The story of how Skype got its name is an intiguing one — and if you haven't already heard it, just follow the link.

One thing which always interests me is the variety of ways people pronounce the word 'Skype'. The correct pronunciation rhymes with 'type' — you can listen to that one below — but I've heard plenty of people say 'Skypee'.

Surely a Skypee is one who is Skyped? As an aside, Skype is a perfectly good verb, much the same fashion as Google. Indeed, any noun can be verbed if you try hard enough — and if you disagree, head to Urban Dictionary or Jyte to cast your vote.

Jeremy Wagstaff has a good theory about why Skype gets mispronounced:

> Usually everyone knows what to call something because it spreads via the media — TV, radio, newspapers — so people are likely to hear the name before they start adopting it. Here people heard about Skype from friends, long before they heard about it from more formal channels, and started using it right then and there.

Still, I'm glad that I can clear this one up. Skype has one syllable.

Of course, Skype isn't the only brand to suffer from a bit of linguistic mangling. The Nintendo Wii was initially ridiculed for its seemingly unfortunate name, and Yay Hooray! has a whole thread devoted to making fun of people who mispronounce things. (I had almost as much fun laughing at the phoneticisations of French into American English — and look, there's a nouned verb.)

Readers — now's your opportunity to admit your embarrassing mistakes. Leave me a message and who knows; there might just be something in it for the best (or worst) effort…