mondegreen
/ˈmɑndəɡɹiːn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.16 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A form of (possibly intentional) error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase, possibly in a different language.
noun
A misunderstanding of a written or spoken phrase as a result of multiple definitions.
Example Sentences
- "Our report of a relative who, as a child, thought the classic version of the Lord's Prayer began "Our father, a chart in heaven, Harold be thy name" stated that this type of mistake is known as an eggcorn. A number of readers have suggested that instances like this in which a whole phrase rather than just a word is misheard, should be called mondegreens rather than eggcorns."
- "The title lyric ["Bei Mir Bistu Shein"], the only part of the original Yiddish preserved by Cahn, was a mondegreen waiting to happen—“My Mere Bits of Shame” and “My Beer, Mr. Shane” were among the earliest recorded mishearings—but the language barrier didn't […]"
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmɑndəɡɹiːn/
- British English: /ˈmɒndəɡɹiːn/