35 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words in English: Learn & Say Correctly

Key takeaways

• There are many words that are commonly mispronounced in English, including “colonel,” “Worcestershire,” and “mischievous.”
• English spelling and pronunciation aren’t always consistent, which can lead to confusion for learners.
• Borrowed words in English can have surprising pronunciation.
• Regional differences can lead to variations in pronunciation, so what sounds correct in one place might sound wrong in another.

English pronunciation can be tricky. There are so many words that are commonly mispronounced, mostly due to the complicated relationship between English spelling and pronunciation.

To avoid making these frequent mistakes, we’ve prepared a helpful list of the most commonly mispronounced words for you. In this post, we’re going to explain why many speakers get them wrong and give you the correct pronunciation of each word.

Why Do People Mispronounce Words in English

There are many reasons why people mispronounce words in English. It doesn’t just happen to new learners. Native speakers sometimes struggle, too. Here are some of the main causes:

1. English spelling and pronunciation aren’t always consistent

While English does have some general spelling rules, only about 75% of words follow these. This means that 1 out of every 4 words is pronounced differently than you might expect. That’s why there are so many commonly mispronounced English words.

For example, let’s look at the syllable “oo”:

• You may think that it’s either pronounced as the long /uː/ (such as in “balloon”) or the short /ʊ/ (“good”).
• However, it can also be pronounced as /ɔː/ (“floor”) or even /ʌ/ (“blood”).

Because of this inconsistency, it’s easy to get English pronunciation wrong if you’ve never heard a certain word and have only seen it written down. Simply guessing the pronunciation based on your general knowledge of English just won’t do.

2. Borrowed words can complicate things

English is full of words that are borrowed from other languages. Unsurprisingly, these are often the most commonly mispronounced words. There are several reasons for this:

• Some people try to overcorrect by pronouncing these words based on their basic understanding of the source language. This can lead to exaggerated and wrong pronunciation.
• It’s easy to misunderstand the spelling. For example, in the word “jalapeño,” which comes from Spanish, the first syllable is pronounced as “hah” as opposed to the typical English “jah.”
• Some sounds don’t exist in English. The nasal “gn” in “lasagna” is common in Italian, but it can confuse English speakers who have never encountered the sound before.

3. It’s easy to mishear words

English isn’t a monolith. Most speakers have regional accents, and many are also prone to mumbling and not pronouncing words fully. It’s easy to mishear certain sounds, and many of the words that are commonly mispronounced are learned incorrectly for this very reason.

Tip: To learn more about language learning (incl. pronunciation), check out this Promova Podcast episode:

35 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words with Correct Pronunciations

There are many ways in which people mispronounce English words. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Words mispronounced due to silent letters

Some of the most commonly mispronounced English words contain silent letters. These are letters that you don’t say, even though they are part of the correct spelling. For instance:

• Debris: The “s” is silent, with the correct pronunciation being /dəˈbriː/.
• Debt: The “t” is omitted. You should say /det/ instead.
• Salmon: The correct pronunciation is /ˈsæm.ən/, meaning that the “l” is silent.
• Subtle: Omit the “b” to get it right and say /ˈsʌt̬.əl/.
• Tomb: The last letter of this word (“b”) is not pronounced. Native English speakers would say /tuːm/ instead.
• Wednesday: The first “d” is silent. The correct pronunciation is /ˈwenz.deɪ/.
• Yolk: Similar to “salmon,” the “l” in “yolk” is not pronounced. Say /joʊk/ to get it right.

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Words mispronounced because of vowel confusion

English has the following vowels: A, E, I, O, U. The letter Y can also sometimes function as a vowel. But just because a word has certain vowels doesn’t mean that it will be pronounced the way you might expect. Each English vowel can be pronounced in many different ways, which often leads to confusion.

Here are seven commonly mispronounced words due to unexpected vowel sounds:

• Coupon: This word is pronounced as /ˈkuː.pɑːn/, not “KYOO-pon.”
• Draught: You may be tempted to say “DRAWT,” but the correct pronunciation is /dræft/.
• Epitome: It’s the last syllable that causes issues. Say /ɪˈpɪt̬.ə.mi/ instead of “EP-ih-tohm.”
• Flour: Don’t say “FLAW-ter.” The correct pronunciation is /ˈflaʊ.ɚ/.
• Queue: This word has many vowels, which may seem confusing, especially as not all of them are pronounced. The correct pronunciation is /kjuː/, not “KEW-ee.”
• Quinoa: Sometimes, people say “kwin-OH-ah,” when in reality, it’s pronounced as /kɪnˈwɑː/.
• Segue: The “gue” syllable may look like it should be pronounced as “g-yoo,” but the word is actually pronounced as /ˈseɡ.weɪ/.

