You might be an English topper or even a grammar Nazi, but you could be saying certain words wrong since the very beginning. We all make mistakes we aren’t even aware of making. Here’s a list of English words you are mispronouncing – yes, many of us tend to botch these up! Read, learn, and take notes – and you’ll never have to worry about your language skills again!
Also Read: How To Improve English
1. Epitome
We all tend to pronounce it as (epee-toam) like Rome but it’s actually epi-tuh-mee.
Isn’t that the epitome of irony in the English language?
2. Taboo
Whether the game or the word, we tend to say taa-boo whereas it’s actually to be pronounced tuh-boo. (The ‘aaa’ sound is not exaggerated).
I wonder if it’s taboo to say certain words wrong!
3. Mispronunciation
Trust the English language to complicate things such that the word which means ‘saying a word wrong’ is usually the one that’s said wrong. It’s not mis-pro-noun-ciation, it is mis-pro-nun-ciation.
Err, I’m losing my head with all these mispronunciations!
4. Espresso
This coffee may have many takers but let’s filter it down for you. There is no x in Espresso. It’s not ex-press-o, it is es-press-o.
I could totally use my daily Espresso right about now!
5. February
I’m not sure why we do this, but we unnecessarily drop the middle ‘r’. The correct pronunciation of this beautiful month is feb-ru-ary not feb-u-ary.
I’m going to miss cold and romantic February. #forrealthough
6. Suite
Here’s another word that we Indians tend to mess up. A suite as in a large room or set of rooms is pronounced much like ‘sweet’ and not like ‘suit’.
I wish I had my very own luxurious suite right about now!
7. Tier
Correctly pronounced tee-ar much like the word ‘tear’ (meaning what rolls down our cheeks when we cry); we tend to pronounce it as ‘tyre’, especially when we are referring to local train travel. *Facepalm Moment*
I need a 3 tier cake to keep me company as I come across the nuances of the English language.
8. Almond
This one’s not even that hard to remember – just don’t say the ‘l’.
It’s not al-mund, it is ah-mund.
Need to eat a few of these almonds, just so I can remember to pronounce these words correctly.
9. Bowl
It’s pronounced Bo-hl (as in bol, which means to talk in Hindi) and not bo-ul. 99% Indian homes get this one wrong. But it’s okay to learn something new and teach our folks too, right?!
Now pass me the bowl because I’m hungry after this English lesson.
10. Genre
So this one’s a little tricky, but what’s the point if we don’t up our game, no?
It is ‘jhon-ruh’ and not ‘jhon-er’ as we are used to saying. This ‘Jh’ sound is not very pronounced, just to be clear.
I wonder what genre of writing this post falls under!
That’s all for today, dahlings. Do let us know if you were saying anything wrong to begin with?! Till then, keep it classy!
GIFs: Giphy
