There are certain words and phrases that, thanks to theseTV shows, I now hear differently in my head. Severalridiculous TV show charactersare remembered for an array of strange qualities, butI always love it when someone’s diction is so unique that I can hear their voice for long after the episode finishes.
It’s worth noting that the pronunciations of these words and phrases aren’t because of a character’s specific accent or use of language. Instead, these are examples of characters who fail to pronounce something correctly because they’re too busy trying to imitate someone, are trying to sound fancy, have a gap in their knowledge, or simply don’t care.
8"Fish ‘N Chips" - The Gang
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia - Season 14, Episode 8: “Paddy’s Has A Jumper”
I think “Paddy’s Has a Jumper” is one ofthe best episodes ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but there is one element of it that never fails to ignore me. The gang is obsessed with watching what appears to be a knockoffBridgertonon an unnamed streaming service, and they are determined to finish further episodes while tucking into portions of fish and chips. However,they attempt to say it like the British, but ultimately fail.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Cast
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a television series that premiered in 2005, chronicling the chaotic lives of four self-involved friends running an Irish pub in Philadelphia. Their misguided decisions and skewed perspectives often result in amusing and uncomfortable situations, complicating their professional and personal relationships.
As someone from the UK, it hurts my eardrums when they refer to it as “Fish ‘n Chips,” and pronounce it the same way as cookies ‘n cream or rock ‘n roll. While fish ‘n chips isn’t technically incorrect,the British don’t tend to actually pronounce it this way, and it’s simply fish and chips. Even when the “‘N” abbreviation is used, nobody puts the same emphasis into the syllable as the Paddy’s gang does. However, it makes me chuckle every time, although I find it impossible to tune out when rewatching “Paddy’s Has a Jumper.”
7"Donger" (Not Danger) - Jack Danger
Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season 2, Episode 8: “USPIS”
It’s great to see any ofThe Officeactors inBrooklyn Nine-Nine, and in the episode “USPIS,” Ed Helms is introduced as Jack Danger. Helms’ character is an irritating and overly confident USPIS agent who constantly thinks he knows better than anyone at the NYPD, but that isn’t the most infuriating thing about him.
Despite the way his surname is spelled, Jack is adamant that it’s pronounced “Donger.”What’s hilarious about this is that many people will change the pronunciation of their name to something that sounds cooler, and Jack has the perfect opportunity here. Nobody would question the pronunciation of Danger, yet Jack continues to say his surname correctly.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
From the creative minds of Dan Goor and Michael Schur comes Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a police comedy series set in the NYPD’s fictional 99th precinct. Headed by the comedically serious Captain Raymond Holt and protagonist Jake Peralta, the detectives of the 99 deal with burglaries, drug deals, and oddities in New York City, occasionally steering into real-world issues surrounding police perception and social concerns in the 2010s and earlier. Each detective has their own unique personality that makes them stand out, creating endearing dynamics that helped the show thrive for eight seasons.
While I admire his honesty, it’s a little weird. However, this episode now means thatI cannot hear the word danger any differently in my head. It’s a shame that Jack Danger isn’t a more likeable character, otherwise this association would be more positive for me, but the fact I love so many odd pronunciations from Helms’ various TV characters makes up for it.
6"Baggle" - Britta Perry
Community - Season 1, Episode 17: “Physical Education”
There are many things Britta Perry is mocked for inCommunity, but the most ridiculous is easily how she says the word bagel. In theCommunityseason 1 episode “Physical Education,” Jeff knocks a bag of bagels onto the study group room floor just as Britta enters, whereshe casually refers to them as “Baggles.”Of course, Britta’s explanation for this is because she used to live in New York (her excuse for pretty much anything, a lot of the time).
Community
Community is a comedic television series that chronicles the lives of diverse students at Greendale Community College, a fictional and notoriously underperforming educational institution in Colorado. Released in 2009, the show explores the quirky interactions and relationships among the eclectic group navigating their academic and personal challenges.
There are some words that others pronounce differently because of various reasons, like their upbringing and preferred dialect, or even because they’ve never had the chance to use it properly in conversation. However, there’s no way Britta lived in New York for that long and didn’t hear the correct pronunciation at least once. Clearly,Community’s “Britta’d” gagis relevant in this instance, andit’s impressive she manages to mess up such a simple word, especially as the spelling of bagel doesn’t really make sense with the way she says it.
5"EncycloPAYdia” - Ted Mosby
How I Met Your Mother - Several Episodes
The most obvious mispronunciation of Ted Mosby’s inHow I Met Your Motheris of the word encyclopedia. Technically, “encyclopaedia,” is an alternate spelling too, but the “ae” sound doesn’t actually change. Even when written as “encyclopaedia,” Ted is still pronouncing it incorrectly.The pretentious emphasis on the “PAY” part is Ted’s attempt to sound intelligent, but his stubbornness about being right makes the fact he is wrong even more embarrassing for him.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is a television series that follows a father telling his children about his past. Released in 2005, it explores his experiences and adventures with four close friends, leading up to meeting their mother, as depicted through a series of flashbacks.