Tricky consonant combinations and stress

Some languages always stress the first or second-to-last syllable, but this is not the case in English. Putting stress on the right part of the word is necessary for correct pronunciation. Sometimes, this is made more difficult by confusing consonant combinations. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Barometer: The stress is on the second syllable (/bəˈrɑː.mə.t̬ɚ/), not the third syllable (“bar-o-MEE-ter”).
• Entrepreneur: Sometimes, people put emphasis on the first and last syllable (“ON-tre-pre-NOOR”), but in English, the primary stress is on the last syllable only (/ˌɑːn.trə.prəˈnɝː/).
• Mischievous: This word is often incorrectly pronounced with four syllables (“mis-CHEE-vee-us”), but the correct pronunciation only has three: /ˈmɪs.tʃə.vəs/. The stress is on the first syllable.
• Nuclear: Some people may think that this word has three strong syllables (“NEW-kyoo-lar”), but the second one is actually pronounced so quickly that it sounds like two (/ˈnuː.kliː.ɚ/).
• Pneumonia: While this word starts with the consonant “p,” that letter is not pronounced. Also, the stress isn’t on the first syllable but on the second. It’s not “puh-NEW-moh-nee-uh.” Say /nuːˈmoʊ.njə/ instead.
• Prestigious: Often, learners put too much emphasis on the “ti” syllable, making it long (“pres-TEE-jus”). The correct pronunciation is /presˈtɪdʒ.əs/.
• Worcestershire: Even native English speakers often get this word wrong. It’s tempting to say “WOR-ches-ter-shy-er,” but in reality, this word only has three syllables, with the stress being on the first one (/ˈwʊs.tɚ.ʃɚ/).

Borrowed words with unique sounds

There are many borrowed words in English, and they are often some of the most commonly mispronounced words. For example:

• Açaí: Pronounced as /ˌæs.aɪˈiː/, not “ah-KAI.”
• Bruschetta: This Italian word is pronounced as /brəˈsket̬.ə/ instead of “bru-SHET-a.”
• Charcuterie: Don’t say “char-KOOT-uh-ray.” The correct pronunciation is /ʃɑːrˈkuː.t̬ər.i/.
• Colonel: This is one of the most commonly mispronounced words. Many say “COAL-uh-nel,” but it’s actually /ˈkɝː.nəl/.
• Genre: The correct pronunciation of this word is /ˈʒɑːn.rə/, not “JON-ruh.”
• Regime: Some people may say “REE-jeem,” but that’s incorrect. Say /reɪˈʒiːm/ instead.
• Zucchini: “Zucchini” is pronounced as /zuːˈkiː.ni/, not “zoo-CHIN-ee.”

Everyday words often said incorrectly

It’s not just fancy words that people mispronounce. There are some everyday words that are commonly mispronounced, too, such as:

• Accessory: Don’t say “ACK-sess-uh-ree.” It’s /əkˈses.ər.i/.
• Bury: The “u” in this word is pronounced as the “e” in “berry” (/ˈber.i/). Learners sometimes get this wrong by saying “BUH-ree.”
• Chaos: The first two letters of this word are pronounced as “k.” Say /ˈkeɪ.ɑːs/ instead of “CHAY-oss.”
• Cupboard: The “p” is silent here. It’s /ˈkʌb.ɚd/, not “CUP-board.”
• Height: Even though this word seems like the letter “h” followed by the number “eight,” “HAYT” is not the correct pronunciation. It’s actually /haɪt/.
• Rapport: The correct pronunciation is /ræpˈɔːr/, not “RAP-port.”
• Realtor: Last but not least, this word is pronounced as /ˈriː.əl.tɔːr/, not “REEL-ay-tor.”

Regional Variations in English Words Commonly Mispronounced

Some words have different pronunciations depending on the region. For example, there is a big difference between American and British English. Here are some words that often confuse learners:

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Conclusion

There are many words that are commonly mispronounced in English. Both new and advanced learners sometimes struggle to figure out the correct way to say certain words. But with enough patience and practice, you can easily train your ear and improve your pronunciation.