Some Odd Words with ISMO: "The One-derful Won" - Merriam-Webster

Why isn't 'one' spelled the way it sounds? In this video, Finnish comedian ISMO tries to tackle the complexities of English's most basic numbers.
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[@hithere_1967]

Ismo is an absolutely One-derful comedian!

[@adelmuheljic4382]

I think so 2

[@persimonsen8792]

Wun of the best

[@daitos1955]

And why not "cumedian"...ahh English.

[@TheSanien]

Netflix should absolutely give him a special so we can see all his jokes and hopefully some new wuns too😅

[@Greghouse]

Merriam-Webster feat. Ismo - oh wow, didn't see that coming but I love it!

[@intercitty]

I cant picture a better sponsor for this wun. Excellent collaboration

[@timomastosalo]

I feel like after finding the video like - Well, of course Ismo, who else? :) Not that I did anticipate this.

[@anaabendroth3460]

If Ismo's career as a comedian ever fails (not likely), he'd be a great English teacher!

[@ferdiwesso6438]

Currently my favourite comedian!Sharp and very clever...

[@viljamtheninja]

I urge anyone who finds stuff like this amusing to check out the poem The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité. To give you an idea, this is how it begins: Dearest creature in creation Study English pronunciation I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse I will keep you, Suzy, busy Make your head with heat grow dizzy Tear in eye, your dress will tear So shall I! Oh hear my prayer Just compare heart, beard, and heard Dies and diet, lord and word Sword and sward retain and Britain (Mind the latter, how it’s written.)

[@PockASqueeno]

Ismo is a onederful comedian.

[@Chris.Davies]

English is a deeply acquisitive language! It is the kind of language which chases other languages down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets looking for good words it can "borrow".

[@J_Lag]

I'm bilingual and growing up I thought like him about the English language lol. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's notices all the irregularities.

[@Nakkiteline]

all finns thinks this way about english 'cos we pronounce all the letters in a word and the word just like it's written so english pronounciation is very weird :D

[@iandawson3171]

Hu's. Hope that's easier for yu.

[@AAJ01]

"who came up with this" hahaha

[@typhoonfpv]

😂 they stole the W from number 1 & put it in number 2, just to confuse everybody 😂😂

[@Originalacousticmusic]

This man will be a legendary comic one day !

[@pauldowner1]

Just discovered Ismo.. Pure joy of a comedian who doesn't talk about Brexit/trump/politics...

[@r3leasethekraken]

But he's American...💁🏻‍♂️

[@ruma9687]

@@r3leasethekraken who's american? Ismo at least is finnish, or was it a joke that I missed?

[@sausagefinger12]

@@r3leasethekraken NOOOOO IN blody hell, He is FINNISH

[@MikkoRantalainen]

@@r3leasethekraken Ismo is a Finn that just happens to own a home in the United States. His mother tongue is Finnish.

[@pepperkilldevelopment9069]

@@r3leasethekraken what’s your point ….?

[@micadokun]

Obi One Kenobi

[@Tapio86]

0 B 1 🧍O 🐝

[@timomastosalo]

Married to Barbieobi?

[@timomastosalo]

Ompi on ken ompi

[@wongjoman1227]

Ive been using merriam webster for...6 years, now i will use it for ever

[@snehalquest]

You nailed it perfectly. :)

[@briantreadwell2206]

He takes the simple, and makes it hilarious . . . Dave Allen was a master at that

[@arphykenery9219]

We need more like this!

[@timomastosalo]

This one won.

[@sarcasm-83]

The other one won two

[@timomastosalo]

@@sarcasm-83 Two true

[@micadokun]

Eye won this thing is four sure. I one this hole thing bye saying I'm the wiener. Because Ismo knows moore (Roger) than u think.

[@kervasti]

Uh please dont break me.

[@timomastosalo]

@@kervasti Aye woan't brake yoo.

