This document provides definitions for commonly mispronounced words and phrases. Some of the words defined include affidavit, Alzheimer's disease, Arctic, athlete, barbed wire, barbiturate, blessing in disguise, and business. In 3 sentences or less, it defines words that are often mispronounced or confused in meaning.

1. Commonly
Mispronounced Words
and Phrases

2. Across
- from one side to the other of (something)
Affidavit
- a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as
evidence in court
Alzheimer’s disease
- progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age,
due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the most common
cause of premature senility
Antarctic
- is a polar region, specifically the region around the Earth's South Pole,
opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole.

3. Arctic
- a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth
Ask
- to say or write something to someone as a way of gaining information
Athlete
- a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical
exercise
Barbed wire
- also known as barb wire, less often bob wire or, in the southeastern
United States, bobbed wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed
with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand(s)

4. Barbiturate
- drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can
therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to
total anesthesia
Blessing in disguise
- an apparent misfortune that eventually has good results
Business
- also known as an enterprise, company or a firm is an organizational
entity involved in the provision of goods and services to consumers
Cacophony
- a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

5. Candidate
- a person who applies for a job or is nominated for election
Card sharp
- a person who uses skill and/or deception to win at poker or other
card games. "Sharp" and "shark" spellings have varied over time and
by region
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- a painful condition of the hand and fingers caused by compression of
a major nerve where it passes over the carpal bones through a
passage at the front of the wrist, alongside the flexor tendons of the
hand

6. Caucasus
- a region at the border of Europe and Asia, situated between the Black
and the Caspian seas
Cavalry
- or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on
horseback
Champ at the bit
- (fig.) to be ready and anxious to do something
Chest of drawers
- also called a bureau, is a piece of furniture that has multiple parallel,
horizontal drawers stacked one above another

7. Clothes
- is fiber and textile material worn on the body
Cornet
- a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by
its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality
Dilate
- make or become wider, larger, or more open
Diphtheria
- a serious bacterial infection that affects the mucous membranes of
the throat and nose

8. Dog eat, dog world
- if a situation is dog eat dog, people will do anything to be successful,
even if what they do harms other people
Drown
- die through submersion in and inhalation of water
Electoral
- of or relating to an election or to the process by which people are
elected
Escape
- to get away from a place (such as a prison) where you are being held
or kept

9. Especially
- used to single out one person, thing, or situation over all others
Espresso
- is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water
under pressure through finely ground coffee beans
Etc.
- . et cetera
- a Latin expression that means "and other things", or "and so forth“
February
- the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It
is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days

10. Federal
- pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an agreement or
covenant between parties, especially between nations
Film
- also called a movie, motion picture, theatrical film or photoplay, is a
series of still images which, when shown on a screen, creates the
illusion of moving images due to the phi phenomenon
Fiscal
- of or relating to government revenue, especially taxes
Foliage
- plant leaves, collectively

11. For all intents and purposes
- the usual form of the phrase meaning in every practical sense
Fort
- a fortified building or strategic position
Founder
- a person who manufactures articles of cast metal; the owner or
operator of a foundry
Height
- the measure of vertical distance, either how "tall" something is, or
how "high up" it is

12. Heimlich maneuver
- also called abdominal thrusts
- a first aid procedure used to treat upper airway obstructions
(or choking) by foreign objects
Hierarchy
- a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one
above the other according to status or authority
In parenthesis
- (parenthesis) a word, clause, or sentence inserted as an explanation
or afterthought into a passage that is grammatically complete without
it, in writing usually marked off by curved brackets, dashes, or
commas

13. Interpret
- explain the meaning of (information, words, or actions)
Irrevocable
- not able to be changed, reversed, or recovered; final
Jewelry
- consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment, such
as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets
Just
- based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair

