Tabula Rosa Systems Blog Of 4/25/2019 - 20 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You're Probably Getting Wrong

from thoughtco.com

20 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You're Probably Getting Wrong

by Olivia Valdes

 

Olivia Valdes is a college admissions consultant and the founder of Zen Admissions.

Updated January 14, 2019 

We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we've mispronounced a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the "correct" pronunciation sounds downright strange.

Don't feel bad if you've been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it is spoken every day. Some choose to adhere to rigid rules (known as linguistic prescription) of grammar and pronunciation and take pleasure the precision of English grammar and vocabulary. Others prefer the descriptive linguistics approach, which doesn't apply judgments like correct or incorrect, but instead looks at how language is actually used. 

In other words, as long as people can understand you, you are successfully using language for its primary purpose: communication.

01

of 40

Accede

How to say it: ak-SEED
May be mispronounced: a-SEED
What it means: to consent, give approval; yield to another’s wishes

02

of 40

Alias

How to say it: AY-lee-iss
What it means: an assumed name taken on temporarily, sometimes by a criminal or fugitive

03

of 40

Anathema

How to say it: uh-NATH-uh-muh
What it means: someone or something that one strongly dislikes or loathes

04

of 40

Anemone

How to say it: uh NEH muh nee
What it means: a flower in the buttercup family; a sedentary marine animal, as in sea anemone

05

of 40

Apocryphal

How to say it: uh-POK-ruh-fuhl
What it means: of questionable authenticity, as in a story or statement

06

of 40

Camaraderie

How to say it: kah-muh-RAH-duh-ree
May be mispronounced: kahm-RAH-duh-ree
What it means: easy familiarity and friendship, often built over time 

07

of 40

Colloquialism

How to say it: kuh-loh-kwee-uh-liz-uhm
What it means: a word, phrase, or expression that is conversational rather than formal

08

of 40

Debauch

How to say it: dih-BAWCH
What it means: to lead away from virtue; to corrupt morally 

09

of 40

Demagogue

How to say it: DEM-uh-gog
What it means: a leader who appeals to popular passions and prejudices to gain support

10

of 40

Emollient

How to say it: ih-MOL-yuhnt
What it means: making smoother or less harsh; a substance with a soothing effect on the skin

11

of 40

Epitome

How to say it: ih-PIT-uh-mee
May be mispronounced: eh-pi-TOME
What it means: a person or thing that characterizes a whole category to which it belongs

12

of 40

Espouse

How to say it: ih-SPOWZ
May be mispronounced: ex-POWZ
What it means: to follow or support an idea or theory as a cause 

13

of 40

Espresso

How to say it: eh-SPRES-oh
May be mispronounced: ex-PRESS-oh
What it means: a strong coffee of Italian origin, made by forcing hot water through coffee beans  

14

of 40

Fatuous

How to say it: FACH-oo-uss
May be mispronounced: FAT-choo-uss
What it means: foolish, inane; devoid of intelligence 

15

of 40

Forte

How to say it: Fort
May be mispronounced: for-TAY
What it means: a strong point or a strength

16

of 40

Grandiloquent

How to say it: gran-DILL-uh-kwuhnt
What it means: extravagant, lofty, or bombastic in style or manner, especially language 

17

of 40

Hegemony

How to say it: hih-JEH-muh-nee
May be mispronounced: hedge-ih-MOAN-ee or homo-JENNY
What it means: authority, leadership, or influence by a dominant social group

18

of 40

Inchoate

How to say it: in-KOH-it
What it means: only partly in existence; partially formed, as in an idea

19

of 40

Knell

How to say it: nel
May be mispronounced: knel (with the k)
What it means: the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce death or a funeral

20

of 40

Maelstrom

How to say it: meyl-struhm
What it means: a violent whirlpool 

April is the official month for:

• From thebalancecareers.com

The following events, industries, causes and emotions (yes, emotions) are observed all month long in April unless otherwise indicated. Even cannabis (fast becoming legalized), Florida tomatoes, celery, and soft pretzels are honored, beginning April 1 through April 30—every year. 

• African-American Women's Fitness Month
• Alcohol Awareness Month
• Amateur Radio Month
• American Cancer Society Month
• Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
• Black Women's History Month 
• Bowel Cancer Awareness Month 
• Celebrate Diversity Month
• Community Service Month
• Confederate History Month 
• Distracted Driving Awareness Month 
• Financial Literacy Month 
• Fresh Florida Tomato Month
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month 
• Jewish-American Heritage Month
• Keep America Beautiful Month 
• Lawn and Garden Month 
• Mathematics Awareness Month 

• Month of the Military Child 
• National Autism Awareness Month
• National Better Hearing and Speech Month
• National Canine Fitness Month
• National Cannabis Awareness Month 
• National Car Care Awareness Month 
• National Child Abuse Awareness Month 
• National Couple Appreciation Month 
• National Deaf History Month (March 13 to April 15) 
• National Decorating Month 
• National Donate Life Awareness Month 
• National Fair Housing Month 
• National Food Month
• National Fresh Celery Month 
• National Garden Month
• National Humor Month 
• National Internship Awareness Month 

• National Inventor's Month 
• National Jazz Appreciation Month 

• National Landscape Architecture Month 
• National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (last full week in April) 
• National Mental Health Month
• National Month of Hope
• National Multiple Birth Awareness Month
• National Occupational Therapy Month
• National Older Americans Month
• National Parkinson's Awareness Month
• National Pecan Month
• National Poetry Month 
• National Safe Digging Month 
• National Siblings Day (April 10) 
• National Soft Pretzel Month
• National Soy Foods Month

• National STDs Education and Awareness Month
• National Straw Hat Month 
• National Volunteer Month 
• National Welding Month 
• Occupational Therapy Month 
• Pets are Wonderful Month
  
• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month
• 
•  
• Records and Information Management Month 
• Scottish-American Heritage Month
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month 
• Stress Awareness Month
• Thai Heritage Month
• Women's Health Care Month

International and One-Day Observances

Because you may be in the business of working with internationals, we can not forget the participation of other countries. Here are a few international honorees, as well as some causes that are observed globally: 

• April is International Guitar Month, recognized in several countries.
• Ontario, Canada recognizes April as Sikh Heritage Month. 
• April is National Pet Month in the United Kingdom, although the U.S. waits until May to honor its non-human family members. 
• International Pillow Fight Day is observed on April 6 in 2019. 
• World Autism Awareness Day also falls on April 2 in 2019. 
• World Health Day is April 7, in 2019.