughout history, including the origins of barbarian, brat, dunce, and fool.
Sh-sh-sh-shibboleths
Be careful how you say these words! It could be a matter of life and death.
Toponymy!
Hydronyms, dromonyms… toponyms! (Place names. We’re talking about place names.)
Yep, still different
We gaze again into the ocean of difference between American English and British English.
Red Flags
Sometimes you read something that makes you throw the book against the wall, never to pick it up again.
Canadian English [ENCORE]
We've tackled the differences between American and British English, but let's not forget Canadians also have a language of their own.
Back to School!
Kathy and Ross throw Fletcher a devil of a grammar quiz as we all get set for back-to-school season.
Mailbag Day!
We answer some of your most burning questions as we take a dip into the ol' mailbag.
An (ahem) Odyssey Through Ancient Greek
For no reason whatsoever, we look at some words that come from Homer's famous tale and Ancient Greek more generally.
It's Summertime, and the Etymology is... Questionable [ENCORE]
We'll look at the surprising origins of some common summer-related words, phrases, and idioms.
Heading Down South
We take a road trip to the U.S. South to look at some place names that have some pretty surprising pronunciations. Bless our hearts (in a good way)!
Technically Speaking
We take another shot at figuring out what's good and bad about the technical uses of common words.
Getting Your House in Order
We look at the confusing, but surprisingly intuitive, world of adjective and adverb order and how we can know what we're doing without knowing what we're doing.
Technical Difficulties
This week, we look at the (sometimes huge) differences between the technical, specialized definitions of words, and what they mean to everybody else.
Congrats, Grads!
School's out, so we're celebrating all the new graduates by looking at the backgrounds of some graduation-related words.
More Unknown Knowns
We return to one of our favorite (and sometimes most confusing) topics: rules of English that we know instinctively, but that we have no idea we know.
Meh, Duh, D'oh, and Other Communicative Grunts
Today we make a lot of noise by exploring nonverbal vocalizations: all those sounds that aren't words, exactly, but that still carry a lot of meaning.
Common Grammar Controversies
To split infinitives or to not split them? (Ir)regardless, we'll dive into some everyday language arguments that get people all worked up.
How Tiny Differences Can Make a Huge... Difference
Oh, so you think those two words mean exactly the same thing? Not. Even. Close.
A Lowdown Dirty Spelling Quiz (Part 2)
Kathy and Ross did their darndest to stump Fletcher in last week's spelling quiz, to moderate success. How will things go this week? The thrilling conclusion...
A Lowdown Dirty Spelling Quiz
Kathy and Ross pull out all the stops to try to trick Fletcher with a new spelling quiz. Fletcher does his best to upset them.
Cymraeg
Kathy, Ross, and Fletcher try to tackle the Welsh language, with... questionable results. Look, we're all doing our best here.
Phonotactics!
Think you don't know what phonotactics are? Even our youngest English speakers do! You might just not realize it...
What's in a Name?
This week, Kathy and Ross challenge Fletcher to an epic eponym quiz, and somehow they detour again into an analysis of pavement. How? You'll have to listen to find out!
[Encore] 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.
Euphemisms
We'll be happy to tell you what this episode is about just as soon as we get back from using the bathroom—I mean, the restroom—I mean, the washroom—I mean, the facilities—I mean…
If We Knew You Were Comin' We'd've Baked a Cake
Today we address a couple of listener questions, including one about the Third Conditional (???), before moving on to a quiz about Middle English vs. Latin spellings.
Register and Power
Today we have a wide-ranging discussion about the words we use, when we use them, and the enormous power they can have.
Broadening Our Horizons
Sometimes words get a whole lot less specific over time, and sometimes people get really mad about that!
Beginnings and Endings
We look at how a tiny little prefix or suffix can completely change the meaning of a word. Or how it could do nothing at all!
Banished and Un-Banished Words
We finish our discussion of the words people would like to see banned from the English language in 2026 and then we uncover some uncommonly odd things about one particular prefix.
Banish These Words! (Some of them... at least for a little while)
We go through a list of words people want to banish in 2026 and then take a swing over to the weird world of contractions. You ain't heard nothin' yet!
Valentine's Day, When Our Thoughts Turn to Lufu
We explore all sorts of love and love-related words as we honor St. Valentine (and some other unexpected saints).
[Re]Bracketing
We look at how much a word can change if we just give it a little nudge this way or that, which leads us into a discussion of how certain Arabic words made their way into English.
Chances Are... You're Spelling It Wrong
We look at the top 10 most commonly misspelled words. Watch those double letters!
It's a Cold One Out There!
It's been a strange winter so far, so let's talk about some strange winter words! Brrrrrrrrrr!!!
Either/Or
We indulge in one of our favorite pastimes: quibbling over tiny differences in the way people say things. What fun!
Feeling French (and Fancy)
We all like to feel a bit fancy from time to time, but when we turn to French, it can get us in trouble.
The 2025 Words of the Year
We continue our annual tradition of looking back at the words that defined the year, as chosen by dictionaries, listeners... and us!
Let's See What Sticks
As we reach the end of the year, we get some grab-bag whiplash with English questions and conundrums from all over the language spectrum.
Anachronyms
This week, we look at some words that have come unstuck in time.
