- Home
- How to pronounce
- Often mispronounced
Often mispronounced: How to Pronounce Them
Common words that pick up an extra sound, lose one, or swap two. Press play to hear each word, or open its page for British audio, syllables and meaning.
- athlete · ATH-leet · /ˈæθˌlit/
Two syllables only: 'ATH-leet'. Avoid adding an extra 'uh' in the middle. - nuclear · NOO-klee-er · /ˈnukliɚ/
'NOO-klee-er'. Avoid 'NOO-kyuh-ler'. - library · LY-breh-ree · /ˈlaɪbrɛˌri/
Keep both r's: 'LY-brair-ee', not 'LY-bair-ee'. - jewelry · JOO-ul-ree · /ˈdʒuəlri/
Three syllables: 'JOO-ul-ree'. Avoid 'JOOL-er-ee'. - Realtor · REE-ul-ter · /ˈriəltɚ/
Two syllables plus 'ter': 'REE-ul-ter'. Avoid 'REE-luh-ter'. - mischievous · MIS-chuh-vus · /ˈmɪstʃəvəs/
Three syllables: 'MISS-chuh-vus'. There is no 'ee-us' at the end. - often · AW-fun · /ˈɔfən/
Both 'OFF-en' and 'OFF-ten' are accepted. The silent t is the older, more common form. - especially · uh-SPESH-lee · /əˈspɛʃli/
Starts with 'es', not 'ex': 'ih-SPESH-uh-lee'. - supposedly · suh-POH-zud-lee · /səˈpoʊzədli/
Ends with 'id-lee': 'suh-POH-zid-lee'. Avoid 'supposably'. - probably · PRAH-buh-blee · /ˈprɑbəˌbli/
Three syllables: 'PROB-uh-blee'. Avoid squashing it to 'PROB-lee'. - asterisk · AS-tuh-risk · /ˈæstərɪsk/
Ends with 'risk': 'ASS-ter-isk'. Avoid 'asterix'. - prescription · pruh-SKRIP-shun · /prəˈskrɪpʃən/
Starts with 'pre', not 'per': 'prih-SKRIP-shun'. - height · HYTE · /haɪt/
Ends with a t sound, not th: 'hyte'. - triathlon · try-ATH-lun · /ˌtraɪˈæθlən/
Three syllables: 'try-ATH-lon'. Don't add an extra 'uh'. - arctic · ARK-tik · /ˈɑrktɪk/
Careful speech keeps the first c: 'ARK-tik'. - specific · spuh-SIF-ik · /spəˈsɪfɪk/
Starts with 'spuh': 'spuh-SIF-ik'. Avoid 'pacific'. - picture · PIK-cher · /ˈpɪktʃɚ/
Keep the k sound: 'PIK-cher'. Pitcher is a different word. - ask · ASK · /æsk/
The s comes before the k: 'ask', not 'aks'. - salmon · SAM-un · /ˈsæmən/
The l is silent: 'SAM-un'. - almost · AWL-mohst · /ˈɔlˌmoʊst/
The l is light but present: 'AWL-mohst'. - mayonnaise · MAY-uh-nayz · /ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/
Americans say 'MAY-uh-nayz' or 'MAN-ayz'. - drowned · DROWND · /draʊnd/
One syllable: 'drownd'. There is no 'ded' at the end. - across · uh-KRAWS · /əˈkrɔs/
Ends with an s: 'uh-KROSS'. Avoid 'acrossed' or 'acrost'. - escape · ih-SKAYP · /ɪˈskeɪp/
Starts with 'es', not 'ex': 'ih-SKAYP'.
More tricky word lists
Silent letters
Letters that are written but never spoken. Most are leftovers from older spellings or from Latin and Greek roots.
Borrowed from French
English kept many French words close to their original sound, so the last letters are often silent and the stress lands late.
Food and drink
Dishes and ingredients from Italian, Spanish, Japanese and other languages, often said very differently from how they look.
Said differently in the US and UK
Words where American and British speakers move the stress or change a vowel. Neither is wrong; pick the one that matches your audience.
Stress in an unexpected place
Words that are easy to spell out but easy to get wrong, because the strong syllable is not where you would guess.
Spellings that mislead
Everyday words whose letters point you toward the wrong sound.
Same spelling, two pronunciations
Heteronyms: words spelled the same way that change sound with meaning. In many noun and verb pairs the noun is stressed first and the verb last.