'Wheel Of Fortune' Contestant Misses Completed Puzzle: VIDEO

                        Home
                        >
                    
                        Entertainment
                        >
                    
        'Wheel Of Fortune' Fans Groan After Contestant Misses Completed Puzzle By Mispronouncing Word
    
        ABC
    
    Viewers were left flabbergasted after a 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant completed a puzzle, but then failed to solve it after mispronouncing the word 'congenial.'

By Koh MochizukiJan 08, 2024
Koh Mochizuki

	Koh Mochizuki is a Los Angeles based actor whose work has been spotted anywhere from Broadway stages to Saturday Night Live.

	He received his B.A. in English literature and is fluent in Japanese.

	In addition to being a neophyte photographer, he is a huge Disney aficionado and is determined to conquer all Disney parks in the world to publish a photographic chronicle one day. Mickey goals.

	Instagram: kohster Twitter: @kohster1 Flickr: nyckmo
 See Full Bio 
                 
Top Stories
AI Powered

        Demi Moore Reveals Her Candid Reaction To Losing Best Actress Oscar To Mikey Madison
    
        Trump Slammed After Using Jimmy Carter's Death To Make A Gross Dig At Biden
    
When you're a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune, there's not much wiggle room when it comes to answers being deemed valid for winning cash prizes.
Not only do you have to be able to spell the words on the board, but you also have to properly pronounce them.
Contestant Shauna Williams learned this the hard way after solving the puzzle but failing to correctly pronounce the word "congenial."
With two empty spaces left on the word puzzle for “CONGENIAL COMPANY & CLEVER CONVERSATION," our enthusiastic contestant was able to add the missing letters "Y" and a "G" which earned her a total of $1,135.
But when host Pat Sajak asked her to read back what was on the board, Williams pronounced the word, "congenial" as "CAHN-juh-nul."
Ooh, so close.
You can watch the gameplay snafu here. 

No way this lady lost Wheel of Fortune with the entire puzzle solved \xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82
 —  (@)
        
Viewers weighed in on the situation. 

@KyleNeubeck When someone mispronounces a word it may be because they learned it from reading instead of hearing it said
 —  (@)
        
@KyleNeubeck I heard congenital not congenial. I think the excitement of knowing the puzzle got to her and she just pronounced it wrong.
 —  (@)
        
@KyleNeubeck I feel bad for her\xe2\x80\xa6 An honest mistake
 —  (@)
        
@KyleNeubeck Has she never heard of Miss Congeniality?
 —  (@)
        
@KyleNeubeck Pat Sajak was cold blooded here.  "No!"
 —  (@)
        
Don't shoot the messenger.

The rules do allow some leeway, but if a mispronunciation adds, changes or subtracts any letters in the word, it is not accepted. 
And the judges make those calls, not Pat. He just relays their message.
— Barbara Thurlow (@GorillaGrins3) January 5, 2024 

@KyleNeubeck I have to laugh at how everyone always blames Pat for this stuff. You do realize there are judges and producers off camera that make that call and then relay it to Pat through an earpiece. And she wasn\xe2\x80\x99t even close in her pronunciation.
 —  (@)
        
@KyleNeubeck Everyone that plays the game knows the rule of proper pronunciation, its Pat's job to enforce it. Can't blame the messenger.
 —  (@)
        
Some thought the game show should've cut Williams some slack.

@KyleNeubeck A little harsh, Pat.
 —  (@)
        
@KyleNeubeck Soooo; as someone who has NEVER came across this word before: How are you Supposed to pronounce congenial???
 —  (@)
        
@KyleNeubeck that is so wrong, with if the peron has an accent, are they screwed because of that. What if that's the way she has always pronounced It. Something very wrong here
 —  (@)
        
To her credit, Williams got all the letters correct and the rushed verbalizing may have been the result of excitement and nerves. 
Still, to lose out on the puzzle entirely must've stung. 
But rules are rules in the popular game show, and Pat Sajak isn't budging, no matter how much the audience is rooting for the affable contestant.
Better luck next time, Shauna!

