It's not a peeve for me, but I too often see authors using "vice" when they mean "vise." Example: He could hardly breathe; he felt as if he were being crushed in a vice.

About "nucular." The average person uses patterns and resemblances in language. Think how many words we have with "ular" in them:

regular
molecular
jugular
scapular
macular
spectacular

Right now, I can't think of any other word that has the -ear of nuclear.