Humanities › English 40 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You're Probably Getting Wrong Share Flipboard Email Print Elly Walton / Getty Images English English Grammar An Introduction to Punctuation Writing By Olivia Valdes Olivia Valdes Associate Editorial Director B.A., American Studies, Yale University Olivia Valdes was the Associate Editorial Director for ThoughtCo. She worked with Dotdash Meredith from 2017 to 2021. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 18, 2020 We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we've been mispronouncing 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 people choose to adhere to rigid rules of grammar and pronunciation (known as linguistic prescription) and take pleasure in the precision of English grammar and vocabulary. Others prefer the descriptive linguistics approach, which doesn't apply judgments such as "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 finely-ground 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: for-TAY or fort (depending on meaning) What it means: a musical direction meaning loud (pronounced "for-TAY"); a strong point or a strength (pronounced "fort") 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 21 of 40 Mauve How to say it: mohv May be mispronounced: mawv What it means: a pale purple color 22 of 40 Mischievous How to say it: MISS-chuh-vuhs May be mispronounced: mis-CHEE-vee-uhs (note the extra syllable) What it means: naughtily annoying or troublemaking 23 of 40 Nadir How to say it: NAY-deer What it means: the lowest point 24 of 40 Neophyte How to say it: NEE-uh-fahyt What it means: a beginner, a new participant 25 of 40 Noisome How to say it: NOI-sum What it means: disgusting, as in odor; capable of causing nausea 26 of 40 Panacea How to say it: pan-uh-SEE-uh What it means: a cure-all; a remedy for all illness or solution for all problems 27 of 40 Phlegmatic How to say it: fleg-MAT-ik What it means: slow to react, not showing emotion; calm and composed 28 of 40 Protean How to say it: PROH-tee-uhn May be mispronounced: pro-teen What it means: assuming various forms; changeable in shape, as an amoeba 29 of 40 Puerile How to say it: PYOO-er-il What it means: relating to a child or childhood; immature, foolish 30 of 40 Pulchritude How to say it: PUHL-kri-tood What it means: physical beauty, comeliness 31 of 40 Quinoa How to say it: KEEN-wah May be mispronounced: KEEN-oh-ah What it means: a small edible crop seed 32 of 40 Quixotic How to say it: kwik-SOT-ik What it means: insensibly extravagant or romantic 33 of 40 Sanguine How to say it: SANG-gwin May be mispronounced: sang-WHINE What it means: cheerful, hopeful, confident, especially in a bad situation 34 of 40 Sherbet How to say it: SHUR-bit May be mispronounced: SHUR-burt What it means: a frozen fruit-flavored dessert made without milk 35 of 40 Staid How to say it: steyd What it means: settled; sedate in character 36 of 40 Surfeit How to say it: SUR-fit What it means: an excessive amount 37 of 40 Timbre How to say it: TAM-ber May be mispronounced: TIM-ber (as in, that tree's about to fall down) What it means: the sound or tonal quality of a particular voice or musical instrument 38 of 40 Truculent How to say it: TRUHK-yuh-luhnt What it means: defiant, quick to argue or fight 39 of 40 Vicissitude How to say it: vih-SIS-ih-tood What it means: a change in circumstance, usually undesired 40 of 40 Zephyr How to say it: ZEF-er May be mispronounced: ZEF-fire What it means: a soft, mild breeze Main Resources for Definitions https://www.merriam-webster.com https://www.dictionary.com Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Valdes, Olivia. "40 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You're Probably Getting Wrong." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/hard-to-pronounce-words-4156950. Valdes, Olivia. (2020, August 28). 40 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You're Probably Getting Wrong. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/hard-to-pronounce-words-4156950 Valdes, Olivia. "40 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You're Probably Getting Wrong." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/hard-to-pronounce-words-4156950 (accessed June 5, 2023). copy citation Featured Video