Mispronunciations That Drive You Nuts

[ixchel]

Car-dee-ya-zem.

It's car-di-zem. Or dil-ti-ya-zem.

Cardiazem isn't a real thing.

Can I get an amen?!

[anon456, BSN, RN]

I've always said it um-BIL-i-cus but a professor used to say um-bil-LI-cus and it irritated me.

Maybe her way was the right way to say it, but I have never heard anyone else say it that way. Maybe it's a regional thing.

[michlynn, BSN, RN]

ICURN3020 said:

Another one...I was taught that "angina" is pronounced

ann-gin-uh (similar sounding to Angela). Often hear it pronounced as ann-gi-nah (similar to lady parts).

ALL of our cardiologists pronounce it like lady parts and it drives me crazy. I think either way is acceptable, I just personally think of lady parts every single time and I can't take them seriously.

I consistently get report from this one nurse and, without fail, says "alert and orient", instead of oriented. The abdomen is OBEAST and the lung sounds are DIMIMISHED. I used to get annoyed and want to correct her but now I just silently laugh in my head whenever I get report.

Also, ALOT bugs me to no end. ALOT is NOT a word. End rant. LOL 

[klone, MSN, RN]

I've always said it um-BIL-i-cus but a professor used to say um-bil-LI-cus and it irritated me.

Maybe her way was the right way to say it, but I have never heard anyone else say it that way. Maybe it's a regional thing.

The way your professor says it is the only way I've ever heard it (and it's a word we use daily in OB)

[MunoRN, RN]

I've always said it um-BIL-i-cus but a professor used to say um-bil-LI-cus and it irritated me.

Maybe her way was the right way to say it, but I have never heard anyone else say it that way. Maybe it's a regional thing.

The way your professor says it is the only way I've ever heard it (and it's a word we use daily in OB)

How do they pronounce umbilical cord? Do they also say um-bi-LIE-cul cord?

[ICURN3020]

Red Kryptonite said:

Awkward. 

Awkward indeed 

I stand corrected 

[klone, MSN, RN]

No, we say it the normal way.

I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that "Umbilicus" is Latin in origin, so it follows Latin rules on syllable emphasis.

[anon456, BSN, RN]

MunoRN said:

How do they pronounce umbilical cord? Do they also say um-bi-LIE-cul cord?

I really really wish I worked in an area to be able to say um-bi-LIE-cul cord, just to see the looks on people's faces during shift report!! 

Actually come to think of it, I do have patients with um-bi-LIE-cul hernias. I'll have to use that next time in shift report and see how the oncoming nurse reacts. 

[kahqgc]

wow the first thing i was going to say was cardizem as cardiazem. hahaha

i once heard someone pronounce anuric as "an-erk"

i am interested if people pronounce it LEE vo phed or LEH vo phed

[anon456, BSN, RN]

wow the first thing i was going to say was cardizem as cardiazem. hahaha

i once heard someone pronounce anuric as "an-erk"

i am interested if people pronounce it LEE vo phed or LEH vo phed

I heard someone say "Levophed or leave them dead" so I say it in the way that it rhymes. I have no idea if this is correct but it's how everyone else says it too.

[ICURN3020]

wow the first thing i was going to say was cardizem as cardiazem. hahaha

i once heard someone pronounce anuric as "an-erk"

i am interested if people pronounce it LEE vo phed or LEH vo phed

I pronounce it the 2nd way but hear it said both ways.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

UMBILICUS

I once heard my nursing professor say it as um-bil-EYE-cus and that way sounds too weird. It's always been um-BIL-eh-cus to me.

[RescueNinjaKy]

I had an a+p professor who pronounced cerebellum and cerebrum the same exact way almost.

She pronounced cerebrum correctly and cerebellum as cereblum. Needless to say my class was super confused. Didn't help that she got mad when we asked for clarification.