speaking

When I was about 3 or 4, I used to get "I" and "you" the wrong way round. I would say "you" when I meant myself and "I" when I meant someone else. I was using the logic that other people referred to me as "you" and to themselves as "I", so therefore I should refer to myself as "you" and to them as "I". For example, at the dinner table I would say to my Mum "You want some of mine" when I meant "I want some of yours".

Alan, Sheffield, UK

I used to think that cattle was a kind of kettle, because it was a similar sounding word. I had a recurring dream about my parents filling the kettle and saying it was the cattle, and it made a funny noise, something like "Voontoom, voontoom, voontoom". The Christmas carol "Away in a manger" has a verse which says "The cattle are lowing and the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes". I thought that meant the kettles are whistling.

Alan

I used to think that the word "treefeller" was actually "treefella" and it was a little fella who did something with trees. I wasn't sure what though.

Katie

For years I was under the impression that the sailing boat that started with a 'y' was pronounced "yatchet".
No-one told me :-(

yacht boy

In first grade, the teacher was talking about how we should never take the things in our life for granted. I thouhgt she said take them for "granite", so i was like, I'm not gonna take things for granite-or consider them to be nothing more than a worthless piece of rock.

Holly

When I was little I misheard people when they said deaf. I thought they said 'Death'. I knew that it meant someone who couldn't hear though. So when ever my friends couldn't hear me I said "Are you death? I SAID --------"
Well I did this to a teacher. who kindly corrected me.

deaf

Every year the older kids in my school would give a little play, and all the younger kids would come in and watch. Well, the teacher called it a matennae (sp?) and i thought that she said Matt & A. Like the name of the show was that, and Matt & A (like for Amanda or Amy) were the stars. I was so excited, because i knew a boy named matt, who was older. My name starts with an A and i was hoping that they would have the same play later when i was older so i could be the A in Matt & A. He wasn't even in the play!! I was so confused. I didn't figure it out for 5 years what a matennae was

A

I thought Suitcases were Soupcases!

Anon

I was born and raised in NY, as were my parents. My teacher taught us colors in pre-school, and we had just learned "orange", and my teacher pronounced it "ohr-ange." Everytime I would say the word, my mom would correct me and say "ahr-ange." I finally concluded in my little mind that there must be a difference in pronunciation of the color and the fruit, but I didn't know which was which!!! So if I was ever asked to identify either, I would mumble the word because I wasn't sure if I was saying it right.

Matt

I used to think that the expression "The former or the latter?" was actually "The farmer or the ladder?"

Fitzwilliam

I always thought that if someone was said to be 'outspoken' that it meant that they were out-spoken, in the same sense as someone can be out-done; that they couldn't get a word in edge ways cos everyone would 'out-speak' them.

Layla

Until about a year ago, when I saw it written, I thought 'To kill a mocking bird' was 'Tequila mocking bird'

Layla

Until about a minute ago I thought the phrase, "It's a dog eat dog world." Was actually, "It's a doggy dog world." I feel so ashamed. I usually never misunderstand idioms.

14 year old girl

When I first heard the word "plebiscite", I guess because of its resemblance to parasite, I thought it must mean some kind of nasty little critter. To this day, I never hear the word without thinking of some small but rather fearsome animal.

Rhonda

I was a kid who loved to use big words. At 7 or 8, adults would be really impressed with the way I talked. However, most of my lingo came from just listening to people speak; my parents talking to one another, television, adults in public places conversing.
Well, I heard the word "thoroughly", but hadn't heard the word "thorough", so, for like, five years I thought the word was "thurral".
One Easter when I was about 13, after hours of searching for my prize egg, I had this conversation with my sister:
"But I've been really, really thurral!"
"You've been what?"
"You know, I've searched very thoroughly."
"Oh, you mean you've been thorough?"
"NO, I was thurral!"

She never let me live that one down.

Ari

I used to think the word "sane" was slang for "insane" so if one of my friends was bouncing off the walls, I'd tell them, "You're going 'sane!"

Anon to the nymous