[@trainsonplanes709]

Pun is my favourite too :) This was fun! Different, but fun! Glad to see new videos

[@akirasdad]

I love it!!!! putting fun in words! Ismo is the best.

[@maxim9280]

It actually is a funny observaion that the letter "W" appears where it shouldn't and is missing when it would be expected already in such simple English words.

[@fellow7091]

In English headquarter (London, New York) they have to consider seriously what Ismo just said. English is way too complicated language and we need a reformation for simplifying it now. Maybe Ismo is the activist the whole non-american world has long time waited for. 🐎The revolution is needed firstly erasing all the silent letters form english. This is just the beginning! 🤠

[@mikanyyssis]

Brilliant!!! Ismo ”the genius” Leikola

[@andreaashburn76]

Hahahahaha 😂 this is fantastic! I love all of your comedy involving the English language 😂😂😂 when I was a child growing up I struggled because it’s all so confusing. I always wondered why the word “OF” wasn’t spelled “UV” 😂 Hilarious 🤣

[@timomastosalo]

Even ov, or ove would be better than the f ending - the off could settle for 'of' :) But, English is a language that mostly shows its history. But the history of (w)one would be interesting, where the w sound came, maybe some effect of the French un, une of old. Scandinavia has en, ein, eins ('ines, ince').

[@MikkoRantalainen]

@@timomastosalo It seems that the pronounciation has been "wun" since around 14th century but the spelling has not *yet* been fixed: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/one#Etymology

[@UltraCasualPenguin]

You onedered

[@stefanjr1250]

Each one better than the last, MOAR ISMO

[@fabioaconi]

This is great!!! please do more! I teach ESL and this is lots of fun

[@VagabondTE]

LOL, I love it. Hopefully if this gets an audience they'll bring back Ask the Editor.

[@mnbdysl]

Genius move by Merriam-Webster to recruit this guy.

[@txmacartist]

He just cracks me up.

[@Bluetaill]

What a one-derful skit!

[@dahutful]

Ismo I have been laffing with your comedy all day. Thank you!

[@timomastosalo]

Laughing - there's a silent u. And the gh said like ff, or one(?) f - uh, mm.

[@ataraxigrace822]

@@timomastosalo 😂

[@keithhanley7796]

W - a weapon of math destruction. (Sorry. I'll show myself out now.)

[@aliciab6193]

I watch these videos and wonder how I ever learned all this stuff when I was 6 years old...

[@satanihelvetet]

You mean oneder!?

[@timomastosalo]

Children don't question, they just take it how it is, like sponges. But they do squirm in the spelling tests, which English needs.

[@MikkoRantalainen]

@@timomastosalo Exactly. As a Finn, even children around 8 years old literally LOL when they're told that even adults cannot spell properly in the USA. Here in Finland, the only hard cases are some words such as "sydämessä" (meaning "in your heart") which is often pronounced so that it could also be spelled "sydämmessä" because it's easier to pronounce that way.

[@baggieboo7944]

Two just stole one's w. That all

[@PaleGhost69]

This joke had the potential to be top comment. Disappointing it's so far down.

[@timomastosalo]

Or if they were first said closer to how they are written - like German and Swedish do, for example - so then the one stole the two's w :)

[@micadokun]

@@timomastosalo In finland it's easy to say every word starting with.... let's say letter K. "Katso, Kutsuin Kissan Katsomaan Kettua". It means "Look, I invited a cat to look the fox". Interesting, Isn't it?

[@micadokun]

vaikkakin varmasti osaat suomeakin :D

[@vainovahanieni5340]

That's a poerful image

[@MrT1o9P9i2]

He's brilliant

[@j-a.s]

A genuine genius!!

[@BatTaz19]

Tank ewe Ismo for learning mee to talk proper like wot youse does. Everee day I am getting higher in my languages.

[@tylsimys67]

Yup. Can't escape the fact that Finnish - possibly along with some African - accent is the most UNPLEASANT TO THE EAR in the world. And believe me I wish it wasn't.

