The Funniest Words Kids Mispronounce

Most kids love wallymelo, but can they pronounce it? Photo courtesy of Canva
Most kids love wallymelo, but can they pronounce it? Photo courtesy of Canva
4/25/24 - By Nicole O'Donnell

English is a weird language! When kids are mastering it, there are loads of commonly mispronounced words, or words that kids use instead of the real name because they make more sense. On our Mommy Poppins Instagram and Facebook pages recently, we had a hilarious discussion about the funny words our kids mispronounce.

Some are sweet letter slip-ups, some are sound-alike mistakes, and some make lots of sense (a bra really is a "boobie mask" right? and "stunk" perfectly describes a skunk!).

We rounded up the funniest responses below. Reading them brings back some sweet memories! Can you add to it? Join the conversation!

Check out our Parenting Guide for more parent talk, from funny animal parenting memes to parenting tips from dads.

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1. “Heart beep instead of heartbeat. My 10-year-old still says this sometimes to be funny.” – Jaime L.

2. “Mombie instead of Mommy. I miss it so much!” – Lisa W.

3. “Fooghetti was spaghetti.” – Sara L.

4. “Boobie mask instead of bra.” – Megan M.

5. “Handcuffs equaled hand cops. I was sad when he started saying it correctly.” – Kelly E.

6. “Bubbies for bubbles.” – Justina R.

7. “Rectang-tang instead of rectangle. His preschool teacher and I promised each other to not correct him.” – Jamie A.

8. “Eeee dishes instead of delicious.” – Lisa H.

9. “Hand-uh-tizer: hand sanitizer and moo-stash was mustache.” – Jillian B.

10. “Thermometer was a thermonitor.” – Jessica C.

11. “Bingle Pig instead of guinea pig. She is now 14 and I still call them that.” - Janey O.

little girl plays with buttons on her dress

Who hasn't struggled with "butbuns"?

12. “My oldest called buttons butbuns. It was the saddest day of my life when she said it correctly.” – Amy M.

13. “Music is ‘gee’ for some reason. I’ll be sad the day she stops saying it wrong.” – Danielle M.

14. “McJuana, not Moana.” – Melissa D.

15. “Pop Tarts are ‘pop hearts’.” – Vanessa S.

16. “My daughter is 8 and still says “peedy butter and jelly. I honestly think she knows how to say it correctly now (right?) but it’s probably because I giggle every time she says it she won’t stop.” – Tracey B.

17. “My daughter would say stunk instead of skunk, because they stink. We still call them stunks.” – Laura M.

18. “Wahbrys were strawberries” – Cheir S.

19. “When I worked at Home Depot and we'd drive past it, my daughter would yell "Hoooome Beeepo!" Like it was coming in last during a horse race” – KarMar M.

20. “When I didn’t have an answer to something my 1-year-old granddaughter told me to ‘Gooble it’.” – Stacey F.

21. “Cala pitter for caterpillar and Storm Choochers for Storm Troopers.” – Connie C.

22. “Littery for literally, marote for remote, mow lawner for lawn mower, and last day for yesterday.” – Lindsay R.

23. “Cycle mo for motorcycle.” – Jaime T.

24. “Pasketti for spaghetti.” – Izabela C.

25. “Instead of water bottle it’s a ‘water bottom’.” – Stacy M.

26. “Exercise = ‘extra size’.” – Lisa D.

27. “Oh-chee instead of Orange! It was the cutest.” – Stephanie C.

28. “Pigpunk for chipmunk.” – Juli S.

29. “Merry-go-round flag instead of American flag. We let that ride a whole summer.” – Willow B.

30. “Hand sanitizer was hambetizer.” – Debbie S.

31. “Shrimp cocktail…she would say strimp cottontail.” – Shennen P.

32. “Lipskip for lipstick.” – Tracy C.

33. “Smoke snacks instead of smokestacks.” Jacqueline M.

34. “Wallymelo for watermelon.” – Sheri S.

35. “Pickups for hiccups.” – Alyssa B.

36. “Hershey kisses…horsey kisses.” – Jessica K.

37. “Bobby dutch for garbage truck.” – Jessica G.

38. “My older son couldn't say his ‘F's’ so every word that started with F was replaced with H. Hamily for family, hood for food, etc.” – Kate V.

39. “My daughter pronounced Jesus as Gahgus. We still say Thank you Gahgus.” – Mary Margaret B.

40. “My oldest used to say smooky instead of spooky. It was always my favorite.” – Kelly W.

41. “Anudder day for tomorrow. And last day for yesterday.” – Carrie S.

42. “Swimming soup…not swimming suit.” – Erika J.

43. “Missapeared instead of disappeared. But it’s missing so I think it’s brilliant.” – Jennifer W.

44. “Wood cream for whipped cream, acado for avocado, dokeydokes for artichokes.” – Melissa H.

45. “My daughter used to say hangaber instead of hamburger.” – Blanca N.

46. “Talater for Later. Because today, tomorrow, or talater were her options in her mind.” – Erica D.

47. “Polar snack for culdesac, yackes for glasses, pamote for remote, baby suit for bathing suite.” – Heather H.

48. “My oldest pronounced magazine “mazagine” for the longest time!” – Sarah K.

Child palying with a tv remote control.

No fighting over the marote, kids!

49. “Marote for remote, hoat canger for coat hanger, finkles and farkles for sprinkles and sparkles.” – Alice B.

50. “It’s not my fart (fault).” – Joanne R.

51. "Macker cheese for mac-n-cheese, shake cheese for Parmesan, roll around egg for boiled egg, dream for drain. ("Wook, mom, the water is going down the dream.') – Stephanie L.

52. “Yook for look, hambidder for hamburger, pasghetti gunction- spaghetti junction, and symonim- cinnamon.”– Sarah K.

53. “My oldest would say “neckerize” instead of recognize and it was hilarious.” – Amy V.

54. “D’nnoying for annoying.” – Mea L.

55. “IBPotion for ibuprofen. We still call it IBPotion to this day.” – Fonda L.

56. “Whobody else instead of who else. We still say this one on the regular.” – Stephanie L.

57. "Dee-doo was thank you. We were soooo bummed when that one went away.” – Kate V.

58. “My favorites include saningo for flamingo and blapes for grapes.” – Erin F.

59. “My oldest said dinohorse instead of dinosaur. It was my favorite.” – Jocelyn C.

60. “My son said poof taste for toothpaste. It was my favorite.” – Joey L.