The Pronunciation Manual meme originates from a popular YouTube channel launched in 2011 that parodied legitimate educational channels like Howjsay. The videos typically start with a formal introduction of a word followed by an increasingly absurd, distorted, or completely incorrect spoken pronunciation. This template became a staple of early 2010s internet humor, satirizing the helpful nature of the web with pure chaos. Users often use this format to poke fun at names with complex spellings or to create unexpected, loud-volume punchlines that subvert the viewer's expectations of a standard tutorial.