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We all mispronounce words. For me, it mostly happens when I’ve read a word but never heard it spoken out loud – as it turns out, occasionally sounding like an idiot is a funny side effect of being a voracious reader with a large vocabulary. Womp womp.
But I’m here to help! Check out these 24 words you’ve probably been saying wrong, and you’ll never sound dumb again when you slip ’em into conversation.
#24. ARCTIC
Incorrect: ARE-tick
Correct: ARK-tick
You can’t say it fast, but you can say it right.
#23. TRIATHLON
Incorrect: Tri-ATH-a-lon
Correct: Tri-ATH-lon
WHAT?!
#22. MINIATURE
Incorrect: MIN-ih-chur
Correct: MIN-ee-ah-chur
Bonus: You get to sound pretentious in the process!
#21. CELTIC
Incorrect: SELL-tick*
Correct: KELL-tick
Fun Fact: When reading words that were originally Latin, there is never a “soft” c. They’re always hard like this one. (Now, say Julius Caesar armed with that knowledge).
*Be careful though, do not refer to the Boston Celtics as the Boston kell-ticks. You will be laughed at.
#20. KILOMETRE
Incorrect: Kil-OHM-eh-ter
Correct: KILL-o-mee-ter
Guilty.
#19. HIERARCHY
Incorrect: HIGH-rar-kee
Correct: HIGH-er-ark-ee
Had this one down. You?
#18. DRAMA
Incorrect: DRAM-ah
Correct: DRAW-mah
These sound the same to me?
#17. AÇAÍ
Incorrect: Basically every way you’ve ever heard it said.
Correct: Ah-SAH-ee
No one ever says it right, so why bother?
#16. ESPRESSO
Incorrect: ex-PREH-so
Correct: Eh-SPREH-so
Okay but seriously, how can you watch television and not have picked this up by now?
#15. PREROGATIVE
Incorrect: per-AW-gah-tiv
Correct: pre-RAW-gah-tiv
This one is going to be a hard habit to break.
#14. GYROS
Incorrect: GEE-ros / HEE-ros / JAI-ros
Correct: YEE-ros
After waiting tables for several years, I can confirm that there are approximately 50 ways to mispronounce this word.
#13. PRESCRIPTION
Incorrect: per-SCRIP-shun
Correct: pruh-SCRIP-shun
Subtle. And maybe unnecessary.
#12. VOLUPTUOUS
Incorrect: va-LUMP-tu-us
Correct: Vol-UP-tyoo-us
If you want to add that extra m in the middle…don’t do it.
#11. MAYONNAISE
Incorrect: MAN-ayze
Correct: MAY-oh-nayze
Hmm. Are we sure that’s not the Southern pronunciation?
#10. NUCLEAR
Incorrect: NEW-kyoo-lar
Correct: NEW-klee-ur
Attention, George W. Bush!
#9. MONK
Incorrect: Mawnk
Correct: Munk
Okay, fess up – who was saying MAWNK?
#8. MISCHIEVOUS
Incorrect: Mis-CHEE-vee-us
Correct: MIS-cheh-vus
I totally know I say it wrong. But it’s more fun to say it the first way, am I right?
#7. NUTELLA
Incorrect: Nuh-TELL-a
Correct: New-TELL-ah
If you’re saying this one wrong, you obviously don’t watch commercials. You lucky bastard.
#6. KU KLUX KLAN
Incorrect: Cloo Clucks Clan
Correct: Coo Clacks Clan
CLACKS? Seriously? I was not expecting that.
#5. FEBRUARY
Incorrect: FEB-you-air-ee
Correct: FEB-roo-air-ee
Hey, even George Steinbrenner didn’t know. #SeinfeldReferenceFTW
#4. ELECTORAL
Incorrect: Eh-leck-TOR-ul
Correct: Eh-LECK-tor-ul
It’s all about the emphasis, friends.
#3. GIF
Should we even bother?
Yeah, not going there.
#2. SEUSS
Incorrect: Soos
Correct: Soys
He even went so far as to write a rhyme to help us out:
“You’re wrong as the deuce
And you shouldn’t rejoice
If you’re calling him Seuss
He pronounces it Soice.”
Tell me you’ve been saying this right, and I’ll call you a liar.
#1. VOLDEMORT
Incorrect: VOL-de-mort
Correct: VOL-de-more
It’s French, people!
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