You're Saying It Wrong
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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 wr...
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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.
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...
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...
Mailbag Day!
We answer a few listener questions, including one about a changing pronunciation that drives one person nuts, and another about abbreviations that lea...
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 t...
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...
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 to...
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...
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 b...
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...
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 wo...
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...
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...
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 suf...
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 ent...
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...
The Letter of the Day is E!
We return to our series looking at the most enigmatic, evil words ever found on the SAT.
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.