Coworker Won’t Stop Correcting Employee’s Pronunciation

An 18-year-old employee asked her coworker to stop interrupting her during meetings with constant coworker pronunciation corrections. The coworker got offended and started telling people she was “snapped at for helping.”

The Backstory

The original poster works with someone who has made it her mission to fix everyone’s speech. Every time OP speaks in meetings, this coworker jumps in to correct her pronunciation.

These weren’t major pronunciation errors. The coworker focused on tiny details like where OP put emphasis on syllables. She would literally interrupt mid-sentence to make these corrections.

This pattern had been going on for weeks. OP couldn’t finish a complete thought without the grammar police showing up to offer unsolicited help.

The Incident

During a recent meeting, the coworker interrupted OP again with more coworker pronunciation corrections. OP had finally reached her breaking point with the constant interruptions.

She politely asked, “Can you please stop correcting me while I’m talking?” Her tone wasn’t rude. She was just tired of being cut off every time she spoke.

The coworker immediately got super offended. She claimed OP had embarrassed her in front of the entire team. The correction apparently didn’t appreciate being corrected herself.

Now the coworker is spreading her version of events around the office. She’s telling people that OP “snapped at her for helping” and making herself look like the victim.

OP just wanted to finish one full sentence without someone jumping in to fix her pronunciation. Instead, she’s dealing with office drama and whisper campaigns.

What Reddit Said

Most people said OP was absolutely not the asshole. They pointed out that interrupting someone mid-sentence is incredibly rude, especially in professional settings. The coworker’s behavior was inappropriate regardless of her intentions.

Some commenters were curious about what words OP was supposedly mispronouncing. One person jokingly corrected OP’s grammar in the post itself, proving that unsolicited corrections are annoying everywhere.

A few suggested this might be a power play rather than genuine helpfulness. The coworker could be trying to undermine OP’s credibility by constantly interrupting her during meetings.

Others recommended documenting these incidents and potentially involving HR. Repeated interruptions during meetings could be considered disruptive workplace behavior that affects OP’s ability to do her job effectively.

Several people shared their own experiences with overly helpful colleagues. They emphasized that good intentions don’t excuse consistently rude behavior in professional environments.

The Verdict

Overall verdict: OP is NTA (Not the Asshole). Setting boundaries about coworker pronunciation corrections during meetings is completely reasonable. The coworker’s reaction shows she knew her behavior was inappropriate.

This situation highlights the importance of workplace respect and knowing when to keep corrections to yourself. Professional environments require letting people speak without constant interruptions, even if their pronunciation isn’t perfect.

For more stories about difficult colleagues, check out our work drama section. You might also enjoy our collection of AITA stories about workplace boundaries and professional relationship drama.

From r/AmItheAsshole (1,201 upvotes)