I think that has to do with whether it is single or double jeopardy. I think they get a free pass from the host if they forget to phrase their answer as a question in single, but not double.
IIRC for Single vs Double the difference is they will enforce the “form of a question” part. In either round, they will let you mangle the pronunciation as long as you don’t insert or omit phonemes beyond what could reasonably be the result of only having read the word.
So “Alexander Dumb-ass” would be fine, though you’d likely get some gentle chiding, or maybe even have to refilm the question (“portions of the show not affecting the outside have been edited”) afterwards, but if you were expanding NASA and left the ‘s’ off the end of “Aeronautics,” it would be wrong.
Not 100% on the rules, but I think it depends if the question is a Daily Double or not, and there’s more scrutiny if it is.
The closest example that comes to mind is when Arthur Chu pronounced Elbridge Gerry as Jerry. He ended up getting the $800 but got a lecture from Trebeck.
Earlier in the same clip he lost $5000 from the Daily Double because he pronounced Frances McDormand as McDarmand
I think that has to do with whether it is single or double jeopardy. I think they get a free pass from the host if they forget to phrase their answer as a question in single, but not double.
I think that in the clip i shared, it was all Double Jeopardy, because the board starts at $400. It’s all certainly the same round.
IIRC for Single vs Double the difference is they will enforce the “form of a question” part. In either round, they will let you mangle the pronunciation as long as you don’t insert or omit phonemes beyond what could reasonably be the result of only having read the word.
So “Alexander Dumb-ass” would be fine, though you’d likely get some gentle chiding, or maybe even have to refilm the question (“portions of the show not affecting the outside have been edited”) afterwards, but if you were expanding NASA and left the ‘s’ off the end of “Aeronautics,” it would be wrong.