Co-written with my AI sidekick, Andrew (aka ChatGPT).
Let me just start by saying:
I know I don’t pronounce everything perfectly.
Sometimes I’ve only read a word and never heard it out loud.
Sometimes English is not the only language bouncing around in my head.
And sometimes… I just say it wrong with confidence.
Sue me.
The word in question?
Alias.
But in one particular meeting, I said it – loud and proud – like: “a lie-us.”
I didn’t even know it was wrong until I got stopped mid-sentence and corrected… in front of the people that were in the room with me.
Not with a quiet, kind “hey just so you know…”
Nope.
It was more of a “let me repeat it three times with condescending emphasis while acting like you just committed a federal crime” type of vibe.
Me literally : 👁👄👁
It’s wild how one small moment can make you shrink inside. Not because you can’t handle being wrong, but because you just wanted to participate, to say something, to not be invisible. And instead of encouraging that, someone used it as an opportunity to make you feel small.
So here’s my thought for the day:
If someone mispronounces a word, please don’t turn it into their walk of shame.
It might be the first time they’ve ever said it out loud.
It might be a language thing.
It might be nerves.
It might be nothing – but either way, you don’t need to be the vocabulary police with a superiority complex.
There’s always a kinder way.
A quick private mention later. A gentle correction that doesn’t come wrapped in sarcasm.
A simple, “Oh, I think it’s pronounced like this – but honestly I didn’t know for years either.”
Because trust me – most people aren’t afraid of being corrected.
They’re afraid of being humiliated.
And once that happens, it’s a lot harder to raise your hand again.
***
Anyway, I may have said “a lie-us,” but at least I didn’t make someone feel like garbage for trying.
🌻Love, Loops