Despite knowing Ted isn’t right, I can’t help but hear “EncycloPAYdia” in my head. Even if I’m not in the middle of rewatching the show, Ted Mosby’s voice still crops up when I come across the word. It makes sense that this results in one ofHow I Met Your Mother’s interventions, because if I were a friend of Ted’s, I’d find it impossible not to call him out on the unbelievably ludicrous pronunciation of encyclopedia.
4"Shamil-E-On" (Chameleon) - Ted Mosby
How I Met Your Mother - Season 6, Episode 19: “Legendaddy”
Another great mispronunciation from Ted Mosby is in the season 6 episode “Legendaddy.” While discussing the fact that everyone has different gaps in their knowledge,Robyn reminds Ted of when he pronounced chameleon as “Shamil-e-on” during one of his college lectures. What’s great about this flashback is that Ted continues to say it this way multiple times within a few seconds, but he fails to notice the rather obviously confused faces of his students.
What’s great about this flashback is that Ted continues to say it this way multiple times within a few seconds, but he fails to notice the rather obviously confused faces of his students.
The college students aren’t trying to be mean to Ted, but at the same time, they aren’t exactly hiding their reactions either. However, this moment also proves that out of all ofTed’s girlfriends inHow I Met Your Mother,Robyn is one ex who isn’t afraid to point out his absurdities. Ted is also dating Zoey at this point, and considering she previously joined his architecture class to protest his work on the Arcadia, it’s probably a good thing the “Shamil-e-on” debacle seems to occur long before they meet.
3"Identi-FY" - Ross Geller
Friends - Season 6, Episode 4: “The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance”
Hilariously, another word I hear differently in my head thanks to a TV show also comes from a situation in which a college professor mispronounces something. For a baffling reason I am still unable to fully understand,Ross Geller decides to adopt a British accent when talking to his classin one ofthe most underrated episodes ofFriends, “The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance.”
There are several comical issues with his diction, and considering his engagement to Emily just a couple of years before, I’m surprised Ross’ British accent isn’t better. One word that always hits my eardrums, however, is identify.Ross puts a lot of pressure on the “fy” sound, and his pronunciation of “Identi-FY” sounds more like an amalgamation of various generic Western accents rather than specifically British.
Friends
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
I appreciate that Ross panics and wants to make a good impression on his students, and so isn’t paying much attention to whether or not the accent sounds accurate, but I now can’t hear the word identify without also hearing him.
2"New York Citaaay" - Laszlo Cravensworth
What We Do In The Shadows - Season 4, Episode 8: “Go Flip Yourself”
The “New York City” line is easily one ofLaszlo’s funniest quotes inWhat We Do in the Shadows. The way many of Matt Berry’s characters pronounce certain words or phrases is always brilliant, but the extended syllable in “Citaaay” never fails to make me laugh, and it’s no surprise that this scene is such a viral moment.Laszlo calls Simon “The most devious bastard in New York Citaaay” after the villain steals the cursed hatback from him.
What We Do in the Shadows
What We Do in the Shadows, released in 2019, is a mockumentary series exploring the nightly lives of a group of centuries-old vampires residing in Staten Island. The comedic show delves into their interactions with each other and the modern world, providing a humorous take on the vampire genre.
Simon the Devious crafts an entire home renovation show, which Laszlo quickly falls in love with watching, purely to access the vampires’ home. Considering this, I think Laszlo’s comment is perfectly okay, but the added flair to his diction is nothing short of comical. While there are hundreds of associations to New York, I will forever hear the name of the city in Laszlo’s voice in my head.
1"Sonturun" (Sontaran) - Donna Noble
Doctor Who - Season 4, Episodes 4 & 5: “The Sontaran Stratagem” & “The Poison Sky”
Although it’s fair that Donna Noble struggles to pronounce Sontaran, especially as it’s an alien name and not something she’d typically use in conversation, it still makes me giggle when she calls them “Sonturuns.” In theDoctor Whotwo-part story“The Sontaran Stratagem” and “The Poison Sky,”Donna incorrectly names the aliens several times. My favorite instance, however, is when she is on the phone to the Doctor while stuck in the TARDIS.
Doctor Who
An alien from the planet Gallifrey travels through time and space to explore, solve problems and fight injustice while also making friends with human beings. His spaceship, called TARDIS, resembles a police box, but it is much more than it appears to be.
Donna proves herself as the Tenth Doctor’s best companionduring this moment. Despite fearing the Sontaran guarding the TARDIS door will kill her if she’s spotted, she also knows the Doctor needs her help. While the fear-induced adrenaline keeps her on her toes, Donna’s hilarity is still at the forefront of this scene when she refers to the alien as a “Sonturun.”It’s brilliant that she immediately corrects herselfthis time, given the situation, but it makes it even funnier.
