Chance Likely is correct for not only West Michigan, but for the rest of the country as well. The two words, aural and oral, fall into a category of homonym referred to as a homophone; meaning two words which are pronounced the same, but spelled differently. The mistake in pronunciation is perpetuated by those who are attempting to draw a distinction between the words when spoken together; an example of this occurrence is when one is describing aural/oral communication within the context of hearing loss. However, a quick perusal of virtually any dictionary will illustrate that the proper pronunciation of both words is the same.