Have you ever felt embarrassed after mispronouncing a word in English? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! English is full of tricky words that don’t always sound the way they look. Many learners (and even native speakers!) make pronunciation mistakes.
In this blog post, we’ll go over 10 common English pronunciation mistakes and how to say them correctly. By the end, you’ll be speaking more confidently!
1. Wednesday (❌ Wrong: Wed-nes-day | ✅ Right: Wenz-day)
One of the most common mistakes is pronouncing every letter in Wednesday. The trick is that the “d” is silent, so the correct pronunciation is “Wenz-day” instead of “Wed-nes-day”.
🔹 Try saying: Wednesday, Wenz-day, Wenz-day!
2. Often (❌ Wrong: Off-ten | ✅ Right: Off-en)
Many people mistakenly pronounce the “t” in often, saying “off-ten”. However, in modern English, the “t” is usually silent, making “Off-en” the more common pronunciation.
🔹 Try it: Often, Off-en, Off-en!
3. Recipe (❌ Wrong: Re-sipe | ✅ Right: Res-uh-pee)
This word might trick you because it looks like ripe, but it’s actually pronounced “Res-uh-pee”.
🔹 Say it aloud: Recipe, Res-uh-pee, Res-uh-pee!
4. Vegetable (❌ Wrong: Veg-e-ta-ble | ✅ Right: Veg-tuh-bl)
English speakers love to shorten words. Instead of pronouncing every syllable as “Veg-e-ta-ble”, the correct way is “Veg-tuh-bl”.
🔹 Practice: Vegetable, Veg-tuh-bl, Veg-tuh-bl!
5. Library (❌ Wrong: Lie-berry | ✅ Right: Lie-bruh-ree)
A lot of people mispronounce library as “Lie-berry”, but don’t forget the second “r”! The correct pronunciation is “Lie-bruh-ree”.
🔹 Repeat after me: Library, Lie-bruh-ree, Lie-bruh-ree!
6. February (❌ Wrong: Feb-u-ary | ✅ Right: Feb-roo-ary)
It’s tempting to skip the first “r” in February, but the correct pronunciation includes it: “Feb-roo-ary”, not “Feb-u-ary”.
🔹 Say it out loud: February, Feb-roo-ary, Feb-roo-ary!
7. Mischievous (❌ Wrong: Mis-chee-vee-us | ✅ Right: Mis-chiv-us)
Many people add an extra syllable, pronouncing it as “Mis-chee-vee-us”. However, the correct way is “Mis-chiv-us” with just three syllables.
🔹 Try it: Mischievous, Mis-chiv-us, Mis-chiv-us!
8. Comfortable (❌ Wrong: Com-for-ta-ble | ✅ Right: Comf-tuh-bl)
This word looks like it should have four syllables, but native speakers usually shorten it to “Comf-tuh-bl” instead of “Com-for-ta-ble”.
🔹 Practice: Comfortable, Comf-tuh-bl, Comf-tuh-bl!
9. Chaos (❌ Wrong: Chay-os | ✅ Right: Kay-os)
Many people assume that chaos is pronounced with a “ch” sound, like “Chay-os”. But in reality, it starts with a “k” sound, making the correct pronunciation “Kay-os”.
🔹 Say it: Chaos, Kay-os, Kay-os!
10. Coupon (❌ Wrong: Coop-on | ✅ Right: Q-pawn)
This one is tricky because pronunciation varies by region. However, the most common pronunciation is “Q-pawn”, not “Coop-on”.
🔹 Try it: Coupon, Q-pawn, Q-pawn!
Final Thoughts
Did you recognize any of these pronunciation mistakes? Don’t worry if you’ve been saying them incorrectly—English is a tricky language! The key is to practice regularly and listen to native speakers.
Which of these words surprised you the most? Let me know in the comments!
👉 Want to improve your English pronunciation? Keep practicing, and stay tuned for more tips!