Commonly mispronounced words
Some words are hard for everyone: silent letters, buried syllables, stress in an unexpected place, or a spelling that lies about the sound. This pack collects the forty that trip people up most.
Who this is for: Public speakers, presenters, interviewees, actors, and advanced learners polishing their diction.
40 words with IPA · minimal pairs · sentence ladders · free, no signup
Where to put your tongue
- 1Say the word slowly, one syllable at a time, from the respelling — not from the spelling.
- 2Find the CAPITALISED syllable and make it longer and louder than the rest.
- 3Reduce every unstressed syllable to a soft schwa 'uh'. English rhythm depends on it.
- 4Say it three times slow, then three times at speaking speed.
- 5Use it in a real sentence the same day, or it will not stick.
Common mistakes
- Pronouncing letters that are silent: the 'l' in salmon, the 'd' in Wednesday, the 'b' in subtle.
- Adding a syllable that is not there: 'ath-uh-lete' for athlete, 'ex-pres-so' for espresso.
- Putting the stress on the wrong syllable, which is more confusing to listeners than a wrong vowel.
- Guessing from spelling on loanwords — colonel, choir and epitome are all traps.
Word list
IPA plus a plain respelling — capitals mark the stressed syllable. Read each column slowly first, then at speaking pace.
Silent letters
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | /ˈwɛnz.deɪ/ | WENZ-day |
| salmon | /ˈsæm.ən/ | SAM-uhn |
| subtle | /ˈsʌt̬.əl/ | SUT-uhl |
| receipt | /rɪˈsiːt/ | rih-SEET |
| almond | /ˈɑː.mənd/ | AH-muhnd |
| debt | /dɛt/ | DET |
| island | /ˈaɪ.lənd/ | EYE-luhnd |
| indict | /ɪnˈdaɪt/ | in-DITE |
| mortgage | /ˈmɔːr.ɡɪdʒ/ | MOR-gij |
| queue | /kjuː/ | KYOO |
Stress in a surprising place
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| entrepreneur | /ˌɑːn.trə.prəˈnɜːr/ | ahn-truh-pruh-NUR |
| epitome | /ɪˈpɪt̬.ə.mi/ | ih-PIT-uh-mee |
| hyperbole | /haɪˈpɜːr.bə.li/ | hy-PUR-buh-lee |
| comparable | /ˈkɑːm.pɚ.ə.bəl/ | KAHM-pur-uh-buhl |
| mischievous | /ˈmɪs.tʃə.vəs/ | MIS-chuh-vuhs |
| applicable | /ˈæp.lɪ.kə.bəl/ | AP-lih-kuh-buhl |
| preferable | /ˈprɛf.ɚ.ə.bəl/ | PREF-ur-uh-buhl |
| infamous | /ˈɪn.fə.məs/ | IN-fuh-muhs |
| developer | /dɪˈvɛl.ə.pɚ/ | dih-VEL-uh-pur |
| photography | /fəˈtɑː.ɡrə.fi/ | fuh-TAH-gruh-fee |
Spelling that lies
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| colonel | /ˈkɜːr.nəl/ | KUR-nuhl |
| choir | /ˈkwaɪ.ɚ/ | KWY-ur |
| quinoa | /ˈkiːn.wɑː/ | KEEN-wah |
| Worcester-shire | /ˈwʊs.tɚ.ʃɚ/ | WUUS-tur-shur |
| gauge | /ɡeɪdʒ/ | GAYJ |
| suite | /swiːt/ | SWEET |
| niche | /niːʃ/ | NEESH |
| façade | /fəˈsɑːd/ | fuh-SAHD |
| genre | /ˈʒɑːn.rə/ | ZHAHN-ruh |
| cache | /kæʃ/ | KASH |
Words people add or drop syllables in
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| athlete | /ˈæθ.liːt/ | ATH-leet, 2 syl. |
| espresso | /ɛˈsprɛs.oʊ/ | eh-SPRESS-oh (no X) |
| nuclear | /ˈnuː.kli.ɚ/ | NOO-klee-ur |
| jewelry | /ˈdʒuː.əl.ri/ | JOO-uhl-ree |
| library | /ˈlaɪ.brɛr.i/ | LY-brair-ee |
| February | /ˈfɛb.ju.ɛr.i/ | FEB-yoo-air-ee |
| probably | /ˈprɑː.bə.bli/ | PRAH-buh-blee |
| particularly | /pɚˈtɪk.jə.lɚ.li/ | pur-TIK-yuh-lur-lee |
| comfortable | /ˈkʌmf.tɚ.bəl/ | KUMF-tur-buhl |
| anyway | /ˈɛn.i.weɪ/ | EN-ee-way (no S) |
Minimal pairs
Say each pair out loud, three times. If the two words sound identical, the sound is not landing yet.
athlete vs ath-uh-lete
two syllables, never three
espresso vs expresso
there is no X
nuclear vs nucular
NOO-klee-ur
prescription vs perscription
PRE, not PER
supposedly vs supposably
not a word
et cetera vs ex cetera
ET, not EX
Sentence ladders
Start with the single word, then add length. Never move up a rung until the one below is clean.
entrepreneur
a young entrepreneur
The young entrepreneur was the epitome of comfortable confidence.
Wednesday
next Wednesday
Next Wednesday the colonel will visit the library.
particularly
particularly comparable
That figure is particularly comparable to February's.
mischievous
a mischievous athlete
A mischievous athlete ordered almond espresso.
Tongue twisters for this sound
Practise these with your microphone and get an instant accuracy score.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
medium · practise with the mic →
The big black bug bit the big black bear, but the big black bear bit the big black bug back.
medium · practise with the mic →
Double bubble gum, bubbles double.
easy · practise with the mic →
Kitty caught the kitten in the kitchen.
easy · practise with the mic →
Tie twine to three tree twigs.
medium · practise with the mic →
Dizzy dragons doze on drizzly days.
medium · practise with the mic →
A ten-minute daily routine
- 1. Two minutes on the mouth position, in front of a mirror.
- 2. Three minutes reading the word list aloud, slowly.
- 3. Two minutes on minimal pairs, three times each.
- 4. Two minutes climbing one sentence ladder.
- 5. One minute on a tongue twister — slow first, fast last.
- 6. Record yourself once a week and compare.