On the long-running syndicated game show "Wheel of Fortune," spelling isn’t the only requirement for winning, as one contestant learned the hard way. Today.com reports that the incident underscored the point that mispronunciation will also disqualify an answer.

A contestant named Paul had landed on the wheel’s small million-dollar wedge and was trying to solve the puzzle, whose solution was "corner curio cabinet." But instead, he said, "Corno curo cabinet," the story says.

The show ruled the answer was incorrect, and disqualified him from his shot at the $1 million prize. The next player correctly enunciated the answer, the story adds.

"Well, it’s one of those … it just didn’t come out the way you intended it to!" host Pat Sajak told Paul. "Paul, you’ve proved what several players have proven and I prove almost on a nightly basis: Sometimes your mouth says what your brain doesn’t intend for it to."

Had he got the answer right, Paul still faced a few more steps to reach the $1 million prize, the report notes. For his part, Paul took his misstep in stride, later demonstrating that he could correctly pronounce the word "corner" and quipping: "You just have to say words, actual words, Pat!"

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