Latest News

TV & Movies
    
        'Doctor Who' Writer Epically Claps Back At Trolls Accusing Him Of Making The Show Too 'Woke'
    
Joanna Edwards

        9h
    
Political Drama
    
        Fox News Host's Story About Pete Hegseth Eating Food Off The Floor Has People Grossed All The Way Out
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot

        10h
    
Political News
    
        MAGA Rapper Azealia Banks Admits Trump's Presidency Is An 'Absolute Disaster' In Blunt Tweets
    
Alan Herrera

        10h
    
Trending
    
        ICE Agent Smashes Immigrant's Car Window While He Waits For Lawyer In Harrowing Video
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot

        10h
    
      Don’t Miss Out
    
      Join the
      ComicSands.com
      community and make your opinion matter.

The Top 5

Discover More

When you're a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune, there's not much wiggle room when it comes to answers being deemed valid for winning cash prizes.

Not only do you have to be able to spell the words on the board, but you also have to properly pronounce them.

Contestant Shauna Williams learned this the hard way after solving the puzzle but failing to correctly pronounce the word "congenial."

With two empty spaces left on the word puzzle for “CONGENIAL COMPANY & CLEVER CONVERSATION," our enthusiastic contestant was able to add the missing letters "Y" and a "G" which earned her a total of $1,135.

But when host Pat Sajak asked her to read back what was on the board, Williams pronounced the word, "congenial" as "CAHN-juh-nul."

Ooh, so close.

You can watch the gameplay snafu here.

No way this lady lost Wheel of Fortune with the entire puzzle solved \xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82\xf0\x9f\x98\x82
— (@)

Viewers weighed in on the situation.

@KyleNeubeck When someone mispronounces a word it may be because they learned it from reading instead of hearing it said
— (@)

@KyleNeubeck I heard congenital not congenial. I think the excitement of knowing the puzzle got to her and she just pronounced it wrong.
— (@)

@KyleNeubeck I feel bad for her\xe2\x80\xa6 An honest mistake
— (@)

@KyleNeubeck Has she never heard of Miss Congeniality?
— (@)

@KyleNeubeck Pat Sajak was cold blooded here. "No!"
— (@)

Don't shoot the messenger.

The rules do allow some leeway, but if a mispronunciation adds, changes or subtracts any letters in the word, it is not accepted.
And the judges make those calls, not Pat. He just relays their message.
— Barbara Thurlow (@GorillaGrins3) January 5, 2024

@KyleNeubeck I have to laugh at how everyone always blames Pat for this stuff. You do realize there are judges and producers off camera that make that call and then relay it to Pat through an earpiece. And she wasn\xe2\x80\x99t even close in her pronunciation.
— (@)

@KyleNeubeck Everyone that plays the game knows the rule of proper pronunciation, its Pat's job to enforce it. Can't blame the messenger.
— (@)

Some thought the game show should've cut Williams some slack.

@KyleNeubeck A little harsh, Pat.
— (@)

@KyleNeubeck Soooo; as someone who has NEVER came across this word before: How are you Supposed to pronounce congenial???
— (@)

@KyleNeubeck that is so wrong, with if the peron has an accent, are they screwed because of that. What if that's the way she has always pronounced It. Something very wrong here
— (@)

To her credit, Williams got all the letters correct and the rushed verbalizing may have been the result of excitement and nerves.

Still, to lose out on the puzzle entirely must've stung.

But rules are rules in the popular game show, and Pat Sajak isn't budging, no matter how much the audience is rooting for the affable contestant.

Better luck next time, Shauna!

Related Articles Around the Web

  More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

        Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash
    
        Women Describe The Times A Man Stood Out To Them For A Positive Reason
    
Thomas Dane

        Apr 18, 2025
    
Guys can be a lot. 
I attest to that as one.

