A contestant on Tuesday's Wheel of Fortune chose to solve a "song lyrics" puzzle with four tiles missing from the six-word phrase on the board.
The lyric and song title was from the 1983 Eurythmics song, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)."
Although the final word was fully spelled out, contestant Chris Bryant failed to give a correct response because he mispronounced "this" as "these."
Technically, Bryant was incorrect.
However, his gaffe is understandable given how the British pop duo's singer, Annie Lennox, sounds when she sings "this" to rhyme with "seven seas" in the next phrase.
This is an example of what's called a "slant rhyme," which is a type of rhyme with similar words that are not identical. Lennox draws out the word "this" for emphasis.
You can hear her sing the lyrics at the start of the music video below.
Online, some viewers were gobsmacked to discover they too misheard the lyric this whole time.
Many found Bryant's snafu relatable.
Until I hear Annie Lennox confirm herself that the lyrics are \u201cSweet dreams are made of THIS\u201d, I will not believe it. Wheel of Fortune ain\u2019t gonna make me think I\u2019ve been hearing those lyrics wrong for almost 40 years. #sweetdreamsaremadeofTHESEpic.twitter.com/pGppkuABpx— Ebonie Griffin (@Ebonie Griffin) 1647387286
Sure enough, the proof was in writing all along.
Confirmed BY ANNIE...pic.twitter.com/peFUTgyHRH— A Life Changer (@A Life Changer) 1647458781
Confirmed! It's in the actual song title itself. Haha.pic.twitter.com/b0HaK92h85— Geoff (@Geoff) 1647456239
Back of the album cover.pic.twitter.com/f8hffyjCrG— Geoff (@Geoff) 1647456415
Still people were floored upon discovering the actual lyric.
Sweet dreams are made of "this?" I was today years old when I learned that "these" isn't the correct lyric. #WheelofFortune— Chuck Tonini (@Chuck Tonini) 1647387537
Today I learned it's "sweet dreams are made of this" not "these."\n\nAnyone else questioning everything they know?\n\n#WheelOfFortune— Gothic Gamelabs (@Gothic Gamelabs) 1647388244
it has to be \u201cthese\u201d because it has to rhyme with \u201cdisagree\u201d!!!! Sweet dreams are made of these, who am I to disagree, I travel the world and the seven seas\u2026— Revis Bell (@Revis Bell) 1647387741
I have always sung the song This, but I understand where people are hearing these. Anyways who really pays attention to lyrics during break out Shower karaoke sessions.pic.twitter.com/ndeDgZJQap— Carmen So (@Carmen So) 1647445397
There was a minority who knew all along it was "this" and not "these."
I guess you have to be from Texas to understand \u201cthe-us\u201d means \u201cthis.\u201d It\u2019s always sounded like sweet dreams are made of this to me— DBG \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@DBG \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1647450777
I guess you have to be from Texas to understand \u201cthe-us\u201d means \u201cthis.\u201d It\u2019s always sounded like sweet dreams are made of this to me— DBG \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@DBG \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1647450777
Despite the evidence, some users remained unconvinced.
Chris needs to go and get his 4k+. The whole world knows that it's these. \n\nOh I guess you cannot correct the Wheel people. Chris is right the Wheel was wrong. This is LudaChris— lenny sims (@lenny sims) 1647453504
Exactly. And "This" does not rhyme with "disagree" or "seven seas". You know what does? "These" does. \n\nEither WOF producers are wrong or Annie Lennox is a dyslexic songwriter.— Evald (@Evald) 1647458560
yeah what? no way. it was, is, and will always be "these"— Damon (@Damon) 1647460108
What Lennox sings is up for debate.
I prefer the version I used to sing to my infant son, which was, "sweet dreams are made of cheese."— (((Judy Cohn))) (@(((Judy Cohn)))) 1647450990
Who are we to disagree?
See what I did there?
Many singers and rappers manipulate their lyrics to force a rhyme. Another example of an artist doing this is Eminem, who is known for "bending words" in his raps to create a rhyme where otherwise one wouldn't exist.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, the "Lose Yourself" rapper demonstrated how he rhymes the word "orange"–which doesn't rhyme with anything–by enunciating the word as having more than one syllable.
Despite Bryant's failure to solve the song puzzle, he managed to move on to the bonus round after which he eventually took home $26,405 in prizes.
