I had always called "hummingbirds" "honeybirds", because they ate the nectar (which I thought was honey) from the flowers. I called them that, despite my mother correcting me every time, for years and years, until I learned how to read and finally saw it spelled out.
A childhood belief about birds

others believed things like this
- When I was little i thought lb for pounds was pronounced lubs, and i called them that for 2 years. Anon
- My mom used to think "preschool" was called "pretty school" until a few years later.— Molly
- My daughter thought bumblebees were baby hummingbirds. — Carolyn
- When I was little - before we learned cursive - my sister and I called it 'real writing'. — Monty
- When I first started learning to read I was convinced that vowels were called barnacles.— Andy Howell
- I believed that the breed of dog called Boxer was called that because they could stand up and box.Anon