Dear Geist,
How do you pronounce
, as in “make a mistake”? My dictionary shows some hieroglyphics that I can't decipher.

Dear Caroline,
Either “er” or “air” is acceptable, and each dictionary's preference is the first in the entry. (Somewhere in your dictionary, there is a key to the weird pronunciation symbols.) Over the years most authorities have leaned toward “er”; Canadian references are, as in many language matters, fine with either pronunciation.
—The Editors