Ken Jennings reminded everyone that he’s not afraid to clap back at Jeopardy! fans who question the trivia show’s accuracy. Mispronounce a word, and they’ll pounce all over you.
However, this time, Jennings had the dictionary on his side. The debacle started after a recent episode that involved rhyming the word sake. Little did Jeopardy! know it was stepping on a land mine. Via Decider:
Under the category “Potent Potable Rhyme Time,” the trio had to guess two rhyming words, with one of them being an alcoholic beverage. The $200 clue, which read, “Rice wine for the guy who rides a racehorse,” was guessed correctly by Elsila, who responded, “What is: ‘Sake’ and ‘Jockey.’”
On social media, Jeopardy! fans called out the show for the seemingly controversial rhyming. “Dear @Jeopardy writers ‘Sake’ and ‘Jockey’ are not rhyming words,” one fan tweeted.
Dear @Jeopardy writers
"Sake" and "Jockey" are not rhyming words. 😔— Kat 🆗️ (@kyasariin) April 15, 2023
The fan then decided to tag Jennings, who shot back with a screenshot that confirmed the show’s pronunciation is correct. “I am once again asking Americans to buy a dictionary,” Jennings replied.
I am once again asking Americans to buy a dictionary. pic.twitter.com/optgxzcmP0
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) April 15, 2023
But the back and forth didn’t end there. The user replied, “Love when English changes foreign words, I guess,” which prompted another snarky response from Jennings. “Yeah, I’m always mad when people say the ‘s’ in Paris. Shameful.”
yeah I’m always mad when people say the “s” in Paris. shameful
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) April 15, 2023
(Via Decider)