Mispronouncing mischievous is acceptable but how do YOU say it?

Countdown's Susie Dent has claimed that the common mispronunciation of mischievous as 'mischiev-i-ous' is actually now acceptable.

Despite the pronunciation being deemed 'non-standard' by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Dent believes it is a good example of how language evolves.

In the English language, only mischievous and grievous end with 'ievous', while at least 10 words end in 'vious', including commonly-used words like 'previous' and 'devious'.

Dent, who has been working on Countdown since 1992, put the mispronunciation down to a confusion or mimicry of the words 'devious' and 'previous', reports the Times.

Speaking at the Hay Festival, Dent said: 'Something which used to rile me was people pronouncing "mischievous" as "mischiev-i-ous". But now it's everywhere and there is a very good reason why people do.