Am I Pronouncing These 10 English Words Wrong? (Check Yourself Here)
๐ Am I Pronouncing These English Words Wrong?
If you've ever said a word out loud and gotten a strange look, or you've quietly wondered "wait, am I saying that right?", this one's for you. Here are 10 English words that trip up even confident speakers, and exactly how to say them correctly.
So here's a question I get all the time: "Chris, how do I know if I'm pronouncing a word wrong if nobody corrects me?" And that's such a fair question, right? Most people won't correct you in conversation, they'll just quietly understand you or quietly get confused, and you never find out.
So let's fix that today. Below are 10 words that a lot of English learners, and honestly a lot of native speakers too, say incorrectly. Read through, say each one out loud, and see how many you're already getting right.
โ ๏ธ English Is Not a Phonetic Language
Here's a fun quirk of English: the letters on the page don't always match the sounds you say. That's not your fault, and it's not because you're not paying attention. It's just English being weird. So don't be hard on yourself if you're mispronouncing a few of these, every single native speaker has done it too.
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๐ฅ Watch This Free 16-Minute Lesson๐ฏ 10 Words You're Probably Saying Wrong
This one's got a shortcut built in. Native speakers squeeze it down to three syllables: "kumf-ter-bul." It's not comfortable, it's comfortable. Comfortable. Say it fast, don't fight the word.
Ah, English. Doesn't make sense to me either. This word looks nothing like how it sounds. A colonel in the army is pronounced exactly like "kernel," the thing inside a piece of corn. Weird, I know, but that's just how it is.
There's a "d" hiding right in the middle of this word, and it is completely silent. You don't say "Wed-nes-day," you say "Wenz-day." Drop that first "d" and it instantly sounds more natural.
Okay, you're four words in, how are you doing so far? Some of these feel obvious once you hear them, right? Let's keep going.
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๐ Register for Free Seminar: "How to Speak Better English in 30 Days"This is one of those words where the spelling gives you almost no help at all. A choir, the group of people who sing together, is pronounced "kwire," just like the word "fire" with a "kw" at the front.
This word only has three syllables, not four. There's no "ee" sound in the middle. It's "MIS-chuh-vus." Even a lot of native speakers get this one wrong, so if you've been struggling with it, you're in good company.
๐ก Pro Tip From Chris
Whenever you learn a new word, don't just look at it. Look it up in an online dictionary and press the little speaker icon so you hear a native speaker say it. Your eyes will lie to you with English spelling, but your ears won't.
The "p" in receipt is completely silent, it's just sitting there doing nothing. You say "ri-SEET," not "ri-SEPT." Same family as "receive," where you don't pronounce every letter either.
There is no "x" anywhere in this word. It's espresso, with an "s," not "expresso." I know it's a small difference, but coffee lovers will absolutely notice.
This word looks like it should rhyme with "home," but it doesn't. It's four syllables, "eh-PIT-oh-mee," and it means the perfect, most typical example of something.
Here's another one where English just decides not to follow its own rules. Iron is pronounced "EYE-ern," almost like the word "iron" swallows its own "r." Say it fast and relaxed.
There are two "r" sounds in this word, and it's really common to lose the first one. Slow down and make sure you say both: "LAI-brer-ee," not "LAI-berry." Yes, it's a little bit of a tongue twister, that's okay.
๐ Why This Keeps Happening (And Why It's Not Your Fault)
Now, you might be thinking, "Chris, why does English do this to me?" And honestly, I ask myself that too. English is not a phonetic language, which means the letters on the page don't reliably tell you how to say the word. You learn a word from a book before you ever hear it out loud, and your brain just does its best guess. That's not a mistake, that's just how learning a language works.
The fix isn't memorizing rules, it's building the habit of checking. Hear it, say it, repeat it, and it becomes automatic.
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๐ Your Homework This Week
Pick the three words from this list that surprised you the most. Say each one out loud, five times, right now, wherever you are. Then use each one in a real sentence about your actual life today. That's how a word moves from "I recognize it" to "I actually own it."
Don't worry about getting all ten perfect immediately. Even native speakers mix a few of these up. What matters is that you're paying attention now, and that's already putting you ahead.
๐ก Final Pro Tip
Record yourself saying these 10 words on your phone, then listen back. It feels a little strange the first time, but it's one of the fastest ways to catch mistakes your own ear misses while you're speaking.
So, am I pronouncing these words wrong? Now you know exactly what to check for. Go say them out loud, notice the ones that surprised you, and you'll never mix them up again.
๐๏ธ Hear the Correct Pronunciation
Want to hear me say all 10 words out loud so you can repeat after me? Here's the full lesson:
