Crimes of Illiteracy

Mispronunciations

accompanist

Nearly everyone says “accompanyist” - particularly those who use me as theirs.

dour

It sounds like "doer." It doesn't rhyme with "sour."

err

Technically, it rhymes with "fur," as in, "To err is human; to purr, feline." (I can't remember where I first read that.)

forte

The music term meaning "loud" (snobby musicians will correct me and say that it really means "strong") is "for-tay." If you're talking about a skill that you're good at, it's one syllable: "fort."

Gouda

I was surprised to learn, from a sign in the Ninth Avenue Cheese Market, that the name of this cheese rhymes with “chow-da,” not “Buddha.”

short-lived

The second part rhymes with “survived,” since the term comes from the noun “life” (not the verb “to live”).