Commonly Mispronounced Words in English

Posts409Likes160Joined10/7/2018LocationTrece Martires City / PH
Native
Tagalog
Other English

Commonly mispronounced words.


abject (AB jekt)

accessories (ak SESS o reez)

absolutely (AB so lute lee)

accidentally (ak si DEN tal e)

abstemious (ab STEE mee us)

acclimate (AK kla mate)

absurd (ab SERD)

address (a DRESS; both noun and verb)

accede (ak SEED)

admirable (AD ma rabl)

accept (ak SEPT)

adult (a DULT; NOT ADD ult)

accession (ak SESH un)

aerial (AIR ree al)

ally (verb: al Lie; noun: AL lie)

applicable (AP plik a bl)

architect (AR ki tekt)

arctic (ARK tik)

area (AIR ee a)

attack (a TAKT)

attitude (AT i tyud)

attorney (a TER nee)

autopsy (AU top see)

avenue (AV a nyu)

aviation (ay vi AY shun)

battery (BAT er e; NOT BAT tree)

being (pronounce the g)

beneficent (be NEFF i sent)

bicycle (BY sik il)

biography (by OG ra fee)

breadth (bredth; pronounce the d)

casualty (CAZH ul tee)

champion (CHAM pee un)

chastisement (chass TYZE ment)

chauffeur (SHOW ferr)

chestnut (CHESS nut)

chocolate (CHOCK o lut)

clique (klik)

comment (COM ment)

compromise (COM pro myze)

concave (con CAYV)

concentrate (CON sen trayt)

concierge (con se AIRZH)

condolence (con DOE lens)

conversant (con VER sunt)

convex (con VEX)

corps (kor)

creek (kreek; NOT krik)

cruel (KROO el)

data (DAT tah)

deaf (def)

decade (DECK ayd)

decisive (dee SY siv)

defect (DE fekt)

deficit (DEF i sit)

demonstrable (de MON strabl)

depot (DEE po)

depths (pronounce the th)

dessert (de ZERT)

detour (DEE toor)

diamond (DY a mund)

distribute (dis TRIB yute)

divide (di VYD)

doing (DOO ing; pronounce the g)

drowned (drownd; one syllable,

NOT drown ded)

duly (DYU lee)

duty (DYU tee)

edition (eh DISH un)

educate (EDD yu kate)

elm (as written; NOT el um)

envelop (verb: en VELL up)

envelope (noun: EN va lope)

epitome (ee PITT o mee)

equitable (EK wi ta bl)

era (IHR a)

err (urr; rhymes with fur)

etiquette (ETT i kett)

every (EV a ree)

exigency (EKS i jen see)

exponent (ek SPO nent)

exquisite (eks KWI zit)

extant (EKS tent)

extraordinary (eks TROR di ner ee)

fact (pronounce the t)

family (FAM a lee)

fasten (FASS en)

favorite (FAY vor it)

figure (FIG yur)

film (as written; NOT fill um)

finance (verb: fi NANS; noun:

FI nans)

financial (fin NAN shul)

financier (fin nan SEER)

forehead (FOR id)

forte (FOR tay)

formidable (FOR mi da bl)

fragmentary (FRAG men ter ee)

friendship (FRIEND ship; pronounce

the d)

genuine (JENN yu inn)

gingham (GHING um)

glisten (GLISS en)

gondola (GONN do la)

government (GUV ern ment; pronounce

both n’s)

grievous (GREE vuss)

guardian (GAR dee un)

hasten (HAYSS en)

height (hyt; does NOT end in th)

heinous (HAY nuss)

herculean (her kyu LEE un)

heroism (HER o izm)

homeopathy (ho mee o PAth ee)

horizon (ho RYZ un)

hostile (HOSS til)

hundred (as written; NOT hunnerd)

idea (eye DEA a)

ignoramus (ig no RAY muss)

immediate (imm EE dee ut)

impious (im PEYE uss)

incognito (in cog NEE toe)

incomparable (in COM pa ra bl)

indictment (in DYT ment)

industry (IN dus tree)

inexorable (in EKS o ra bl)

inexplicable (in eks PLIK a bl)

infamous (IN fa muss)

inquiry (in KWY ree)

Iowa (EYE o wah)

irrevocable (ir REV o ka bl)

