English Words Americans Mispronounce ❌ Difficult English Words | Common Mistakes

Do you ever wonder which English words Americans are mispronouncing most often? In this video I’ll show you the most commonly mispronounced words and how to correct any mistakes you’re making. Even AMERICANS mispronounce words as adults because the language is not phonetic. I’ll help you hear and master the correct pronunciation using IPA and real-life examples. I will show you how these difficult English pronunciation challenges can be solved, allowing you to incorporate the correct pronunciation into your American English accent. You’ll see that even native speakers make mistakes in how they pronounce English words. As an English learner you’re in good company! Even those of us who have grown up speaking English are still trying to figure it out! You’ll learn how to sound more like a native English speaker and have a lot of fun too! I think you’ll be inspired and encouraged as you see that even native English speakers are constantly learning the intricacies of the English language!
Playlist on the phonetic symbols for English: • IPA - International Ph...
Video on the word ‘schedule’: • How to Pronounce 'Sche...
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Improve your American Accent / spoken English at Rachel's English with video-based lessons and exercises. Rachel uses real life English conversation as the basis for teaching how to speak English and how to sound American -- improve listening comprehension skills. Study English vocabulary and English phrases such as phrasal verbs, as well as common expressions in English. Learn American idioms and American slang.

[@rachelsenglish]

What's the *BEST ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM* *FOR SPOKEN ENGLISH?* 🤔 www.RachelsEnglishAcademy.com 🤔 ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️

[@roslynaubrey7766]

Rachel's English do you mean, pronounce wrongly?

[@kaibasan1]

Rachel's English You mispronounced the word “aunt.”

[@alanmiranda3058]

how about the word "often"?

[@crossbowmarksman]

Rachel you would be much happier if you marry me .

[@oogiemaster]

Here are some: Plumbing, singer and solder as in soldering iron. Also the word iron itself.

[@koszeggy]

Queue is just pronounced 'q' because the rest of the letters are still waiting in the line... =)

[@barbarabastron6152]

koszeggy Cute!

[@spyho7406]

Clever

[@DuhAverageJoe]

😂

[@wendylinkem6201]

Brilliant

[@pixibelle3282]

That is hilarious way to remember it.

[@dtalley219]

The 3 hardest things for people to say: I'm sorry, I was wrong & worcestershire sauce.

[@queenlokilani]

I can say the first two but the last one still gets me. Maybe I should practise it.😄

[@Em-wr9ze]

People who speak English have no problem with Worcester Leicester, Gloucester. This is because they are places in England where we speak English not American.

[@osonhouston]

@@Em-wr9ze people from Massachusetts like myself tend to pronounce words closer to those in England.

[@petalchild]

@@Em-wr9ze Those are all names of towns in Massachusetts as well, so we tend to pronounce them the right way 😉

[@richardbierman9856]

Not hard for an Englishman!

[@mardigus]

"Booty queue" was hilarious, I never heard that before haha. My word I always messed up was "epitome", I pronounced it epee-tome

[@stassnik]

I’ve never hear “boutique” pronounced “booty queue” but, I often hear it pronounced “bow tique”….I’m always blown away when I hear it!

[@scottandtori5082]

Actually it’s E pit oh me: epitome

[@rebeccamay6420]

"mel-Lock-a-ny" Someone I went to school with thought it was the pronunciation of "melancholy," and that when people said "melancholy," they were using a different word.

[@danielhurst8863]

Literally, in half a century, I've never once heard any person mispronounce Echelon.

[@anomalousdelirium]

Trivia : It's from Latin: Scala --> French: échelle / échelon --> English: Scale (ladder, steps, etc)

[@courtneyb6154]

I've heard people say both eKelon and eCHelon......but then again I'm always on the road so tend to talk to thousands of people each year.

[@sallyeggg]

I’ve never heard of it at all 😳

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

We are snobs. We don't associate with such lower echelon individuals.

[@damonhicks969]

I learned its pronunciation in the Marines.

[@spankatron5133]

90% of these are words with French origin. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to learn English if your mother language is not of Latin origin. I work all over the world and am continually humbled by the quality of English spoken by people from far flung continents.

[@UKHeritageRailways]

A lot of French words entered the English language after the Norman conquest of 1066. Norman French was the language of the ruling classes at the time.

