Words even you may be mispronouncing

Under the #mispronounced, Twitter users are sharing words they’ve hilariously mispronounced at one time or another. The tweets are spectacular.

The English language — with its silent letters, odd accent placement, and words borrowed from other languages — can be a pronunciation minefield. Below are some of the most common mispronounced words Twitter users are sharing. Click on the word to hear the sometimes-surprising and sometimes-controversial pronunciations.

(Definitions and pronunciations are from Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com.)

1. Acai — a small, purple berrylike fruit that comes from palm trees found in Central and South America.
2. Anemone — a plant related to the buttercup family; a sea anemone is a sedentary, tubular marine animal.
3. Banal — boring, hackneyed, or trite.
4. Bruschetta — an appetizer of toasted bread with olive oil and tomatoes.
5. Cache — a hiding place; a secure area for storage; temporary computer storage or memory. Often confused with
6. Edinburgh —the capital of Scotland.
7. Ennui —restless dissatisfaction; boredom.
8. Epitome — a person or thing that is a typical example; an abstract or brief account.
9. Espresso — coffee made by forcing steam and boiling water through ground dark-roasted coffee beans.
10. Faux pas — a blunder or mistake.
11. Foie gras — a dish made from the fattened liver of an animal, particularly a goose.
12. Fracas — a noisy argument or brawl.
13. GIF — a computer file format; a file or image stored in this format.
14. Hors d’oeuvres — appetizers or small snacks.
15. Mischievous — causing trouble or annoyance.
16. Niche — a recess in a wall; a sheltered or private space; a habitat.
17. Primer — a book for teaching children to read; an introductory book or work on a subject. Primer is a material or device used for priming a surface
18. Quiche — a pastry shell filled with cooked custard and other ingredients.
19. Quinoa —a tall crop plant that is cultivated for its starchy seeds which are used as food.
20. Remuneration — something that rewards or pays; often mispronounced as renumeration.
21. Sherbet — a frozen dessert made with skim milk, sugar, and flavoring.

Any words to add to this list?

 

This post was also published on Ragan Communication’s PR Daily.

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