You're Saying It Wrong

Some of us like to be rule breakers, but here are a few rules of the English language we can’t help but follow. And we probably don’t even know they exist.

We look at what happens when we approach non-English words with a little too much gusto, and how exactly we should be saying foreign words so that we don’t sound silly (a tall order for some of us!).

We look at unconscious ways we follow the rules of English by doubling sounds and words, and how meanings of words can change when we say them twice. Now: are you confused? Or are you confused confused?

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

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!

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

This week, we look at the official (?) rules of negativity in English.

Today we look at phrases that seem at first glance to mean something, but are actually complete nonsense.

Sometimes what we say or write can be grammatically correct but still make no sense whatsoever. Come along with us down this winding road...

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.

We continue on with our look at the newest words that have been added to dictionaries, and Kathy offers an enormous mea culpa.

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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...

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!

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.

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...)

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).

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