                Keep Reading
                Show less
            
Most Read

Political News
    
        White House Sparks Outrage After Tweeting Unhinged Threat Amid Tariffs Pause
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot

        11 April
    
Trending
    
        Company's New Executive Demands All Employees Take Lunch At Noon—And It Backfires Hard
    
Koh Mochizuki

        13 April
    
Trending
    
        Teacher Stunned To Discover NSFW Meaning Behind Common Phrase She Uses With Students
    
Koh Mochizuki

        13 March
    
Political News
    
        Someone Flew A 'Trump Country' Banner Over Bernie And AOC's Packed Rally—And AOC Clapped Back Hard
    
Alan Herrera

        17 April
    
Political News
    
        Trump's Education Secretary Just Referred To 'AI' As 'A1'—And The Steak Sauce Seized The Moment
    
Alan Herrera

        14 April
    
    Don’t Miss Out
Stay ahead of the curve with the latest news and viral moments from Comic Sands!

        Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images
    
        White House Slammed After Replacing Obama Portrait With Painting Of Trump's Assassination Attempt
    
Alan Herrera

        Apr 18, 2025
    
The White House is facing heavy criticism after it posted a video on X showing off a new painting of President Donald Trump's assassination attempt last summer—that is now hanging where an official portrait of former President Barack Obama was once displayed.
The portrait of Obama, unveiled in 2022 during former President Joe Biden’s administration, remains on display in the White House but has been relocated. Originally hung near the staircase to the presidential residence on the State Floor, it has been moved to the opposite wall—where a portrait of former President George W. Bush once hung.

                Keep Reading
                Show less
            
        Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
    
        Lynda Carter Has Iconic Reaction To Black Cosplayer Who Was Told She Shouldn't Dress As Wonder Woman
    
Morgan Allison Ross

        Apr 17, 2025
    
Actor Lynda Carter, best known for her role in the 1970s live-action television series Wonder Woman, has gone viral after she praised a Black cosplayer's Wonder Woman costume in response to the cosplayer's posts addressing criticism she received about dressing up as the iconic superheroine.
On Sunday, April 6, a cosplayer named Bibi took to X (formerly Twitter) to show off her Wonder Woman cosplay, or "costume play," after being told she shouldn't dress as Diana Prince, AKA Wonder Woman, because she's Black.

                Keep Reading
                Show less
            
        C-SPAN
    
        RFK Jr. Claims Autistic Children Will Never 'Hold A Job' Or 'Go On A Date' In Bonkers Rant
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot

        Apr 17, 2025
    
Once again displaying the incompetence inherent in the administration, Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) held his first press conference on Monday.
The purpose was for HHS head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to spout the misinformation, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories the antivaxxer is known for. 

                Keep Reading
                Show less
            
        Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO/Getty Images; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
    
        Aimee Lou Wood Reveals Sweet Apology Gift Sarah Sherman Sent Her After 'Mean' 'SNL' Spoof
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot

        Apr 17, 2025
    
	Actor Aimee Lou Wood shared via her Instagram stories the apology she received from Saturday Night Live cast member Sarah Sherman.

	Wood, a breakout star of HBO's third season of White Lotus, previously shared that SNL offered a mea culpa after the actor spoke out about a sketch featured on the show. 

                Keep Reading
                Show less
            
Load More

Latest Stories

Start your day right!

'Wheel Of Fortune' Fans Groan After Contestant Misses Completed Puzzle By Mispronouncing Word

Viewers were left flabbergasted after a 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant completed a puzzle, but then failed to solve it after mispronouncing the word 'congenial.'

Latest News

Don’t Miss Out

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Calm and Carry On...

The Helper

Okay, sure...

Quiet

PARTY!!!

Be Ready

Just like the Movies...

To Tell the Driver

At Ease

Breakfast

Beliefs

Every. Time.

Blown Away!!

Memory

No Sharp Objects

Most Read

Don’t Miss Out