Mischievous

At around eight years old I ended up with an old copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “Mischievous” was the first word I came across that I had to look up in the dictionary. I was obsessed with the way the sound of the word seemed to fit the meaning so well (roguishly, playfully annoying) and for about a year I called everything mischievous.

Also, until my late twenties, I pronounced it mis-chee-vee-ous. Then I heard someone say mis-chu-vus and nearly fell out of my seat. Like an old love rekindled, I saw the word in a whole new way. It’s a beauty no matter how you pronounce it.

Desiree