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Verbal blunder

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A poetic or rhetorical error involving the incorrect use of a word, often for humorous purposes

Detailed Definition
A verbal blunder in poetry is an intentional or ironic misuse of language—such as catachresis or malapropism—employed for comic, satirical, or expressive effect; it can reveal character flaws, critique linguistic pretension, or destabilize meaning through deliberate imprecision.
Example
Example in poetry:
“He was a very sensible man” (intending “sensitive”); “She literally died of embarrassment” (hyperbolic misuse); “I could care less” (when meaning “I couldn’t care less”); “Irregardless of the rules” (nonstandard double negative)
Additional Notes
Verbal blunder: An unintentional word error in speech or writing; in poetry, may be used ironically or to characterize a speaker; differs from comic vocabulary error (10169) by implying mistake rather than intent.
Also Known As
Lexical slip Tongue-tied error Accidental misstatement Poetic gaffe Malapropism
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