Emphasis on the wrong sylLAble

“If you don’t know how to pronounce a word, say it loud! Why compound ignorance with inaudibility?”
– E.B. White, The Elements of Style

Minor pronunciation kerfuffle at the dry cleaners today. The nice old lady at the counter asked for my name. “Robato” I spit out with all the usual confidence of my Japanese conversational transactions. She started laughing as did the other customer. I realized quickly what I’d done…

My name is Robot

Did I mention how kind and patient everyone here is? For the record, it’s “Robaato” with a long A sound.