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8 commonly mispronounced English words
(and how to get them right)

It's no secret: English can be a tricky language, and even the most fluent speakers occasionally stumble over their words. The truth is, aiming for "perfect" speech isn't entirely realistic – native speakers of any language are bound to stray from what's traditionally considered "correct".

But whether it's their peculiar spelling, unexpected syllable stress, or sneaky silent letters, some words are just harder than others.
Here's a look at 8 commonly mispronounced English words, followed by a secret weapon to help you build confidence in your own pronunciation.

Mischievous

what people say: mis-CHEEV-ee-us

how it's actually pronounced: MIS-chiv-us

True to its meaning, this word loves to cause a little trouble. Its abundance of vowels can make it seem like it has more syllables than it actually does.

Prestigious

what people say: pre-STI-gee-us

how it's actually pronounced: pre-STI-jus

Just like "mischievous," prestigious is also a three-syllable word masquerading as a four-syllable word.

Worcestershire

what people say: wor-chest-er-shire

how it's actually pronounced: WOOS-ter-sher

Worcestershire – as in Worcestershire Sauce, or the county in England – is a mouthful, for sure. "Worcester" is pronounced wooster, and if you tack on the "shire", it's just sher. So: woos-ter-sher. (Less is more with this one.)

Forte

what people say: FOR-tay

how it's actually pronounced: fort

Unless you're talking about the musical term, the proper pronunciation is fort. If anyone responds with, “Don't you mean for-tay?” simply direct them to this article!

February

what people say: FEB-yoo-air-ee

how it's actually pronounced: FEB-roo-air-ee

There must be something about two consonants coming together that makes our brains want to take the easy way out. Therefore, the "r" tends to be skipped, making the word easier to say, but technically incorrect.

Wednesday

what people say: Wed-nes-day

how it's actually pronounced: Wenz-day

Uh oh, here comes "Wednesday" to add to the confusion. Unlike February, where the "r" seems silent but is actually pronounced, the "d" in Wednesday appears necessary but is, in fact, silent. The challenge with this word lies in its unconventional spelling.

Zoology

what people say: zoo-OLL-oh-gee

how it's actually pronounced: zoe-OLL-oh-gee

Since the word resembles zoo, it's natural to assume the pronunciation follows suit. However, it's worth noting that the word only has two O's, not three. The correct breakdown is zo-ology, not zoo-ology.

Hyperbole

what people say: hyper-bowl

how it's actually pronounced: hy-PER-boh-lee

Hyperbole means exaggeration, and we're not being hyperbolic when we say that many people mispronounce this one as "hyper-bowl". But this word comes from the ancient Greeks, and the final "e" is pronounced like "Penelope".

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