[@ninedingemanse]

it's not that hard actually

[@CorgiCorner]

Some people think its a handicap to only be able to speak english. I dont think so. Its an amalgamation of different languages over different periods. As long as you do a bit of etymological research its fairly easy to recognize patterns in other languages. Save for semitic and asian languages of course.

[@davidlucas442]

90% load of bollocks

[@doctorSpoc]

As a Canadian (where we retain more of the French pronunciations and spellings) some American pronunciations sound REALLY weird to the ears like first time I heard an American pronounce “foyer”. 🤔Americans pronounce the “er” ending as in better or summer.. but in French an “er” ending generally pronounced as a long a so we pronounce it ‘foi-yay’ We also have spelling like “cheque” (check as in banking)… and “centre” but pronounce center.. 🤪

[@Naturalvelocity]

This video is excellent, but it drove me nuts that you didn't touch on the etymology, which is the entire reason English is so damn complex and inconsistent. Knowing the origins of the word absolutely helps pronounce it. Is it greek, germanic, latinate, french? I think this is the real reason that many Americans don't know how to pronounce words or names well. We're generally very ignorant of other languages and cultures, despite being a society comprised of all the cultures of the world.

[@einfachnura1421]

"The letters of this word make no sense for the way it's pronunced!". That is true for all of english, from a non-native speaker's point of view

[@2011Ecstatic]

I appreciate your challenge & struggle; I only fared well because of growing up in an American English household where my Granny was an English teacher! To all of those who undertake learning English the world around, I tip my hat and applaud your efforts!

[@stevieg.4816]

When I hear people say, "we conversated," it absolutely kills me, it's conversed.

[@maxwellmark986]

Hello Stevie......

[@donitawhite8111]

@@maxwellmark986 🤮

[@ladidi4935]

Conversated is correct slang😋

[@TasteOfCaramel]

Didn't they add "conversate" to the dictionary?

[@Mahoney2866]

My 9 year old grandson says things like that! It's cute at his age. He says spectating too. Spectators are spectating in his thinking 😄

[@jeanettesjourney9147]

One thing that drives me crazy is that so many people write "I should of" instead of the shortened for "I should have" which is spelled "should've".

[@methaneman4045]

Do so agree. Drives me crazy and unfortunately is increasingly common

[@mt.shasta6097]

Jeanette Place, Thank you! "Should of indeed!" One wonders about these people.

[@johng423]

I think this is as much a grammar problem. If a person realized that "have" is often part of a part tense expression, they might remember what is correct.

[@paranihiaanaru4414]

Oh yes - the ubiquitous 'of' I see this a lot in blogs written by Americans, such as 'off of'

[@richarddixon1412]

Unfortunately this is common in the UK too.

[@VandalXXI]

Binging this channel should be mandatory for every English speaker with access to the internet.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks a lot!

[@Rejoice1631]

In the late 80's, I became a Realtor.... and, even after ALL these years, folks still say it incorrectly, by adding a syllable, an "a" in between "real" and "tor"..... Thanks for this video, it was awesome, and very informative.... =)

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome and thanks for sharing!

[@thewolfgirlexpert]

At what point does it go from "wrong" to being a part of a dialect though? If the majority of Americans pronounce something "wrong" at that point is it not just the American dialect for that word?

[@gabrielcook2745]

Language is all about being understood! It's mispronounced if you can't be understood or clarification is needed, but it's dialect instead if it's a common way to say it among similar speakers to you. English is adopting new words all the time from dialects, so if "mischievious" isn't a word now, I think it soon will be!

[@lilboygthorns7373]

You’re an Azuki simp too huh

[@ryanexsus]

Languages are fluid. They change over time. The word "internet" didn't exist 50 years ago. Slang and "mispronounced" words are what make accents unique.

[@cruz4287]

There is a term for words that are used per region that allows them to be correct.

[@georgesedeno7891]

No. It's wrong. Language must be preserved... Any Language ... correctly preserved. There can be too many variations, but the correct ones are just that, correct. Even phrases or sentences are destroying the language. Finna...for "fixing too"! You get my point. It must be preserved in its correct form. Alterations in "texting" are short cuts, but should not be acceptable for formal language...ever.

