With words borrowed from myriad sources and root languages, along with some plain old made-up words, English pronunciation rules aren’t really rules. You can try to sound out words phonetically, but you’re just as likely to be wrong as you are right. Sometimes you only know words from reading, and you’ve never heard the correct pronunciation. Be proud of that! It means you’re well read.
Below are 10 commonly mispronounced words in English; some are older, some are new, and some are extremely British.
Chicanery
Chicanery means “the use of trickery to achieve some purpose.” It is mistakenly pronounced “chi-CAN-er-ee”; however, the correct pronunciation is “shi-CANE-er-ee.” It’s a tricky word to describe tricks!
Prerogative
This word, meaning “the right or privilege exclusive to an individual,” is often mispronounced by forgetting the first "r," turning the word into “PER-og-a-tive.” When speaking it, pronounce that first "r" but put the emphasis on the second syllable: “pruh-RAH-guh-tive.”
Kilometer
Americans often pronounce this empirical measurement as “kil-AW-meh-ter.” But if you're British, you have more options. You can also put the emphasis on the first syllable: "KILL-uh-mee-tuh." In British English, that "er" at the end of the word drops the "r" in either pronunciation.
Zoology
All the "o’s" in this one can make pronunciation confusing. You’ve got the word "zoo," which you know how to pronounce. But what about the "-logy"? This suffix changes the pronunciation of the word. You break up the first two "o’s" into two separate syllables, but it's up to you whether to keep the "zoo" or turn it into a "zoh": "Zoo-AWL-uh-jee" and “zoh-AWL-uh-jee” are both correct.
Boatswain
Here’s another very British one. A boatswain is a member of a ship’s crew — the person in charge of equipment and crew. This word looks like it would be pronounced as two separate words, "boat" and then "swain." But a sailor would look at you in confusion. It’s actually pronounced as “BOH-sun,” dropping out the "t" and the "w."
Solder
Soldering is the act of joining metal pieces together with a low-heat metal alloy through higher heat. It looks easy enough to pronounce, right? But it’s another word where the pronunciation doesn’t match the spelling. Your first instinct might be to pronounce it as “SOUL-der,” but the "l" is silent. The correct pronunciation is “SOD-er.”
Viscount
Bridgerton fans have a leg up here. A "viscount" is a lord, ranking above a baron and below an earl. It looks like it should be pronounced as “VISS-count.” However, with this British aristocratic rank, the "s" is silent, and it should be pronounced “VIGH-count.” Now you can read more of those period romance novels with the correct pronunciation.
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