





























© Shutterstock
0 / 30 Fotos
Fireflies
- Fireflies are not flies, nor do they have the capacity to make fire. They are actually beetles.
© Shutterstock
1 / 30 Fotos
Strawberries
- Strawberries are not berries (and, shockingly, neither are blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries). True berries are produced through a single ovary. Instead, strawberries and the like are actually called accessory fruits. What about real berries? Well, a few examples include grapes, pumpkins, and...bananas.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
Koala bears
- These adorable animals are not bears. They are, in fact, marsupials.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Jellyfish
- These beautiful sea creatures are not actually a species of fish. Instead, they're cnidarians, just like coral and sea anemones.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Peanuts
- You might know this one already, but peanuts are not nuts. They are actually legumes, like peas and beans.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Driveways/parkways
- Shouldn't a "driveway" be a place where you drive, and a "parkway" a place where you park? Food for thought.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Guinea pigs
- If case you haven't noticed, these cute little rodents aren't actually pigs. In fact, they're closely related to capybaras.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
White chocolate
- There aren't any cocoa solids from cacao beans in white chocolate, only cocoa butter, so one could argue that, technically, it is not chocolate.
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Starfish
- These are indeed star-shaped and live in the sea, but they are definitely not fish. Instead, they are echinoderms.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
Red pandas
- This animal is not actually related to the giant panda. This arboreal mammal is actually more closely related to raccoons, skunks, and weasels.
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Funny bone
- Chances are you've probably hit your elbow a couple of times and felt a sharp pain and numbness. The exact place you hit it was not a bone, but the ulnar nerve.
© Shutterstock
11 / 30 Fotos
Butterflies
- This beautiful insect is not a fly, and it's definitely not made of butter. The name originates from the Old English buterflēoge (meaning "butter") and flēoge (meaning "fly"). Why they went with this word no one knows for sure.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Tin foil
- You have probably noticed that these are not made of tin. After all, aluminum replaced tin in 1910.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Coconuts
- Coconuts are not nuts. They are actually a type of fruit called drupes, just like coffee beans and olives.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
Ladybugs
- The "lady" part of the name is actually an allusion to the Virgin Mary. Though some of these cute beetles are actually male.
© Shutterstock
15 / 30 Fotos
Cat burglar
- This is not actually a burglar who steals cats. Instead, it refers to a burglar who can go undetected.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Coat of arms
- "Put on your coat of arms and you will be ready for battle," said no military commander, ever. These are just symbolic emblems.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
Buffalo wings
- Buffalos don't have wings, so how can this be? Well, these popular deep-fried chicken wings actually got their name from the city of Buffalo, New York, not the animal.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
English horns
- English horns (or the cor anglais) are not originally from England, nor are they actual horns. These are woodwind instruments of the oboe family, and come from Poland.
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
Horned toad
- Sure they have tiny horns, but these animals are definitely not toads. They are, quite obviously, lizards.
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
Panama hat
- Panama hats actually come from Ecuador. The name became popular after President Theodore Roosevelt was seen wearing one during his visit to the construction site of the Panama Canal.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Glowworms
- Glowworms are not worms. They are actually insect larvae that glow through bioluminescence.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
Chinese checkers
- This game is not a form of checkers, and it didn't originate in China either. It was actually invented in Germany in 1892.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
Arabic numerals
- The numbers most of us use did not actually come from the Arabian Peninsula. Instead, they were invented in India. They were, however, introduced to Europe by Arabian mathematicians, hence the name.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
Bombay duck
- Can you see a duck in this picture? Well, that's because the Bombay duck is actually a fish.
© Shutterstock
25 / 30 Fotos
Catgut
- This type of cord is made of a fiber found in animals' intestines, but most usually of sheep or goats—not cats!
© Shutterstock
26 / 30 Fotos
Velvet ants
- Despite the name, these are actually wasps, not ants. The name derives from the fact that wingless females look like hairy ants.
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
Slow worms
- These resemble more so a snake than a worm, but are in fact neither. These reptiles are actually legless lizards.
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
Titmouse
- It goes without saying that the titmouse is not actually a mouse. It's pretty clear that it's a bird. Sources: (BuzzFeed) (Merriam-Webster) (Mental Floss) See also: Common phrases that sound terrifying when taken literally
© Shutterstock
29 / 30 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 30 Fotos
Fireflies
- Fireflies are not flies, nor do they have the capacity to make fire. They are actually beetles.