[@RansomeStoddard]

My wife said there are no words in the English language that use every vowel and in the correct alphabetical order. But I think she was speaking facetiously.

[@ericabaysinger1963]

👀

[@thelmadunn7598]

Nice one!!

[@juliethunt9251]

🤣👍

[@rick43pen]

*Groan*

[@tombaze8554]

Smart aleck

[@skydiverclassc2031]

When I was young, having no idea how to say it correctly, we pronounced Worcestershire sauce as Roosterfire sauce.

[@itsROMPERS...]

This and other of your videos demonstrate just how surprisingly much of modern English actually comes from French. In a KZbin video i saw recently, it was said that MORE of modern English comes from older, "country" French than even from earlier forms of English. There are obvious examples like "cognac", but even words like " guard", "study", and "restaurant" come from French. They even said there is more "country" French in modern English than there is in modern "Parisian" French itself. One thing is for sure: English is WAY more French than most people realize. Fun channel!

[@roseannsullivan1871]

I love this video, 12 years in Catholic school taught by nuns, I got 100% on this one. Those ladies loved correct English, and manners too.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks Rose!

[@terrykelly6113]

They also hated their students.

[@ellendelima700]

My school too!!! Thank God for the nuns of SSND

[@HughAskew2]

@@terrykelly6113 No, just you.

[@luissantiago8446]

You are so right. The curriculum taught at the Catholic school I attended in Philadelphia during the 60s, was leagues away from what I had been accustomed to when I was in public school. It was in that Catholic school that I was taught how to diagram a sentence. Spelling bees were frequent, and we dreaded misspelling a word. Penmanship was emphasized and so was neatness. Elegant cursive, with the letters always leaning right, won accolades. Our notebooks were open for inspection and were given weekly notices. Incorrect grammar, sloppy usage, and heaven forbid, foul language received swift and firm corrections. To this day, I'm eternally grateful to those devoted nuns.

[@BigBreakfast25]

“Draught” is the British spelling of the word. I’m surprised she even put that in here, seeing as it seems she’s teaching American English. You will only ever see “draft” in America

[@nahannii8953]

The only exception being imported beer :)

[@kateissues]

I'm american and even I pronounce it as Draught lmao

[@BigBreakfast25]

@@kateissues that’s because “draught” and “draft” are pronounced the same. “Draft” is the American English spelling, and “draught” is the British English spelling

[@clberka]

I see "Draught" on beer menus at restaurants all the time.......

[@voiceofthevoid2284]

Not to mention the -ique words she talks about are all French based words. They are not English at all, we just use the French word because we don't have a better English one.

[@DrSlotnick]

It would be helpful to mention the etymology of these words, and the cultures from which they are borrowed. Not only would it help with guessing the pronunciation on reading, it helps to estimate meaning. Echelon is French. Chaos is Greek. Schlep is Yiddish. Adding background would not only make this video more interesting than just going through a list, it would help the viewer retain the knowledge, rather than simply try to memorize data.

[@toniecat1028]

How about segue - I've always said "seg-way" so I was surprised when I heard a friend say "see-goo". I knew that pronunciation was important to her, so we looked it up. (And I knew that she also learned words by reading.) Well, we found that it's correctly said seg-way. Has anyone else had a problem with this one?

[@melaniedaniels228]

I've never heard anyone say it that way but I can understand how someone might think that's how it's pronounced. As you said, just another example of learning words by reading :)

[@jakollee]

I know people who say, “supposably” rather than, “supposedly.”

[@shelbymanners6729]

Ugh. Me too and it is physically painful 😖.

[@mchapman132]

My supervisor asked me to write her retirement letter, because she wanted it “gramorically correct”. Her favorite expressions were “it’s a tapestry of justice, and I could care less”. SMH

[@toshikotanaka3249]

@@shelbymanners6729 - Or people that use "was" instead of "were". Or, instead of pronouncing the TH sound at the ends of certain words, they use an F. Earf instead of earth, Teef instead of teeth, birf instead of birth etc.

[@DrDoerk]

@@toshikotanaka3249 I think you're just describing 5 year olds

[@maximusextreme3725]

Yes, so annoyitating!!😃

[@VanGoghs_LeftEar]

My trigger word: "expresso" when saying "espresso". Gets me everytime. That's an eye twitch inducer right there.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

What about when people press the excape key?

