You’ve probably been pronouncing Vimto wrong all this time without even realising
There are classic mispronunciations in English that can trigger some serious eye rolls.
Skeleton, for example, often gets butchered into ‘skellington’.
Nuclear sometimes comes out at ‘nucular’.
Espresso gets some added edge with ‘expresso’.
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Specific faces some oceanic confusion with ‘Pacific’.
Library gets a fruity flair with ‘liberry’, and hyperbole is just begging to be pronounced ‘hyperbowl’.
If you’re guilty of any of the above, consider yourself corrected.
When it comes to branded products, the grammar police are less likely to get upset with your transgressions. After all, many brands are seemingly purposeful in being difficult to pronounce – we’re looking at you, Porsche and Nike – but to spare some blushes it’s always worth a quick Google if you’re unsure.
Popular soft drink brand Vimto is one of those, and you’ve likely heard someone mispronouncing it as ‘VIMP-TOE’. Perhaps it’s you who’s making that mistake and, if so, could you kindly point us to the P in ‘Vimto’. We can wait.
Invented back in 1908 by John Noel Nichols, Vimto is one of those drinks with an inscrutable flavour. It’s a blend of grapes, berries and blackcurrants, with a dash of herbs and spices to obfuscate its identity even further.
In a move that both confused and ribbed fans, Vimto recently joked that it would be changing its name to ‘Vimpto’ to match the common mispronunciation.
“Changing our name to Vimpto... seeing as you all pronounce it that way,” said an image of a Vimto ad plastered across a billboard.
While Vimto has since announced that this was just a joke, it nevertheless got people talking on social media about their lifelong mispronunciations.
“Trying to remember who it was who mocked me for saying this, but I've always pronounced it Vimpto, well HERE'S SOME F**KING VINDICATION,” said someone who err… hasn’t been vindicated, unfortunately. A shared mistake is still a mistake, sorry hun.
“I’m glad you cleared this up, I was preparing to be upset,” said someone on Team Correct Pronunciation. “Team Vimto.”
“It was always Vimpto on my shopping list,” said another. “I thought you were just righting a wrong!”
“All my life I’ve called it ‘VIMPTO’,” said another who forgets that prospective employers often look at social media footprints.
“Anyone else or should I go hang my head in shame???? I posted this on my business page and I’m not alone! Lol,” said another who’d been shown the error of their ways.
If in doubt, read the word closely. Do you see a P in there?
Rachael Davis