© Shutterstock
1 / 30 Fotos
Strawberries
- Strawberries are not berries (and, shockingly, neither are blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries). True berries are produced through a single ovary. Instead, strawberries and the like are actually called accessory fruits. What about real berries? Well, a few examples include grapes, pumpkins, and...bananas.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
Koala bears
- These adorable animals are not bears. They are, in fact, marsupials.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Jellyfish
- These beautiful sea creatures are not actually a species of fish. Instead, they're cnidarians, just like coral and sea anemones.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Peanuts
- You might know this one already, but peanuts are not nuts. They are actually legumes, like peas and beans.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Driveways/parkways
- Shouldn't a "driveway" be a place where you drive, and a "parkway" a place where you park? Food for thought.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Guinea pigs
- If case you haven't noticed, these cute little rodents aren't actually pigs. In fact, they're closely related to capybaras.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
White chocolate
- There aren't any cocoa solids from cacao beans in white chocolate, only cocoa butter, so one could argue that, technically, it is not chocolate.
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Starfish
- These are indeed star-shaped and live in the sea, but they are definitely not fish. Instead, they are echinoderms.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
Red pandas
- This animal is not actually related to the giant panda. This arboreal mammal is actually more closely related to raccoons, skunks, and weasels.
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Funny bone
- Chances are you've probably hit your elbow a couple of times and felt a sharp pain and numbness. The exact place you hit it was not a bone, but the ulnar nerve.
© Shutterstock
11 / 30 Fotos
Butterflies
- This beautiful insect is not a fly, and it's definitely not made of butter. The name originates from the Old English buterflēoge (meaning "butter") and flēoge (meaning "fly"). Why they went with this word no one knows for sure.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Tin foil
- You have probably noticed that these are not made of tin. After all, aluminum replaced tin in 1910.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Coconuts
- Coconuts are not nuts. They are actually a type of fruit called drupes, just like coffee beans and olives.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
Ladybugs
- The "lady" part of the name is actually an allusion to the Virgin Mary. Though some of these cute beetles are actually male.
© Shutterstock
15 / 30 Fotos
Cat burglar
- This is not actually a burglar who steals cats. Instead, it refers to a burglar who can go undetected.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Coat of arms
- "Put on your coat of arms and you will be ready for battle," said no military commander, ever. These are just symbolic emblems.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
Buffalo wings
- Buffalos don't have wings, so how can this be? Well, these popular deep-fried chicken wings actually got their name from the city of Buffalo, New York, not the animal.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
English horns
- English horns (or the cor anglais) are not originally from England, nor are they actual horns. These are woodwind instruments of the oboe family, and come from Poland.
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
Horned toad
- Sure they have tiny horns, but these animals are definitely not toads. They are, quite obviously, lizards.
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
Panama hat
- Panama hats actually come from Ecuador. The name became popular after President Theodore Roosevelt was seen wearing one during his visit to the construction site of the Panama Canal.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Glowworms
- Glowworms are not worms. They are actually insect larvae that glow through bioluminescence.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
Chinese checkers
- This game is not a form of checkers, and it didn't originate in China either. It was actually invented in Germany in 1892.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
Arabic numerals
- The numbers most of us use did not actually come from the Arabian Peninsula. Instead, they were invented in India. They were, however, introduced to Europe by Arabian mathematicians, hence the name.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
Bombay duck
- Can you see a duck in this picture? Well, that's because the Bombay duck is actually a fish.
© Shutterstock
25 / 30 Fotos
Catgut
- This type of cord is made of a fiber found in animals' intestines, but most usually of sheep or goats—not cats!
© Shutterstock
26 / 30 Fotos
Velvet ants
- Despite the name, these are actually wasps, not ants. The name derives from the fact that wingless females look like hairy ants.
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
Slow worms
- These resemble more so a snake than a worm, but are in fact neither. These reptiles are actually legless lizards.
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
Titmouse
- It goes without saying that the titmouse is not actually a mouse. It's pretty clear that it's a bird. Sources: (BuzzFeed) (Merriam-Webster) (Mental Floss) See also: Common phrases that sound terrifying when taken literally
© Shutterstock
29 / 30 Fotos
The names of these things don't make sense
When a berry is not actually a berry
© Shutterstock
The English language if full of misnomers, or names that are inaccurate in describing something. Some of these date back to Old English words, but others do remain a mystery to this day. Many of us are familiar with some of these. For instance, the fact that peanuts are not actually nuts. But there are more—a lot more.
Click through the following gallery and discover the most curious misnomers in the English language.
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