Misheard Sentence Examples

It's not uncommon for someone who hears a word said out loud to confuse it with another word that sounds similar (or even identical) when spoken. When this happens, the result is what linguists would call an eggcorn. Someone hearing the word "acorn" for the first time could actually think the speaker is saying "eggcorn," so this term that has no other meaning has come to be used to describe this phenomenon.

“Put it catty-corner from the TV,” you call out to your new spouse, hoisting another heavy moving box into your arms. “Don’t you mean ‘kitty-corner’?” they call back. You set the box down with a thump as you stare at each other. “How can I be with a person who says it like that?” you each think. Don’t call the divorce lawyer yet, because guess what — you’re both wrong.