Commonly Confusing
February 26th, 2010
This one isn’t precisely a commonly confused as much as it is a commonly annoyed—for me. This particular duo is in fact one word pronounced and used correctly and another word that is often used instead. Sort of the way Calvary and cavalry are mispronounced; this is also more about diction than it is about spelling, but bear with me.
Jewelry vs. Joolery.
Pretty obvious, right? One is obviously correct, one is so not. I never mispronounce that word, you say to yourself. And maybe you don’t. But sooo many do. Pay attention next time you’re watching television, a movie, or eavesdropping. It so often comes out joolery. Diction, people! One is right, the other wrong. One means pretty, shiny, expensive adornments, the other means…nothing!
Diction is another of those ideas that seems to have lost (most) some of its popularity in the past few decades. Knowing how to spell a word is one thing, pronouncing it should (must!) be a priority.
Okay, climbing off my soap box.
“Hey,” Myron protested, “what happened to my joolery box?”
“I threw it out, Myron,” Natasha said snottily. “If you can’t pronounce jewelry properly you don’t deserve it!”
Thank you.