Texas Is Stumbling Over One Big Word This Year

I'm sure if you look through my search history, I'd be pretty embarrassed that all you'll find is that I'm just checking to see if I'm pronouncing a word right! The English language has never made things easy. We’ve all had that moment where we look at a word and think, “There’s no way that’s how that sounds.” From “colonel” to “Wednesday” to “gyro,” it makes sense that Americans are constantly Googling how to say things.

And according to a new study from Unscrambler.com, Texans are right there with everyone else- except our most-mispronounced word isn’t a food, a city, or a celebrity name.

Texans Are Struggling to Pronounce This Word and Honestly Same

Texas’ top mispronounced word is: staphylococcal.

Pronounced: STAFF-uh-loh-KOK-ul.

If you just whispered “What?” under your breath, congratulations- you’re officially part of the dataset!

While other states struggled with things like “thyme,” “mayonnaise,” and the name of Red Sox player Jhostynxon Garcia, Texas ended up with a medical word that sounds like something you’d hear in a hospital drama right before the commercial break.

Why this one? Probably because Texans Google medical stuff a lot and honestly, nobody is out here casually dropping “staphylococcal” into a backyard barbecue conversation.

READ MORE: The Most Mispronounced Name in Texas

So when Texans hit the internet to double-check how to say it, no judgement. It’s ten syllables, sounds like a tongue workout, and looks like it should be worth at least 48 points in Scrabble.

Meanwhile, the Rest of the Country Is Out Here Struggling with Gyros and Mayonnaise

The national results show the most mispronounced words overall were:

• Gyro (YEE-roh)
• Worcestershire sauce (WUSS-ter-sheer)
• Acai (ah-SIGH-ee)

Other states are wrestling with celebrity names, fancy foods, and even their own cities, but Texas? We got the medical term that looks like a science fair project title.

If you’re wondering what “staphylococcal” even refers to, it’s connected to staph infections, something a lot of Texans have probably Googled after scraping a knee, stepping on a cactus, or trying to “walk it off” a little too long.

So maybe it’s no surprise that we’re trying to figure out how to say the word that Google keeps insisting we search.

Either way, Texans aren’t alone. The study shows Americans everywhere are second-guessing their pronunciation skills, proving English really just enjoys messing with us.