Commonly Mispronounced Words and How to Pronounce Them
Many people learn words through reading before they hear them spoken, which makes mispronunciation common. The words below are among the most frequently mispronounced, grouped by the type of error. Select any word to hear its pronunciation.
Words pronounced with an extra sound
- athlete: two syllables, ATH-leet, not "ath-uh-leet."
- espresso: es-PRESS-oh. There is no x sound.
- especially: begins with "es," not "ex."
- across: ends with an s sound, not "acrost."
- drowned: one syllable, with no extra "ded" at the end.
Words pronounced with a missing sound
- library: both r sounds are pronounced, LY-brair-ee.
- february: the careful pronunciation is FEB-roo-air-ee.
- probably: three syllables, PROB-uh-blee.
- turmeric: the first r is pronounced, TUR-mer-ik.
Words with changed or reordered sounds
- nuclear: NOO-klee-er, not "nuke-yuh-ler."
- jewelry: JOO-ul-ree, not "jool-er-ee."
- realtor: REE-ul-ter.
- mischievous: three syllables, MISS-chuh-vus.
- pronunciation: the second syllable is "nun," not "noun."
Words with misleading spelling
- colonel: pronounced the same as kernel.
- epitome: four syllables, ih-PIT-uh-mee.
- hyperbole: hy-PUR-buh-lee.
- quinoa: KEEN-wah.
- worcestershire: WUUS-ter-sher.
- choir: KWY-er.
Words with silent letters
- salmon: the l is silent.
- receipt: the p is silent.
- subtle: the b is silent.
- debt: the b is silent.
- often: the t is usually silent, although both pronunciations are accepted.
Words borrowed from other languages
- genre: ZHON-ruh.
- cache: pronounced the same as cash.
- niche: "nitch" or "neesh." Both are accepted.
- chipotle: chih-POHT-lay.
- gnocchi: NYOH-kee or NOH-kee.
How to correct a mispronunciation
Reading a word repeatedly can reinforce an incorrect pronunciation, so it helps to replace it deliberately. Listen to the correct pronunciation, say the word aloud several times, and then use it in a sentence. Save the word to My Words and review it again the following day. After a few days of practice, the correct pronunciation usually becomes natural.
For more examples, browse our full collection of commonly mispronounced words, or save difficult ones to My Words.