A Plethora of Plurals! (Encore)
What could be more fun for the holidays than digging into the bizarre world of Latin and Greek plurals? Nothing! That's what! (This episode originally aired on 12/14/24.)
Abbrs.
We extend our quiz about abbreviated words into a second episode, and Kathy learns that people don't always do things just to look fancy (a lot of the time they do, though!).
Mailbag Day!
We answer a few listener questions, including one about a changing pronunciation that drives one person nuts, and another about abbreviations that leads us to some surprising (and confusing) places.
It's a Thanksgiving Feast!
In celebration of Thanksgiving and all the food that comes with it, we’ll take an etymological trip around the dinner plate.
Grab Bag Day!
After an extended discussion about plurals, Kathy and Ross give Fletcher a wide-ranging quiz on grammar, pronunciation, etymology, and whatever else they decide to throw at him.
Going for Gold on the SAT
We return to our series looking at the hardest words ever found on the SAT by exploring the letter "G."
Frankenwords
We mark Día de los Muertos with some words about the dead, some of which have been brought back to life, and some that should have remained dead.
It's Spooky Season!
We celebrate the season by taking a look at the origins of some Halloween-related words, and we introduce two of the most horrifying words we've ever had on the show. Boo!
More Weird Word Origins
We return to one of our favorite topics: the surprising and strange origins of everyday words.
Getting a Little Too Fancy
After we talk a bit about some British/American English pronunciation differences, we'll take a look at a few words that listeners think are simply too fancy to be used as often as they are.
Pet Peeve-a-Palooza! (Part 2)
We continue sifting through the language complaints that drive our listeners up the wall.
Pet Peeve-a-Palooza! (Part 1)
We've been asking, you've delivered! It's time to tackle our pile of listener pet peeves. Get ready to be annoyed! (In a good way.)
Calques
We look at word-for-word translations from other languages that become common phrases in English.
Getting an F on the SAT
No, this time the F isn't for for Fail, it's for Fun! And Fantastic! And Fabulous! We return to our series looking at the hardest words ever found on the SAT with a dive into the English alphabet's sixth letter.
A message from You're Saying It Wrong
Hey everyone, a little bit of bad news this week. We weren’t able to record a new show due to some unforeseen circumstances. But you can always dive back into our podcast feed and catch up on past episodes. We'll be back with a new episode next week.
Irish Names Are My Pet Piamh
A listener email prompts us to try to get a handle on Irish spellings and pronunciations. It doesn't go well!
An E-Prime Cut of Beef
What happens when you remove an entire verb from the English language? Chaos! Well, not quite. But it used to cause Kathy quite a bit of consternation. Also: we try to nail down the correct spellings of various grunts and murmurs.
In the Heighths
We tackle a few listener emails about some unusual pet peeves, including people tacking an extra sound on the end of the word "height," and another wondering why people say they want to "try and" do something.
Petty Pet Peeves for Persnickety Pedants
We'll dive into some common mistakes and pet peeves we have regarding the literary world, and then Kathy and Ross challenge Fletcher to another round of "Related... Or NOT??"
The Graham Cracker Rule of 'Those Ones'
Pet peeves, grammar groaners, and other language catastrophes are on the agenda this week, as we come up with a rock-solid rule grammatical rule that no one will ever question or disagree with.
The Secret of -nym
Homonyms, synonyms, antonyms... we'll look at some "wordly" similarities and differences, and explore the vague space in between.
It's Summertime, and the Etymology is... Questionable
We'll look at the surprising origins of some common summer-related words, phrases, and idioms.
American History Needs a Little Copy Editing
We'll look at some questionable language decisions the American Founding Fathers made when writing some of the country's most important documents.
Suffix Fight!
Collectable or collectible? Why is it a computer and not a computor? Or is it? We look at the confusing and sometimes (seemingly) chaotic world of suffixes.
The Debatables
When we disagree about what a word means or how to pronounce it, how do we know who's right and who's wrong? And what if we're both right?
Dislocate Your Syntax, Not Your Shoulder
After entertaining a few more listener pet peeves, we jump into a discussion on right and left dislocation in syntax, and then touch on the always entertaining world of nominative determinism (wait till you hear about the guy who invented the toilet!).
Let's Take a Look in the Ol' Grab Bag...
We tackle a range of topics this week, including a brief quiz on winning spelling bee words, a common pet peeve, and some origins of fancy words.
I, For One, Do Not Welcome Our Robot Overlords
We wade into the conversation about AI with a look at the effects it's having on our language. Expect some grumbling!
Pet Peeves, Oxymorons, and Other Unusual Animals
Get ready for some (barely) controlled chaos as we look at phrases that seem to contradict themselves, and others that just get under our skin.
Colorless Green Mailbags Sleep Furiously
We dip back into the mailbag to answer some listener questions, including one about a famous nonsense phrase.
The Spell-a-Thon From Hell-a-Thon (Part 2)
This week: The thrilling conclusion of one of the most deceptively difficult spelling tests you're ever likely to come across.
The Spell-a-Thon From Hell-a-Thon (Part 1)
Kathy and Ross give Fletcher one of the most deceptively difficult spelling tests you're ever likely to see.
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.
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."
Tulip Mania!
What does the stock market have to do with piracy in the West Indies? The Dutch, of course! (Really!)
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.
The Letter of the Day is E!
We return to our series looking at the most enigmatic, evil words ever found on the SAT.
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