Practice<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nLibrary (Say: lai-bruh-ree)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n For new learners, it can be difficult to pronounce \u201cry\u201d sounds as well as \u201cbr\u201d sounds and this word unfortunately has both. It is often mispronounced as \u201cLye-Berry\u201d in general conversation but this pronunciation is in fact not correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like to go to the lai-bruh-ree to study and to complete my homework.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWednesday (Say: WENZ-day)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n There are far more letters in this word than the actual pronunciation. The word Wednesday, while said, is shortened to \u201cWenzday\u201d despite there being no \u201cz\u201d in the word. Also, a commonly misspelled word for most native English speakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go to the cinema on wenz-day!\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStomach (Say: Stum-uk )<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The confusion with how to say this word lies within the \u201cch\u201d aspect of this word. Is it a \u201cshh\u201d noise or is it a \u201ck-uh\u201d noise? In this case it\u2019s the latter. The confusion with how to pronounce the \u201cch\u201d noise comes from the fact that English has both greek and latin derivatives in modern day versions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis roller coaster is making me feel sick to my stum-uk.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nClothes (Say: Clo-oze or Clohthz)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n In this word, it can already be difficult to pronounce the \u201cth\u201d sound but there is also the addition of the letter e that isn\u2019t pronounced. Because of the use of the letter e at the end of the word, it also changes the vowel sound so this word sounds as if there is a z sound when in fact there is no letter z to be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI need to hurry home to pack all of my clo-oze.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIron (Say: Eye-urn)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Wether you are learning how to pronounce this word in American English or British English this word is not pronounced as it is written. This word\u2019s pronunciation has morphed over the years. Most Americans pronounce the word as \u201ceye-urn\u201d despite the position of the r and o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy shirt is so wrinkled! I need the eye-urn.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSixth (Say: Siksth)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The \u201cth\u201d sound is yet again present and can make this word hard to pronounce. If you practice saying the word \u201csix\u201d and add the \u201cth\u201d, you\u2019ve basically got the gist of the word said. Just soften the x with more of a k sound when saying this word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe tried really hard to win the race but we only managed to come in siksth place.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nYolk (Say: Yowk)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n When learning how to say this word you should remember to not focus on pronouncing each letter. In fact, pretend the l is not a part of the word at all. Also, in case you were wondering, the yolk is the yellow part of the egg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen making scrambled eggs, mix the yowk thoroughly before adding to the pan.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nMischievous (Say: MIS-chuh-vuhs)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n This is often said as \u201cmis-chee-vee-yuhs\u201d and if you ever find yourself in the southern areas of the United States this is incredibly common. This word can be deceivingly hard to pronounce because it is common to want to pronounce each letter in the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat young boy in the neighborhood stole another bike! He is so mischievous!\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEpitome (Say: Uh-PI-tuh-mee)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n And here we are again with the inclusion of an e but this time, it is to be pronounced. Or is it? The first e is less pronounced and often is more of an \u201cuh\u201d sound while the ending e is elongated in it\u2019s sound making an \u201ceee\u201d noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis outfit is the uh-PI-tuh-mee of fashion.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAthlete (Say: Ath-leet)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The \u201cth\u201d sound has been described by non-English speakers as being a difficult aspect of pronunciation. Usually, this word is mispronounced as \u201cathalet\u201d but remember to keep the \u201cATH\u201d aspect of this word enunciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like to practice and train hard so that one day I may be a professional Ath-leet.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSalmon (Say: Sam-un)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n This is another example of a silent letter in a word despite the presence of it. A common pronunciation of this is sam-un. Just pretend the L isn\u2019t even there at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would love to make a fresh sam-un for dinner.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNo matter the word or how it seems to be spelt there is a high chance that it will be pronounced differently. It can be confusing but with practice (like most things) it will become easier. Let\u2019s practice with a quick quiz!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Below is an easy multiple choice quiz to test your knowledge on hard to pronounce English words. See how well you do and review the words above if you need assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is the word Wednesday pronounced like wed-nes-day or wenz-day? A. Wed-nes-day <\/li> B. wenz-day<\/li><\/ul><\/li> How is the word Iron said? A. eye-ron <\/li> B. eye-urn<\/li><\/ul><\/li> If you wanted to read a book and go to the library, how would you pronounce the word? A. lye-berry <\/li> B. lai-bruh-ree<\/li><\/ul><\/li> You checked your schedule and need to make an appoint on March 6th, how would you say the word sixth? A. Siksth <\/li> B. Sisth<\/li><\/ul><\/li> You are telling your friend that you want to go shopping for clothes, how would you say the word clothes? A. Clo-oze <\/li> B. Cluu-ze<\/li><\/ul><\/li> How would you go about pronouncing the word epitome? A. ee-peet-omee <\/li> B. uh-PI-tuh-mee<\/li><\/ul><\/li> You are feeling very unwell and need to go to the doctor to see what is wrong. You describe your symptoms to the doctor as having pain in your stomach. How do you say the word stomach? A. Stum-uk <\/li> B. Stom-uu-g<\/li><\/ul><\/li> You are making fresh pasta and a recipe is asking you to include seven yolks into the dough. How do you say the word yolk? A. Yowk <\/li> B. Y-o-l-ch<\/li><\/ul><\/li> You are telling someone who your favorite athlete is. How do you say athlete? A. Ath-leet <\/li> B. Ath-uh-lit<\/li><\/ul><\/li> Here is a challenging one! How would you tell your friend that someone is being mischievous? A. mis-chee-vee-yuhs <\/li> B. mis-chuh-vuhs<\/li><\/ul><\/li> What\u2019s for dinner tonight? Let\u2019s have salmon. How would you say it? A. SAL-mun <\/li> B. Sam-un<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nSo, how did you do with your practice? Were there any words that you found difficult? Were there any words that you found easy? As you continue with your practice in learning English, try and identify other words that you may find difficult to pronounce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See also: 100+ Commonly Mispronounced English Words<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The English language can be a confusing and difficult language to learn. There are many common mispronunciations in English that can make learning even more frustrating to new learners. Also, English is a language that is not always pronounced as it is written which can cause a great amount of confusion. Something to consider with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
11 most commonly mispronounced words in American English - Get More Vocab.<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n