About the show
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 wrote the book on it. Literally. You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse is by Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras.On June 24, 2022, You’re Saying It Wrong received first place in Division B for Interview Podcasts from the Public Media Journalists Association. The awards recognize the best work in public media journalism from across the country.You're Saying It Wrong is available to public radio stations through PRX.
Newest episodes
A Classic(al) Battle
35 min
We look at the differences between words that appear to be almost exactly the same. Historic vs. Historical, Classic vs. Classical, Fantastic vs. Fantastical... Are they always the same? Are they ever the same?
Political Rhetoric
35 min
Just in time for the spoookiest day of the year (Election Day), we take a look at the ways politicians talk to us and try to win us to their side. We look at axiology in language, antithesis, epistrophe, deixis, and chiasmus, among other devices.
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All episodes
A Classic(al) Battle
35 min
We look at the differences between words that appear to be almost exactly the same. Historic vs. Historical, Classic vs. Classical, Fantastic vs. Fantastical... Are they always the same? Are they ever the same?
Political Rhetoric
35 min
Just in time for the spoookiest day of the year (Election Day), we take a look at the ways politicians talk to us and try to win us to their side. We look at axiology in language, antithesis, epistrophe, deixis, and chiasmus, among other devices.
Spooky Differences
31 min
We talk about one of the scariest of things: words that seem like they should mean the same thing but actually don't. Is a hobgoblin just a fancy goblin? What's the difference between a coffin and a casket? And why do people keep saying "autobiography" when they mean "memoir?"
Fall! Autumn! Fall! Autumn!
32 min
We look at the origins of some fall-related and autumn-related words. Which, to be clear, are the same thing.
Pragmatics!
32 min
We're talking about how we understand each other even when we're using techniques we don't realize we're using, and how we work together to communicate. We'll dive into Grice's Maxims of Conversation and the importance of implicature in everyday conversation.
Insults 2: Return of the Clunch
29 min
We continue our look into the etymologies of various (mild) insults, including the origins of rube, bum, schmuck, and dweeb. (You're none of these things, don't worry, we love you.)
Insults: The Blah-Blahs Are at the Gate
34 min
We look at the etymologies of various insults throughout history, including the origins of barbarian, brat, dunce, and fool.
Sh-sh-sh-shibboleths
36 min
Be careful how you say these words! It could be a matter of life and death.
Yep, still different
34 min
We gaze again into the ocean of difference between American English and British English.
Red Flags
35 min
Sometimes you read something that makes you throw the book against the wall, never to pick it up again.
Canadian English [ENCORE]
29 min
We've tackled the differences between American and British English, but let's not forget Canadians also have a language of their own.
Back to School!
39 min
Kathy and Ross throw Fletcher a devil of a grammar quiz as we all get set for back-to-school season.
Mailbag Day!
32 min
We answer some of your most burning questions as we take a dip into the ol' mailbag.
An (ahem) Odyssey Through Ancient Greek
32 min
For no reason whatsoever, we look at some words that come from Homer's famous tale and Ancient Greek more generally.
It's Summertime, and the Etymology is... Questionable [ENCORE]
29 min
We'll look at the surprising origins of some common summer-related words, phrases, and idioms.
Heading Down South
29 min
We take a road trip to the U.S. South to look at some place names that have some pretty surprising pronunciations. Bless our hearts (in a good way)!
Technically Speaking
30 min
We take another shot at figuring out what's good and bad about the technical uses of common words.
Getting Your House in Order
30 min
We look at the confusing, but surprisingly intuitive, world of adjective and adverb order and how we can know what we're doing without knowing what we're doing.
Technical Difficulties
34 min
This week, we look at the (sometimes huge) differences between the technical, specialized definitions of words, and what they mean to everybody else.
Congrats, Grads!
31 min
School's out, so we're celebrating all the new graduates by looking at the backgrounds of some graduation-related words.
More Unknown Knowns
31 min
We return to one of our favorite (and sometimes most confusing) topics: rules of English that we know instinctively, but that we have no idea we know.
Meh, Duh, D'oh, and Other Communicative Grunts
30 min
Today we make a lot of noise by exploring nonverbal vocalizations: all those sounds that aren't words, exactly, but that still carry a lot of meaning.
Common Grammar Controversies
30 min
To split infinitives or to not split them? (Ir)regardless, we'll dive into some everyday language arguments that get people all worked up.
How Tiny Differences Can Make a Huge... Difference
34 min
Oh, so you think those two words mean exactly the same thing? Not. Even. Close.
A Lowdown Dirty Spelling Quiz (Part 2)
33 min
Kathy and Ross did their darndest to stump Fletcher in last week's spelling quiz, to moderate success. How will things go this week? The thrilling conclusion...
A Lowdown Dirty Spelling Quiz
29 min
Kathy and Ross pull out all the stops to try to trick Fletcher with a new spelling quiz. Fletcher does his best to upset them.
Cymraeg
31 min
Kathy, Ross, and Fletcher try to tackle the Welsh language, with... questionable results. Look, we're all doing our best here.
Phonotactics!
30 min
Think you don't know what phonotactics are? Even our youngest English speakers do! You might just not realize it...
What's in a Name?
33 min
This week, Kathy and Ross challenge Fletcher to an epic eponym quiz, and somehow they detour again into an analysis of pavement. How? You'll have to listen to find out!
[Encore] Where Are the Beeves?
32 min
The plural of thief is thieves, so why isn't the plural of chief chieves? And as the old woman once said, where are the beeves??? On today's show, we tackle the tricky nuance of plurals and synonyms that aren't actually synonyms.
Euphemisms
30 min
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 mean, the facilities—I mean…
If We Knew You Were Comin' We'd've Baked a Cake
37 min
Today we address a couple of listener questions, including one about the Third Conditional (???), before moving on to a quiz about Middle English vs. Latin spellings.
Register and Power
32 min
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
31 min
Sometimes words get a whole lot less specific over time, and sometimes people get really mad about that!
Beginnings and Endings
32 min
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
32 min
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 about one particular prefix.
Banish These Words! (Some of them... at least for a little while)
33 min
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
38 min
We explore all sorts of love and love-related words as we honor St. Valentine (and some other unexpected saints).
[Re]Bracketing
35 min
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 made their way into English.
Chances Are... You're Spelling It Wrong
34 min
We look at the top 10 most commonly misspelled words. Watch those double letters!
It's a Cold One Out There!
36 min
It's been a strange winter so far, so let's talk about some strange winter words! Brrrrrrrrrr!!!
Either/Or
34 min
We indulge in one of our favorite pastimes: quibbling over tiny differences in the way people say things. What fun!
Feeling French (and Fancy)
29 min
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
33 min
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
37 min
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)
30 min
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 aired on 12/14/24.)
Abbrs.
34 min
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 time they do, though!).
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