Nucular is a metathesis of the word nuclear which represents the 'NEW-cue-lerr' ( IPA [ˈn(j)uːkjə.lə(ɹ)] ) pronunciation of that word instead of the more commonly accepted pronunciation 'NUKE-lee-ar' ( IPA [ˈn(j)uk.li.ə(ɹ)]) Metathesis is a sound change that alters the order of phonemes in a word. ... The nucleus of an atom is the very small dense region, of positive charge, in its centre consisting of nucleons (protons and neutrons). ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ...

This form is disapproved as it is considered as derived from a mispronunciation, although some dictionaries recognize it for its increasing usage. ^[1] Mispronunciation is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as bad pronunciation. The matter of what is or is not mispronunciation is a contentious one, and indeed there is some disagreement about the extent to which the term is even meaningful. ...

Lexical notes

Merriam-Webster dictionary: Merriam-Webster, originally known as the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is a United States company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Websters An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). ...

"Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in [kjə.lə(ɹ)] have been found in widespread use among educated speakers including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, United States cabinet members, and at least two United States presidents and one vice president. While most common in the U.S., these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers."

Oxford English Dictionary: The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of...

"The colloquial pronunciation … has been criticized in usage guides since at least the mid-20th century, although it is now commonly given as a variant in modern dictionaries."

American Heritage Dictionary: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (AHD) is a dictionary of American English published by Boston publisher Houghton-Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969. ...

"The pronunciation (noo'kyə-lər), which is generally considered incorrect, is an example of how a familiar phonological pattern can influence an unfamiliar one … [since] much more common is the similar sequence (-kyə-lər), which occurs in words like particular, circular, spectacular, and in many scientific words like molecular, ocular, and vascular."

Merriam-Webster receives enough questions about their inclusion of this pronunciation in the dictionary that it is one of two pronunciations which receive particular mention in their FAQ (along with "February").^[2] This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Usage by politicians

U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter (who served as an officer on a United States Navy experimental nuclear submarine^[3]), Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush have all used this pronunciation.^[4][5][6] Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... USN redirects here. ... USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate underwater. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Phonotactical motivation

The principle which converts nuclear to nucular is founded in the phonotactics of the English language. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

1. By assimilation, the [kli.ər] sequence of the word [n(j)uː.kli.ər] becomes [kljər] in natural speech.
2. The consonant cluster [klj] is strongly disfavoured in English: English stops are followed by one approximant at most.
3. The disfavoured cluster [klj] is reduced. That reduction is achieved through metathesis ([l] and [jə] are swapped so that [kljər] becomes [kjəl(ə)r]).

This is probably influenced by other adjectives in the science technical terminology that end in -cular (molecular, particular etc.). Latin has the diminutive suffix, "-ul-"; the suffix is used in various scientific terms, including "annulus" (little ring), "globule" (little globe), etc. In linguistics, a consonant cluster is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowel. ... A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... Approximants are speech sounds that could be regarded as intermediate between vowels and typical consonants. ... Metathesis is a sound change that alters the order of phonemes in a word. ... Technical terminology is the specialised vocabulary of a profession or of some other activity to which a group of people dedicate significant parts of their lives (for instance, hobbies or a particular segment of industry). ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A diminutive is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment. ... It has been suggested that Ending (linguistics) be merged into this article or section. ... An annulus In mathematics, an annulus (the Latin word for little ring, with plural annuli) is a ring-shaped geometric figure, or more generally, a term used to name a ring-shaped object. ... An image of Bok globules in the H II region IC 2944, taken with the WFPC2 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope A Bok globule is a dark cloud of dense dust and gas in which star formation is taking place. ... World globe A Baroque era celestial globe A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of a spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star or moon, in particular Earth, or, alternatively, a spherical representation of the sky with the stars (but without the Sun, Moon, or planets, because their...

Usage in popular entertainment

"Nucular" is also the pronunciation preferred by Homer Simpson, a safety operator at a Nuclear Power Plant. His confident use of it in The Simpsons exemplifies a level of cultural information that is largely overheard at some distance, second-hand, rather than read. It is used by Homer for example in the episode Simpson Tide, where he is correcting the captain of a nuclear submarine.^[7] Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ... A nuclear power station. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Simpson Tide is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on March 29, 1998. ...

The entire argument was parodied on one episode of Family Guy, in which Peter says to Lois, "Haha! You said nuclear; it's nucular, dummy; the 's' is silent."^[8] Family Guy is an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. ...

Jack Bauer and other characters of the FOX television show 24 can often be heard using the pronunciation. Jack Bauer is the protagonist of the American television series 24, in which he has trained and worked in various capacities as a government agent, including US Army Delta Force, LAPD SWAT, and finally the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) Los Angeles. ... For other uses, see 24 (disambiguation). ...

The Venture Bros. features a scene where Dr. Venture corrects the president on the pronunciation of the word. The Venture Bros. ...

References

is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... NPR logo For other meanings of NPR see NPR (disambiguation) National Public Radio (NPR) is a private, not-for-profit corporation that sells programming to member radio stations; together they are a loosely organized public radio network in the United States. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Bushism
• Strategery
• U.S. Presidents IQ hoax

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