You're Saying It Wrong
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You're Saying It Wrong
From KMUW Studios and part of the NPR Podcast Network, You're Saying It Wrong is a podcast that looks at what we get wrong—and what we sometimes get right—when it comes to this English language. Hosted by KMUW's Fletcher Powell, each episode features a conversation with the sister and brother who wr...
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Euphemisms
We'll be happy to tell you what this episode is about just as soon as we get back from using the bathroom—I mean, the restroom—I mean, the washroom—I...
If We Knew You Were Comin' We'd've Baked a Cake
Today we address a couple of listener questions, including one about the Third Conditional (???), before moving on to a quiz about Middle English vs....
Register and Power
Today we have a wide-ranging discussion about the words we use, when we use them, and the enormous power they can have.
Broadening Our Horizons
Sometimes words get a whole lot less specific over time, and sometimes people get really mad about that!
Beginnings and Endings
We look at how a tiny little prefix or suffix can completely change the meaning of a word. Or how it could do nothing at all!
Banished and Un-Banished Words
We finish our discussion of the words people would like to see banned from the English language in 2026 and then we uncover some uncommonly odd things...
Banish These Words! (Some of them... at least for a little while)
We go through a list of words people want to banish in 2026 and then take a swing over to the weird world of contractions. You ain't heard nothin' yet...
Valentine's Day, When Our Thoughts Turn to Lufu
We explore all sorts of love and love-related words as we honor St. Valentine (and some other unexpected saints).
[Re]Bracketing
We look at how much a word can change if we just give it a little nudge this way or that, which leads us into a discussion of how certain Arabic words...
Chances Are... You're Spelling It Wrong
We look at the top 10 most commonly misspelled words. Watch those double letters!
It's a Cold One Out There!
It's been a strange winter so far, so let's talk about some strange winter words! Brrrrrrrrrr!!!
Either/Or
We indulge in one of our favorite pastimes: quibbling over tiny differences in the way people say things. What fun!
Feeling French (and Fancy)
We all like to feel a bit fancy from time to time, but when we turn to French, it can get us in trouble.
The 2025 Words of the Year
We continue our annual tradition of looking back at the words that defined the year, as chosen by dictionaries, listeners... and us!
Let's See What Sticks
As we reach the end of the year, we get some grab-bag whiplash with English questions and conundrums from all over the language spectrum.
A Plethora of Plurals! (Encore)
What could be more fun for the holidays than digging into the bizarre world of Latin and Greek plurals? Nothing! That's what! (This episode originally...
Abbrs.
We extend our quiz about abbreviated words into a second episode, and Kathy learns that people don't always do things just to look fancy (a lot of the...
Mailbag Day!
We answer a few listener questions, including one about a changing pronunciation that drives one person nuts, and another about abbreviations that lea...
It's a Thanksgiving Feast!
In celebration of Thanksgiving and all the food that comes with it, we’ll take an etymological trip around the dinner plate.
Grab Bag Day!
After an extended discussion about plurals, Kathy and Ross give Fletcher a wide-ranging quiz on grammar, pronunciation, etymology, and whatever else t...
Going for Gold on the SAT
We return to our series looking at the hardest words ever found on the SAT by exploring the letter "G."
Frankenwords
We mark Día de los Muertos with some words about the dead, some of which have been brought back to life, and some that should have remained dead.
It's Spooky Season!
We celebrate the season by taking a look at the origins of some Halloween-related words, and we introduce two of the most horrifying words we've ever...
More Weird Word Origins
We return to one of our favorite topics: the surprising and strange origins of everyday words.
Getting a Little Too Fancy
After we talk a bit about some British/American English pronunciation differences, we'll take a look at a few words that listeners think are simply to...
Pet Peeve-a-Palooza! (Part 2)
We continue sifting through the language complaints that drive our listeners up the wall.
Pet Peeve-a-Palooza! (Part 1)
We've been asking, you've delivered! It's time to tackle our pile of listener pet peeves. Get ready to be annoyed! (In a good way.)
Calques
We look at word-for-word translations from other languages that become common phrases in English.
Getting an F on the SAT
No, this time the F isn't for for Fail, it's for Fun! And Fantastic! And Fabulous! We return to our series looking at the hardest words ever found on...
A message from You're Saying It Wrong
Hey everyone, a little bit of bad news this week. We weren’t able to record a new show due to some unforeseen circumstances. But you can always dive b...
Irish Names Are My Pet Piamh
A listener email prompts us to try to get a handle on Irish spellings and pronunciations. It doesn't go well!
An E-Prime Cut of Beef
What happens when you remove an entire verb from the English language? Chaos! Well, not quite. But it used to cause Kathy quite a bit of consternation...
In the Heighths
We tackle a few listener emails about some unusual pet peeves, including people tacking an extra sound on the end of the word "height," and another wo...
Petty Pet Peeves for Persnickety Pedants
We'll dive into some common mistakes and pet peeves we have regarding the literary world, and then Kathy and Ross challenge Fletcher to another round...
The Graham Cracker Rule of 'Those Ones'
Pet peeves, grammar groaners, and other language catastrophes are on the agenda this week, as we come up with a rock-solid rule grammatical rule that...
The Secret of -nym
Homonyms, synonyms, antonyms... we'll look at some "wordly" similarities and differences, and explore the vague space in between.
It's Summertime, and the Etymology is... Questionable
We'll look at the surprising origins of some common summer-related words, phrases, and idioms.
American History Needs a Little Copy Editing
We'll look at some questionable language decisions the American Founding Fathers made when writing some of the country's most important documents.
Suffix Fight!
Collectable or collectible? Why is it a computer and not a computor? Or is it? We look at the confusing and sometimes (seemingly) chaotic world of suf...