The Misspelled Instrument How many ways have you seen the word "ukulele" spelled? Chances are you've seen many but didn't really think about it. One of the most common misspellings is to use an "e" where the second "u" should go, as in "ukelele". I spelled it that way for years and it didn't come to my attention until my attention came to ukuleles! The misspelled "ukelele" is so common that you'll find it listed that way along with the correct "ukulele" in many searchable databases.

Did the misspelling come from the assumption that the abbreviation "uke" consisted of the first three letters of the complete word? Or was there earlier confusion about how the instrument's name would be spelled? Have you also seen the word "uku"?

These questions all have answers, some of them have many answers. There's a ton of information in print and on the Internet about our four-stringed friend, with some levels of inconsistency. All of the stories are good, and many of them are true. It's fun to have a few things left to wonder about!

The Mispronounced Instrument While we're working on our ukulele awareness, how do you pronounce the word "ukulele"? There's a 99% chance that you're pronouncing it "u-ka-lay-lee". The correct pronunciation is "oo koo lay lay". Say it out loud, it's fun! And people will respect you for it. When you say it correctly, people just know you're onto something.

The Misunderstood Instrument The ukulele is not limited to being a child's intrument, nor is it an "easy" instrument to play well. In all of its simplicities and complexities, the ukulele may be one of the most challenging instruments to master!

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