Do say: February (Feb-roo-air-ee) | Don't say: Febuary (Feb-you-air-ee)
We don't like two syllables in succession with an [r] so some of us dump the first one in this word. Most dictionaries now accept the single [r] pronunciation but, if you have an agile tongue, you may want to shoot for the original. Do say: federal (fed-err-all) | Don't say: fedral (fed-rall) Syncopation of an unaccented vowel is fairly common in rapid speech but in careful speech it should be avoided. Do say: film | Don't say: fillum We also do not like the combination [l] + [m]. Try to resist adding another vowel in between these consonants. Do say: fiscal | Don't say: fisical Some people pronounce the monetary term fiscal the same way they’d pronounce the word physical. But these words should not be confused with each other. Do say: foliage (foh-lee-age) | Don't say: foilage (foy-ull-age) Remember, the [i] comes after the [l], as in related folio. Do say: for all intents and purposes | Don't say: for all intensive purposes This may be another surprise for people who have been pronouncing this phrase as for all intensive purposes. The younger generation is mispronouncing this phrase so intensively that it has become popular both as a mispronunciation and misspelling. Do say: forte (for-tay) | Don't say: fort (fort) If you’re speaking about a military stronghold building, use the word fort. If you’re describing a music phrase played at a stronger volume, use forte. Do say: founder | Don't say: flounder As verbs, both words have similar meanings with flounder meaning to make a lot of errors or to have trouble moving; however, to founder is to totally fail. Do say: foyer | Don't say: foy-ay It’s tempting to make the elegant entrance to a home sound extra fancy with a French pronunciation. However, in American English, you can say “foy-ur.”
