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Commonly mispronounced words in English

50 words people often say wrong, with the right way to say them, audio you can slow down, and a free check of your own pronunciation. Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Say it, then check it

Practising: salmon

Read this sentence aloud:

“I cooked salmon for dinner tonight.”

Silent letters

The spelling shows letters you do not say.

  • salmon

    SAM-un

    The L is silent. Saying “SAL-mun” is the usual mistake.

  • colonel

    KER-nul

    Sounds like “kernel”. Reading it as “co-lo-NEL” is the usual mistake.

  • Wednesday

    WENZ-day

    The first D is silent. Saying “WED-nes-day” is the usual mistake.

  • debt

    DET

    The B is silent.

  • subtle

    SUT-ul

    The B is silent.

  • receipt

    rih-SEET

    The P is silent.

  • island

    EYE-lund

    The S is silent. Saying “IZ-land” is the usual mistake.

  • Worcestershire

    WUSS-ter-sher

    Most of the letters are skipped. Reading every syllable is the usual mistake.

  • Leicester

    LESS-ter

    Two syllables only. Saying “LYE-ses-ter” is the usual mistake.

  • Thames

    TEMZ

    No “th” sound and a short E. Saying “THAYMZ” is the usual mistake.

  • Arkansas

    AR-kun-saw

    The final S is silent. Rhyming it with Kansas is the usual mistake.

Sounds people add, drop or swap

An extra syllable, a missing sound, or two sounds in the wrong order.

  • espresso

    es-PRESS-oh

    There is no X. Saying “ex-PRESS-oh” is the usual mistake.

  • especially

    ih-SPESH-uh-lee

    It starts with “ih-sp”, not “ex”.

  • athlete

    ATH-leet

    Two syllables. Adding one, “ATH-uh-leet”, is the usual mistake.

  • mischievous

    MISS-chuh-vus

    Three syllables. Saying “mis-CHEE-vee-us” is the usual mistake.

  • nuclear

    NOO-klee-er

    Saying “NOO-kyuh-ler” is the usual mistake.

  • library

    LY-brair-ee

    Keep both Rs. Saying “LY-berry” is the usual mistake.

  • prescription

    prih-SKRIP-shun

    It starts with “pre”. Saying “per-SKRIP-shun” is the usual mistake.

  • supposedly

    suh-POH-zid-lee

    Saying “suh-POSE-ab-lee” is the usual mistake.

  • jewelry

    JOO-ul-ree

    Saying “JOO-luh-ree” is the usual mistake.

  • height

    HITE

    It ends in T. Adding a “th”, “HITETH”, is the usual mistake.

  • realtor

    REEL-ter

    Saying “REE-luh-ter” is the usual mistake.

  • sherbet

    SHER-bit

    Only one R. Saying “SHER-bert” is the usual mistake.

  • pronunciation

    pruh-nun-see-AY-shun

    It is not said like “pronounce”. Saying “pro-NOUN-see-ay-shun” is the usual mistake.

  • iron

    EYE-ern

    The R comes before the vowel sound. Saying “EYE-ron” is the usual mistake.

Words from other languages

English kept the sound of the original language, not the spelling.

  • gnocchi

    NYOH-kee

    The G is silent. Saying “guh-NOCK-ee” is the usual mistake.

  • croissant

    kruh-SAHNT

    Stress the second syllable. In French it is closer to “kwah-SAHN”.

  • genre

    ZHAHN-ruh

    It starts with the soft “zh” in “vision”, not a hard J.

  • facade

    fuh-SAHD

    The C sounds like S. Saying “fuh-KADE” is the usual mistake.

  • segue

    SEG-way

    Sounds like “Segway”. Saying “SEG-yoo” is the usual mistake.

  • macabre

    muh-KAHB or muh-KAH-bruh

    Stress the second syllable. Both short and long endings are heard.

  • epitome

    ih-PIT-uh-mee

    Four syllables. Saying “EP-ih-tome” is the usual mistake.

  • hyperbole

    hy-PER-buh-lee

    Four syllables. Saying “HY-per-bowl” is the usual mistake.

  • chaos

    KAY-oss

    The CH sounds like K, as in “chorus”.

  • debris

    duh-BREE

    Stress the second syllable and keep the S silent.

  • meme

    MEEM

    Rhymes with “team”. Saying “MAY-may” or “MEM” is the usual mistake.

  • queue

    KYOO

    Said like the letter Q. The “ueue” is silent.

  • yacht

    YOT

    The CH is silent. Reading every letter is the usual mistake.

  • choir

    KWIRE

    Sounds like “quire”. Saying “CHOY-er” is the usual mistake.

  • suite

    SWEET

    Sounds like “sweet”. Saying it like “suit” is the usual mistake.

  • recipe

    RES-ih-pee

    Three syllables. Reading it as “ree-SIPE” is the usual mistake.

Words with two right answers

Often called mistakes, but both versions are correct. They depend on where the speaker is from.

  • either

    EE-ther or EYE-ther

    Both are correct. “EE-ther” is more common in the US.

  • data

    DAY-tuh or DAT-uh

    Both are correct. “DAY-tuh” is more common.

  • often

    OFF-un or OFF-tun

    Both are correct. Many speakers leave the T silent.

  • route

    ROOT or ROWT

    Both are used in the US. “ROOT” is standard in British English.

  • pecan

    pih-KAHN or PEE-kan

    Both are correct. It depends on the region.

  • February

    FEB-roo-air-ee or FEB-yoo-air-ee

    Both are correct. “FEB-yoo-air-ee” is very common in everyday speech.

  • herb

    URB or HERB

    “URB” in American English, “HERB” in British English.

  • aunt

    ANT or AHNT

    “ANT” in most of the US, “AHNT” in British English.

  • tomato

    tuh-MAY-toh or tuh-MAH-toh

    “tuh-MAY-toh” in the US, “tuh-MAH-toh” in British English.

Keep practising

Mix up sounds like ship and sheep? Try the minimal pairs. For a score on whole phrases, use the pronunciation checker, or find out which accent you have with the accent checker.

Commonly asked questions

Words with silent letters, like colonel, Wednesday and Worcestershire, and words borrowed from other languages, like epitome, hyperbole and gnocchi, appear on almost every list. This page covers 50 of them, each with audio.

Press Practise next to a word and read the short sentence aloud. The free checker scores each word, shows which sound was off, and lets you hear the correct word next to your own.

No. Words like either, data, route and tomato have two accepted pronunciations that depend on where the speaker is from. Both are correct.

Both OFF-un and OFF-tun are correct. Many speakers leave the T silent and many say it; neither is a mistake.

They mark the stressed syllable, the one you say a little louder and longer. Writing a word the way it sounds, like KER-nul for colonel, is called a respelling.

Listen to a word at normal and slow speed, say it a few times, then record a sentence with it. The checker shows which sound was off, so you know exactly what to repeat.

American English. Where British English is different, the note on the word says so.

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