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Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. Now try saying it
A calendar page for Friday the 13th falls to the ground.
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picture alliance via Getty Images
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Learn to say paraskevidekatriaphobia
We admit it. Some of us feel a little ... unsettled when we look at the calendar today and see that it is Friday the 13th. We can't quite explain why. It's just kinda lurking there.
And all those Friday the 13th movies aren't helping, either.
Is the fear real?
Here's the deal. We can't help you with your fear of Friday the 13th. (And who are we to judge? Some of us are afraid of cantaloupes or crumpets. Or holes.)
What we can do is tell you that your fear has a name: paraskevidekatriaphobia — and we can teach you how to say it.
How do you pronounce it?
Will it help? Supposedly, if you learn how to say it, that will help with the fear. But who knows? Keep repeating it and your mind will be so occupied that before you know it, you'll land on Saturday the 14th!
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So here goes:
"Break it down into syllables," says Korva Coleman, NPR newscaster and our resident expert on pronunciations. "When you take a look at that middle "i" after the "v" ... it's pronounced like a double "e."
So, something in the neighborhood of: para-SKEVY-decka-try-a-phobia
Still need more help?
Us too. (We're not all Korvas.) Here an audio assist:
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Learn to say paraskevidekatriaphobia
Happy Friday, y'all!
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