Words that sound different from their meaning

[AnnieA]

pulchritude - beauty

Recently ran across this one. Don't believe I'll make use of this newly learned word!

 

[JBR]

hoi polloi - the common people

As a kid when I heard it, I thought it seemed to refer to a high-falutin, wealthy aristocratic segment of society.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

The word restive. It sounds peaceful, but it actually describes one who is unable to keep still or silent and is becoming increasingly difficult to control due to impatience, dissatisfaction, etc.

 

[That Lady in PA]

forgetive​

for·ge·tive ˈfȯr-jə-tiv
INVENTIVE, IMAGINATIVE

And then there is the old 'inflammable', which is not the opposite of flammable...

 

[ChiroDoc]

Fard - an old-timey word meaning "to paint the face with cosmetics".
When used in a sentence most people don't detect the "d" at the end, and mistakenly believe it's another word.

A famous radio personality once said, "Women have more fender bender auto accidents because they're too busy farding."

That resulted in thousands of phone calls to the station...