14. Ku Klux Klan
- or simply "the Klan", is the name of three distinct past and present
movements in the United States that have advocated extremist
reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism,
anti-immigration, and, especially in later iterations, Nordicism, anti-
Catholicism, and antisemitism, historically expressed through
terrorism aimed at groups or individuals whom they opposed
Lambaste
- criticize (someone or something) harshly
Larynx
- the hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and
holding the vocal cords in humans and other mammals; the voice box

15. Law and order
- (law) a system of rules that are enforced through social institutions to
govern behavior
- (order) the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation
to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method
Lease
- a contract outlining the terms under which one party agrees to rent
property owned by another party. It guarantees the lessee, the
tenant, use of an asset and guarantees the lessor, the property owner
or landlord, regular payments from the lessee for a specified number
of months or years

16. Liable
- responsible by law; legally answerable
Library
- a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made
accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing
Long-lived
- living or lasting a long time
Masonry
- the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in
and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the
units themselves

17. Mauve
- a pale purple color named after the mallow flower
Mayonnaise
- a thick, creamy dressing often used as a condiment
Miniature
- (especially of a replica of something) of a much smaller size than
normal; very small
Mischievous
- (of a person, animal, or their behavior) causing or showing a fondness
for causing trouble in a playful way

18. Moot
- subject to debate, dispute, or uncertainty, and typically not admitting
of a final decision
Neutral
- not helping or supporting either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.;
impartial
Nuptial
- of or relating to marriage or weddings
Often
- frequently; many times

19. Ordinance
- an authoritative order; a decree
Orient
- a pearl of great luster
- the luster of a pearl
Ostensibly
- apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually
Parliament
- a legislative, elected body of government. Generally a
modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate,
making laws, and overseeing the government (i.e., hearings, inquiries)

20. Percolate
- (of a liquid or gas) filter gradually through a porous surface or
substance
Peremptory
- (especially of a person's manner or actions) insisting on immediate
attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way
Pernickety
- British term for persnickety
Perspire
- give out sweat through the pores of the skin as the result of heat,
physical exertion, or stress

21. Pollute
- contaminate (water, air, or a place) with harmful or poisonous
substances
Potable
- safe to drink; drinkable
Precautions
- a measure taken in advance to prevent something dangerous,
unpleasant, or inconvenient from happening
Prerogative
- a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class

22. Prescription
- an instruction written by a medical practitioner that authorizes a
patient to be provided a medicine or treatment
Probably
- almost certainly; as far as one knows or can tell
Pronunciation
- the way in which a word is pronounced
Prostate
- a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis
Realtor
- A person or business that sells or leases out real estate, acting as an
agent for the property owner

23. Relevant
- closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand
Respite
- a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant
Sherbet
- a frozen fruit-flavored mixture, similar to an ice, but with milk, egg white,
or gelatin added
Silicon
- a chemical element with symbol Si and atomic number 14
Sneaked
- (past tense: sneaked; past participle: sneaked) move or go in a furtive or
stealthy manner

24. So
- to such a great extent
- to the same extent (used in comparisons)
Spay
- the surgical removal of the reproductive organs of female dogs and
neutering is the surgical removal of a male dog's testicles
Stamp
- an act of stamping the foot, paw or hoof
Stub
- a low pollard, a tree cut and allowed to regrow from the trunk

25. Suite
- a set of rooms designated for one person's or family's use or for a
particular purpose
Supposedly
- according to what is generally assumed or believed (often used to
indicate that the speaker doubts the truth of the statement)
Supremacist
- an advocate of the supremacy of a particular group, especially one
determined by race or sex
Tack
- a small, sharp, broad-headed nail

26. Take for granted
- fail to properly appreciate (someone or something), especially as a
result of overfamiliarity
Tenet
- a principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion
or philosophy.
Tenter hooks
- hooks used to fasten cloth on a drying frame or tenter
Triathlon
- a multiple-stage competition involving the completion of three
continuous and sequential endurance disciplines

27. Utmost
- of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, or the like; greatest: of the
utmost importance
Verbiage
- speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical
expressions