[@Biggus_Dickus_876]

I dig your stuff amigo.

[@DanPavelDoghi]

lovely!

[@drfix2020]

Ismo is hilarious & so true! Also why is there as S in Island? The list goes on & on! The PH's, GH's, X. etc. The list goes on!.......

[@Corca]

Indeed. And the word "island" gets even more funky when mixed with country "Iceland". Now why the heck Iceland is not written as Island as it sure would be a perfect fit for it when spoken (if all letters are counted/visible). Greetings from the northern oddball country Finland where we speak exactly how we write ^^

[@dunruden9720]

After teaching in an Asian country for ten years, I have often thought how lucky I am to have been born into and brought up with English as my first language. I always felt for the poor students who were trying to learn it.

[@oysteinsoreide4323]

There are some things that is easier to learn as a non native speaker. As a native, then you always learn to speak a word before you learn to spell it. If you always learn both at the same time, then you have a stronger association with the pronunciation and the spelling. So native English speakers will have different problems than foreigners when it comes to spelling.

[@fellow7091]

@@oysteinsoreide4323 how does "pronunciation" differ from "spelling" I supposed them to be same thing..🤔

[@vierdo]

@@fellow7091 Spelling and talking languages is 2 different things. What you write is not how you pronouce it.. SIMPLE as . DELICIOUS. If you never knew the pronounciation of it and just read it, you prolly pronounce it DEL IKI US

[@HistoryPhilologistDude]

@ismo ISMO for president!

[@Traderjoe]

Won One was a racehorse. Won Two was one too. Won One won one race, and Won Two won one too!

[@palatina6626]

Won for was a racehorse tu. But never won one.

[@andreasfahlen4936]

Just realized that if the ”w” in two was pronounced it would sound like swedish two (två)

[@Aurinkohirvi]

That's how people actually type in online games. I'm always lost what they actually say. I do it only accidentally, sometimes I notice I accidentally wrote how it it sounds to me. Which is different from correct spelling.

[@jakholly2]

I literally was slapping my leg with how hard I was laughing

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

This joke is simply onederful!!!

[@timomastosalo]

In these one and two there are two w's, but in different use: - one is said, the other Written, in the speech hidden.

[@arooseafrigha]

Hilarious and too cute :D

[@micadokun]

Absolutely. Two cute.

[@wprns12]

the title, literally a shoutout to me

[@Marcocarronda]

The "W" in the word"Two" it's silent, in the word "One",it" .... Invisible ....

[@alberteinsteinthejew]

You’re perfect to be an English teacher

[@Ed-ts4bj]

I’ve missed the comedy of Gallagher, but Ismo is great!

[@aidball8845]

Onesie lol

[@krishanuchattopadhyay7006]

Onederful 😂😂

[@JoshSpiegler]

Ismo needs to be a guest on Sesame Street

[@hugostiglitz6914]

He could have carried on with three and four!😁

[@timomastosalo]

Three is as should be in English - but four is one more headache for the forehead. And don't mix any flour there, that flower won't smell good.

[@GregoryTheGr8ster]

With regard to "oneder", you ought to see the Tom Hanks movie "That Thing You Do".

[@MrSpeed-lt8gr]

The Oh-need-erz 🤣😂

[@ralphkjb]

“I wonder whatever happened to The Oneders.”

[@xpqr12345]

Question: Why was the 6 nervous? Answer: Because 7 8 9!

[@timomastosalo]

And then 7 8 1 2!

[@FinBoyXD]

@@timomastosalo It should be 7 8 5 2. 6 is scared because the numbers he's next to are either being eaten or are themselves eating other numbers. I would be nervous too.

[@Brokefootchuck]

Why do we have"w" if we don't use them. 1:06. This dude is a cunning linguist.

[@sapu13]

It comes to him quite naturally. In Finnish language every word is said as it is written. Literally. Just the way he found out "Wun" and "To"

[@TheWolvesCurse]

cunning linguist... i see what you did there. i hate pones though.

