So leave “begs the question” where it technically belongs - in the realm of logic and law - and use the (correct) “raises the question” when that’s what you’re trying to say. In spite of popular thought, “begs the question” is not a smart-sounding way of saying “raises the question.” It’s actually a formal logic term that means trying to prove something based on a premise that itself needs to be proved. This begs the question as to whether Fidelity’s new funds incur any hidden costs or fees.” “Fidelity might have fired the last salvo by eliminating fees entirely. (We’ve omitted attributions to protect the well-meaning writers who unwittingly committed the errors) Here, excerpted from our new book, That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means, are nine terms or words that sound smart but when used incorrectly make you sound the opposite, along with real examples of their being misused, drawn from business news reports, research publications, and corporate press releases. Think it can’t happen to you? We’ve heard horror stories: people laughing behind a prominent CEO’s back for his not understanding the correct use of a business term a corporate lawyer saying “tenant” (a renter) instead of “tenet” (a belief) an employee toasting her supervisor as the “penultimate” leader (which doesn’t mean “ultimate” but instead means “next to last”). But if you make that kind of mistake, it sets you up for a question that no one wants clients, coworkers, or employers to begin asking: “Are you really that smart?” Sure, saying the wrong word (usually) isn’t a game-changer. Although they do this in an effort to sound intelligent and sophisticated, it backfires badly, because even one small slip-up can cause an audience to focus on only that, not the speaker’s ideas. 10.Many times, especially in business settings, people use words that they think they know - but don’t. we just can't bring ourselves to pronounce this one right. The proof: Don't think this one needs proof. How it's really pronounced: Come-fer-ta-bull If you've been pronouncing this one right, good on you, but there are a ton of people who, for some reason, have been adding an extra "eee" for reasons completely unknown. The proof: The "R" comes BEFORE the "E", not the other way around, but the letters still seem to get switched up when the word goes from our brains to our mouths. How it's really pronounced: Pri-scrip-shun We're not even going to touch Wednesday! 7. But the "R" is NOT silent! You're supposed to pronounce the "R"! But it's important to note that most dictionaries list multiple pronunciations for the word since the silent "R" pronunciation has been so widely accepted, while other dictionaries ( like the Collins dictionary) stand by the pronounced "R". The proof: This one is painful to come to terms with since everyone assumes the "R" is silent (since that's literally how EVERYONE pronounces it). How it's really pronounced: Feb- ru-air-ey So, let's just say I'm a great writer, but pronunciation definitely isn't my for-tay. Or is that just us? Anyway, this word is really one syllable and is pronounced like the french word it originates from: fort. The proof: So, you've been pronouncing this word wrong, wrong, wrong your entire life, and it was probs in your quest to sound smart, too (since who really says forte in normal conversations?). But here's the dictionary confirmation just in case you aren't quite convinced: 5. Since we can all agree that meter is pronounced "meet-er," that should be proof enough we've been pronouncing this word all kinds of wrong for a long time. The proof: Well, a kilometer is 1,000 meters. How it's really pronounced: Kill- o-meet-er
The proof: There's no explanation for why people, far and wide, pronounce this word "exetera," so we're just going to let the all-knowing dictionary voice explain this one. It's literally spelled the way it's pronounced.
If you need more proof, though, here it is pronounced by an all-knowing dictionary voice.
Not sure where the nonexistent "R" we all add to the end of this word came from.
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