epenthesis

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The Word of the Day for December 7 is: 

epenthesis   \ih-PEN-thuh-siss\   noun
     : the insertion or development of a sound or letter in the 
body of a word

Example sentence: 
     Professor Seeles explained that epenthesis is the process 
of adding an extra sound or syllable to a word, as when a child 
adds a "b" to "family" and says "FAM-blee."

Did you know? 
     If you say "athlete" as "ath-a-lete," you've committed 
epenthesis. Some people consider the pronunciation to be 
unacceptable, but there's a perfectly good reason why it occurs; 
epenthesis is simply a natural way to break up an awkward 
cluster of consonants. It's easier for some people to 
say "athlete" as three syllables instead of two, just as it's 
easier for some to insert a "b" sound into "cummerbund," 
pronouncing that word as "cum-ber-bund." Epenthesis has even 
contributed to the evolution of recognized spelling variants, 
giving us such options as "cumberbund" and "sherbert" 
(for "sherbet"). The word "epenthesis" came to us by way of Late 
Latin from the Greek verb "epentithenai," which means "to insert 
a letter."