Nucular

This article is about the mispronunciation and/or misspelling of the word nuclear.

While no dictionaries list this mispronunciation as correct, some recognize it because of its increased usage.

Notes

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Merriam-Webster receive enough questions about their mention of this mispronunciation in the dictionary that it is one of two mispronunciations which receive particular mention in their FAQ. "Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in \-kyə-lər\ have been found in widespread use among educated speakers, including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, United States cabinet members, and at least two United States presidents and one vice president. While most common in the United States, these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers."

American Heritage Dictionary:

"The pronunciation (noo'kyə-lər), which is generally considered incorrect, is an example of how a familiar phonological pattern can influence an unfamiliar one … [since] much more common is the similar sequence (-kyə-lər), which occurs in words like particular, circular, spectacular, and in many scientific words like molecular, ocular, and vascular."

Notable users

U.S. presidents who have used this pronunciation include Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Others who have used this pronunciation include Vice Presidents Walter Mondale and Dick Cheney, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Star Trek actor DeForest Kelley, actor Kiefer Sutherland in his role as Jack Bauer in the TV series 24, Homer Simpson and Professor Marcus du Sautoy in a 2011 BBC documentary called "Faster Than The Speed Of Light".

Motivation

Steven Pinker has proposed a phonotactic explanation for the conversion of nuclear to nucular: the unusual and disfavored sequence [kli.ər] is gradually transformed to a more acceptable configuration via metathesis. However, Arnold Zwicky notes that [kli.ər] presents no difficulty for English speakers in words such as pricklier. He also regards the proposition of metathesis as unnecessary. Zwicky suggests a morphological origin, combining the slang nuke with the common sequence -cular (molecular, particular, etc.). Supporting Zwicky's hypothesis, Geoffrey Nunberg quotes a government weapons specialist: "Oh, I only say 'nucular' when I'm talking about nukes." Nunberg argues that this pronunciation by weapons specialists and by politicians such as Bush – who are aware of the more accepted pronunciation – may be a "deliberate choice". He suggests that the reasons for this choice are to "assert authority" or to sound folksy.

See also

• Bushism
• Strategery
• U.S. Presidents IQ hoax