[@timomastosalo]

That linguist joke I heard in the 90's - and English isn't even my mother tongue. Oneder how old that joke really is. But sex, if fun, YEAH. Now, what were we talkng about? ...

[@timomastosalo]

I don't know how much I can take w, even that one u is sometimes more than I can handle.

[@micadokun]

He's the best. I love his jokes and brains. ... mmm.. I'm not zombie. Just love.. his... brains.

[@usmcgrunt3754]

Ismo is THE shit! Just onederful! Maybe he can explain why our nose runs … but our feet smell !! I guarantee you he is the only human with the answer (or “anser”?!? … what’s the W doing there?).

[@fikshun1326]

Looool ONETED... 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

[@richieoftampa994]

ISMO stole my job.

[@strumdynasty3050]

Eye one two sea mower!

[@danielaldridge5951]

Word Smatter!

[@jthepickle7]

"Myth" - first usage 1850 quintessence - 'fifth element'

[@gulzhantursalieva2552]

That's what i think everyday 🤭

[@jeffrey8885]

Why is the Building called building when it is already built?

[@timomastosalo]

Number One and Number Two were walking at the docks, returning to their ship. Number one had two buns in his pockets, the large ones. He gave one bun to Number Two, and Number One kept the other one. But then he found another one, and yet another one too! So Number one got another one, and he gave two to Number Two too. So Number Two won too!

[@DOUGLAS55ish]

English is the only language I speak but even as a child , it didn't make sense to me as I learned it.

[@timomastosalo]

It has the most complicated spelling in the world. That's why you have spelling contests for the school kids

[@bassoonlim8628]

You are definitely wun comedian I onet to watch

[@Gavriel-og6jv]

I oneT to say Ismo is gr8.

[@peaceforever8755]

Dis iz greit. Ai layk it a lot. Letz all vrite properly.

[@yaroslavmiroshnikov]

Oh, so you would be suprised by russian version of number 1. It's - odin [o:din] "один - rus. ver." "robber - Are you alone? some russian - Yep, I'm absolutely odin (wha-ha-ha-ha, welcome to Valhalla, piece of a saatana!) robber - Perkele!"

[@RaffeRider]

But the O is A in pronounce, so it should be "Adin"

[@timomastosalo]

Not [o:din], but [a'din]. And that's not all - there can be odna, odno and was there a plural for it too? Plus the declention: each of them have 6 forms (or partly 5, in some cases).

[@maxim9280]

@@timomastosalo plural is "odni". (like ones).

[@ruma9687]

@@maxim9280 as our yksi (one) and plural yhdet (ones) But that is more about grammar, tons of ways the word is used, depending on the sentence

[@McQueenRLZ]

7000 views by finnish people. This has been advertised so much here.

[@micadokun]

Thank God!

[@hencytjoe]

Why is it like this? It's because English is three languages disguised as just one.

[@timomastosalo]

Norman French + Anglo-Saxon - and what's the third?

[@milademjayyy]

*dude you do the same jokes every time in every gig!*

[@ImranMt.]

You could be from any one of the Schengen Treaty countries…or, not. Courtly jests a thoughtly conversation. Another pint for my merry comrades, on me. Argh! Spit…toon. Plink! That’s the stuff between my cheek and gums, indeed. And, thx! for wearing the shirt. Do they come in more colours than white? No bother. No. Don’t do bother. Am on eBay & Amazon before Etsy as we spake, now talk! Why, what do we ever mean? Please accept my slander as compliment, alround. A good show. Definitely!

[@georgecorea7314]

He should do an English course for people. Will be a great way to learn proficiency

[@mongoosevsgt]

who took the w!

