Yooper blooper: Dictionary pronunciation accidentally omits P from Michigan’s Yooper entry

May 19 2014 02:19 AM

CP28424867 — In this May 15, 2014 photo, “Yooper,” one of the 150 new words appearing in Merriam-Webster\'s Collegiate Dictionary and the company\'s free online database appears on page 1454 of the printed edition of the dictionary in New York. The term refers to native or longtime residents of the Michigan’s Lake Superior region known for a distinctive manner of speaking and its Scandinavian roots. Many of the other new words and terms stem from digital life and social media; spoiler alert; hashtag; selfie and tweep, while others are food driven, including pho and turducken, a boneless chicken stuffed with a boneless duck stuffed with a boneless turkey. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Original Publication Date: May 19, 2014 2:19AM

Publication Updated: January 8, 2025 11:10PM

NEW YORK, N.Y. – There’s good news and bad news for Yoopers in the new Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.

The nickname for natives or longtime residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was among about 150 words added in an update to the 11th edition.

But the suggested pronunciation in the popular dictionary lacks the “p,” though the entry itself is spelled correctly.

Asked about the Yooper blooper, Meghan Lunghi, a spokeswoman for the Springfield, Mass.-based company, said Sunday in an email : “Yes, unfortunately a ‘p’ is missing from the pronunciation. The rest of the entry is fine.”

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