If lawyers could remember to avoid just five common mispronunciations, what would they be? These are the words:
applicable
comparable
often
realtor
substantive
Say them aloud. Then see whether you used the preferable (PREF-uh-ruh-buhl) pronunciations:
applicable (accent on the first syllable, not the second)
comparable (same)
often (silent t)
realtor (two syllables, not three)
substantive (three syllables [/SUB-stuhn-tiv/], not four, and accent on the first syllable)
As a speaker, you may (or may not) gain points for impeccable pronunciation—because many people don’t care. But you’re sure to lose points with listeners who do.
Further reading:
Garner’s Modern English Usage 736–38 (4th ed. 2016).
Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage 719–20 (3d ed. 2011).
Antonin Scalia & Bryan A. Garner Making Your Case 144–46 (2008).
LawProse Lesson #253: Commonly mispronounced words.
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