[@MrKnutriis]

Bery twifficult

[@CRyan71]

Is this Sesame Street 🤣

[@SAIMRIAZ]

It rhymes with another very famous Urdu word LUN. Try searching the meaning of it. You're gonna love it. 😈😈

[@headphone_]

Magic oneNd

[@theaussieninja8176]

112112 1112112 one one was a race horse two one was one two one one won one race two one won one two this is why I love words

[@sarcasm-83]

1 1 was a race horse 2 1 was 1 2. 1 1 1 1 race 2 1 1 1 2. Y D'd I re-wry Tit lie ktat? B cows I 1 Ted 2 O N I'M Board.

[@micadokun]

Thats not gonna help me when I call help :D

[@caravb5906]

Welsh name Iwan which said as uwon lol

[@10nov80]

the first number is in fact zero!

[@martinjoyful1878]

Adorable Nordic Girls. Just like a Goddess :) My only plan this summer is to fall in love in Northern Europe.

[@frankservant5754]

"Who came up with this lol"

[@lucazlt]

Rofl!

[@MrMedmechanic]

Never knew W was so icked

[@notwithouttext]

one is pronounced own in alONE and atONE and ONly

[@csabaszucs1688]

However, the first number should be 0 (zero), the second number should be 1 (one), the third 2 (two) and so on ... :)

[@envermuhtarevic2778]

ISMOOOOO, if you say double you so suppose to see UU NOT W?

[@timomastosalo]

Yes, uu is double you, but w is double you too - in KZbin or elsewhere, of course.

[@elderscrollsswimmer4833]

​@@timomastosalo Though, as you know, in Finnish w is more of a vv than uu; it doesn't really differ from single v either so we have almost dumped it. W just gets to hang out if it's in a name, in an old or pretending-to-be-old text or it's simply not Finnish. Then again, we let Å hang out too, and that one has never been part of Finnish language.

[@viljamtheninja]

@@elderscrollsswimmer4833 A note on W; in Swedish we call it "dubbel v" or "double v" so here it functions I suppose as vv. Although it's pretty much never used in modern language aside from (usually foreign) names such as William. It was often used in older Swedish, though, but usually in places that are now just replaced with v. Weirdly enough it didn't actually have an official place in our alphabet until 2006 I think it was.

[@ruma9687]

@@viljamtheninja huh, live and learn. As a finn I have always just presumed it would be used in swedish quite often. And yes, I suck at swedish, jag talar inte svenska.... and even that was propably a failed attempt :)

[@timomastosalo]

@@viljamtheninja He meant the same dounle v, just shortened it to vv, based on the uu. But i's not doubled as a sound, used pretty much just as in Swedish.

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

Now can we talk about 11 and 12? There's some weird shit happening there. And not just in English, either.

[@timomastosalo]

Maybe the ancient ones counted the palms too, to get the dozen full? Btw. in Finnish, Ismo's language and mine, 11 & 12 are formed as if 'oneteen' & 'twoteen' (lit. oneofsecond, twoofsecond ... nineofsecond).

[@MikkoRantalainen]

@@timomastosalo Actually, in Finnish, the 11 and 12 are being formed as if they were "one of second [deci]", "two of second [deci]". Historically 42 used to be pronounced logically as "2 of 5th [deci]" but nowadays is pronounced logically as "four of tens, two". In Finnish, 42 is written as "neljäkymmentäkaksi". And yes, Finnish does have pretty long words sometimes. The older style in Finnish is similar to calling years 1900-1999 as "20th century".

[@llamasugar5478]

There’s also somewon, everywon, and nowon.

[@regaltoilet7247]

What's the definition of objectivity?

[@jyrkisinkkonen1512]

When Finn say 32 ☝🏻😗😬

[@yrrahyrrah]

töötituu

[@MikkoRantalainen]

@@yrrahyrrah It's actually better to pronounce it as "töötituu" (when pronounced as Finnish) instead of "thirtituu" which sounds more like "dirty two". Finnish does not have the sound /θ/ which makes it a bit harder for Finns to learn to pronounce English correctly.

[@alagass6466]

ahhhehehheh