Italian (itt AL yun)

italics (ih TAL iks)

judiciary (joo DISH a ree)

just (as written; NOT jest)

knew (nyu)

lapel (la PEL)

large (larg; no d sound)

latent (LAY tent)

length (pronounce the g; NOT lenth)

library (LI bra ree; NOT ly' bay ree)

lieu (loo)

lightning (LYT ning; NOT lyt en ning)

long-lived (long livd; also -leyed)

longevity (lon JEV i tee)

luxury (LUK shur ee; NOT lug shur ee)

lyceum (ly SEE um)

manufacture (man u FAKT yur)

maturity (ma TYR rit tee)

memorable (MEM uh ra bl)

mischievous (MISS cha vuss)

municipal (myu NISS i pul)

museum (myu ZEE um)

new (nyu)

oblique (o BLEEK)

office (OFF fiss; NOT aw fuss)

often (OFF en; no t )

on (as written; NOT awn)

ordeal (or DEEL)

osteopath (OSS tee o path)

osteopathy (oss tee OPP a thee)

overalls (as written; NOT over halls)

parade (pa RAYD; NOT prayd)

partner (as written; NOT pard ner)

patron (PAY trun)

pecan (pe KON)

pecuniary (pee KYU nee er ee)

peremptory (per EMP ter ee)

piano (pee AN o)

picture (PIK tyur)

pique (peek)

plumber (PLUM er)

positively (POZ it tiv lee)

possess (po ZESS)

precedence (PRE sah dens)

preface (PREF iss)

preferable (PREF er a bl)

prescription (pre SCRIP shun)

presentation (prez en TAY shun)

radiator (RAY dee ay tor)

radio (RAY dee o)

rambling (as written; NOT ram bo ling)

realm (relm; NOT rell um)

recognize (REK og nyz)

recourse (REE cors)

refutable (re FYUT a bl)

reputable (REP yut a bl)

research (RE serch)

resources (REE sors ez)

respite (RES pit)

revocable (REV o ka bl)

robust (ro BUST)

romance (ro MANS)

Roosevelt (RO za velt; NEVER roose a velt)

route (root)

sagacious (sa GAY shuss)

schism (SI zem)

simultaneous (sy mul TAY nee uss)

short-lived (short lyvd)

slippery (SLIP er ree; NOT slip ree)

solace (SOL uss)

solder (SOD er)

sphere (sfeer)

status (STAY tuss)

strictly (STRICT lee; NOT strick li)

subpoena (sup PEE nah)

subtle (SUT tl)

suit (soote)

superfluous (soo PER floo uss)

surprise (ser PRYZ)

telegrapher (tell EGG ra fer)

temperament (TEM per a ment;

NOT tem per ment)

tenet (TEN ett)

theater (THEE a ter)

tract (tract; NOT track)

trembling (TREM bling; NOT trem bo ling)

tremendous (tre MEN dus)

tribune (TRIB yun)

tube (tyub)

Tuesday (TYUZ day)

tumult (TYU mult)

umbrella (um BREL lah; NOT um ba rel lah)

usurp (yu SERP)

water (WA ter)

Utica (YU tik a)

what (hwot; NOT wot)

vagary (VA gar ee)

wheel (hweel; NOT weel)

vehement (VEE a ment)

whether (HWETH er)

vehicle (VEE ih kel)

white (hwyt)

verbose (ver BOWSS)

wrestle (RES el)

was (wahz)

do the right thing even when nobody is watching

Edited 
1
#1
Posts0Likes0Joined8/7/2018Location
Native
English
Learning Spanish
Other French, German

Having worked in a call centre for years, as far as I can tell the hardest English place name to pronounce is loughborough

Posted 
2
#2
Posts220Likes124Joined9/7/2018LocationUS
Native
English
Learning Spanish
Other French

Thanks for sharing. This is interesting and helpful. I was born in Jersey City, New Jersey but grew up with a thick New York accent . When I started school in the Midwest my Drama Teacher suggested I take speech lessons to correct my pronunciation but I still have an accent with some of the words on that list. 


Posted 
0
#3
Posts0Likes0Joined9/7/2018Location
Native
English
Learning French, Spanish
Other Irish

This is very interesting, thanks for sharing. What is the source? The spelling indicates it's perhaps from the US and some of the pronunciations do too. I grew up learning to pronounce some of these words differently which I've always thought is so fascinating... the nuances in one language across the world.

Posted 
1
#4
Posts199Likes93Joined12/7/2018LocationPH
Native
Tagalog
Learning English, Spanish

Thank you sharing this. 

Posted 
1
#5
Posts409Likes160Joined10/7/2018LocationTrece Martires City / PH
Native
Tagalog
Other English

youre welcome :grin:

do the right thing even when nobody is watching

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0
#6
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