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Epitome vs Epitomy

Who knew that "epitomy" isn't even a word?! The word is "epitome" and sounds like epitomy, not epi-tome (rhyming with home). I just learned this earlier and it blew my mind.

I had always thought epitomy meant something along the lines of "the very definition of" something, while "epitome" was a separate version of the word meaning more like "the height of" as in the epitome of stupidity.

Fuckin A, right??
 
When I was younger I said "epitomy" to a co-worker and left work feeling like the dumbest person on the planet.
 
Who knew that "epitomy" isn't even a word?! The word is "epitome" and sounds like epitomy, not epi-tome (rhyming with home). I just learned this earlier and it blew my mind.

I had always thought epitomy meant something along the lines of "the very definition of" something, while "epitome" was a separate version of the word meaning more like "the height of" as in the epitome of stupidity.

Fuckin A, right??

Spell check fixed this error for me 15 years ago.
 
When I was younger I said "epitomy" to a co-worker and left work feeling like the dumbest person on the planet.

Wait, no. If you just say the word "epitomy" then you're still ok, since the correct word is epitome but pronounced like epitomy (as you said it). It's if you say the word epi-tome that you're an idiot like me.

Don't worry, it just means you have something in common with Shia Labeouf.

https://youtu.be/j5j3jypUCo8?t=4

Fuck.

Edit: idc Shias cool. So it's officially a word now I think.
 
Even though I know it's pronounced "epitomy", but spelled "epitome", whenever I read the word, in my head every single time I pronounce it in my head as "epi-tome" (rhyme with "home")
 
It also means a summary, which I believe is closer its original meaning - "a shallow (short) cut".

Edit: Actually it was probably closer to "to cut short".
 
The one which got me recently was remuneration as opposed to renumeration.

The former makes a lot of sense and is the correct spelling, but I always assumed it was the latte.
 
Yup found this out less than 2 years ago when I pronounced it wrong to a friend of a friend, felt real dumb when he corrected me. But he was always kind of an ass anyway so that didn't help.
 
The one which got me recently was remuneration as opposed to renumeration.

The former makes a lot of sense and is the correct spelling, but I always assumed it was the latte.

I've hardly ever seen and I dont think ever used that word...but I thought it was renumeration also. I have much to learn.

Even the gaf favorite "hyperbole" for a long time I thought was pronounced hyper-bowl. Then I kept hearing people like Colin Moriarty saying the word hy-per-bu-lee and I connected the dots.
 
A Calvin and Hobbes strip taught me the correct pronunciation.
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Wait, no. If you just say the word "epitomy" then you're still ok, since the correct word is epitome but pronounced like epitomy (as you said it). It's if you say the word epi-tome that you're an idiot like me.



Fuck.

Edit: idc Shias cool. So it's officially a word now I think.

Fuck Shia

Even though his political leanings are congruent with mine, his face is fucked up and his movies are leagely shit
 
You may be pronouncing "forte" incorrectly as well. You should pronounce the word forte, meaning something that is one’s strong point, identically to the word fort, and reserve the FOR-tay pronunciation only for the musical term.
 
You may be pronouncing "forte" incorrectly as well. You should pronounce the word forte, meaning something that is one’s strong point, identically to the word fort, and reserve the FOR-tay pronunciation only for the musical term.

This one legit fucked me up when I first heard about it.
 
You may be pronouncing "forte" incorrectly as well. You should pronounce the word forte, meaning something that is one's strong point, identically to the word fort, and reserve the FOR-tay pronunciation only for the musical term.

What in the hell?! Are you kidding? Off to google again...

Edit: Dear lord...
 
I had the same realisation with remuneration not that long ago. And in the very rare times I might say it I will now say it properly.

But pronouncing Epitome and Forte wrong is almost better these days because the second I use those with the correct pronunciation I will be getting looked at like im an idiot. And then I have to explain it and so on and so on lol.
 
OP, I am your kindered spirit --

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=232739422&highlight=epitome#post232739422

THis is almost exactly what you're saying, except I spelled them the same way:

The Albatross said:
As I once posted in another thread ("Misconceptions that you believed for a long time") --

I thought that there were two separate words, "Epitome" and "Epitome."
  • Epitome: Pronounced like "Epi - Tome," (rhymes with steppy-foam) and I thought that it was a word that would be a synonym for "Zenith," sort of like "epicenter" is the central point of something, I thought that the word epi-tome meant like the highest point of something.
  • Epitome: Pronounced like how it's pronounced by normal humans (eh-pit-tomy), which means a perfect example of something.

Couple with the guitar maker, this then fucked up my spelling/comprehension of the word Epiphany and Epiphone. For years, I assumed that the guitar maker's name was pronounced like Epiphany, because why not (Epitome... Epiphone), and would regularly misspell the word Epiphany as Epiphone.

You may be pronouncing "forte" incorrectly as well. You should pronounce the word forte, meaning something that is one's strong point, identically to the word fort, and reserve the FOR-tay pronunciation only for the musical term.

Not really, there's no definitive pronunciation because it's a word that different English-speaking communities have borrowed from French or Italian. The French might have said "le fort" for a strong point, which isn't even pronounced "Fort" but more like the English word "for," while the Italians would have pronounced it "forte," just as most English speakers pronounce it today. In Commonwealth English, 'forte' (for-tay) became much more common. The fact that saying "Tom Brady's fort is the crossing route" would make you look like an idiot to 90% of native English speakers is good enough reason to continue using "for-tay." But even then, if you're going to insist on the French pronunciation you should probably be really insistent on saying "for" instead of "fort."
 
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