[@samanthab1923]

When I was young I used to say EXpecially instead of especially 😆

[@diannahoward5392]

I hate it, and MOST PEOPLE DO THIS 😳 SUPPOSEBLY INSTEAD OF SUPPOSEDLY !! DRIVES ME BONKERS!!

[@SpookyFow]

My trigger word is "seen". "I seen so and so"... It's "saw" you plebs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@graemelliott3942]

I love saying expresso to people who get triggered for not saying espresso! Makes for a little spice!

[@aspenrebel]

As George Bernard Shaw said: "England and America are two countries separated by a common language" I always thought is was "the bond of a common language'.

[@gingemi]

It drives me crazy to hear the word turmeric pronounced toomeric, especially when a chef does it!

[@roberttassone7676]

Teacher: Johnny, please give me a sentence using the word officiate. Johnny: My uncle got sick from a fish he ate.

[@logo9470]

😂🤣😂

[@wesleycate508]

😆😆😆

[@alexrose8299]

🤣🤣🤣

[@bruceleeds7988]

😂👍

[@kevinmcconnell9426]

I’ve never heard that one!! That made me chuckle out loud.

[@frag_g]

Someone told me once, you should take caution when judging people that mispronounce words because this stems from reading... An educating activity. Not everyone falls into social circles with diverse vocabularies. The fact that these people are doing it on their own, should be commended. It's difficult to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.

[@denneyfamily532]

True!

[@Sides3Sides]

Absolutely true! My son, when in second grade, would fearlessly read aloud, sounding out unknown words according to the phonics he'd learned in school.

[@Booshka823]

@@Sides3Sides That's great (and cute) for a second grader, but not for a grown adult. It's just sad in an adult.

[@Booshka823]

The problem is that so many of these adults who are pronouncing things totally wrong is that they are so pigheaded and think they are correct and can't be shown the correct way. Or a lot of the attitude is "oh, so what?". And the reading defense I'm reading in the comments is really weak. That's what school and parents are for. To flesh out what is read. Are we basically saying that "not everyone falling into social circles with diverse vocabularies" is given a pass because, well, poor schools, peers and parents?

[@Sides3Sides]

@@Booshka823 if you lived in my region, you might only know certain words from reading or from a subscription to a cinema channel. Around here - coal country, Appalachia - it has been considered rude to use any but the most basic vocabulary. So I’m not about to look down on anyone who might know a word without having heard it.

[@markeder4208]

Why do English speaking newscasters persist in mispronouncing Foreign place names? There is No Cobble Afghanistan! Ka-bule! Many others over the years as if they are trying to change the language. Keep educating us. Thank you.

[@PilgrimofMatter]

"etchelon" is perfectly good, based on Norman French.

[@cirquedufreak6676]

Two of my pet peeves: mischievous as “mischievious” and nuclear as “nuculur”

[@tlkfanrwbyfan8716]

Mischievous is such a word that the proper pronunciation has been forgotten. I only ever hear Nuclear pronounced that way in more southern US areas(I’m in WV so I hear it occasionally). Also, February being pronounced as Feb-you-Airy and not including the first r.

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

Anyone remember David Letterman taking the mick out of George W Bush over "nucular"? It was hilarious.

[@cpt.curiousgaming]

I might be alone in this, however I am an Australian and find that most of the people I know pronounce it "mischievious". That said, Aussies are not really known for speaking proper English

[@rightinthedome9973]

To me people are "mischievous" but things are "mischievous". Ill let you figure It out lol 😎

[@kathleenpoole1372]

Another pet peeve: someone saying “I pacifically (instead of specifically) told you…. This one drives me nuts!

[@TheKrazysexykool]

😡😡😡😡😡

[@jessicadavenport2808]

Oh wow. I just commented the same thing. Then I scrolled down. I always want to slap people when they say that.

[@rm5282]

I always respond with Atlantically.

[@kathleenpoole1372]

@@rm5282 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😂

[@pamgrat5126]

How about “ flustrated ” instead of frustrated

[@LuckyBones77]

I remember as a kid, the words that tripped me up the most were usually loan words from French. The one that took me the longest to learn was recipe, I would say it like reh-cipe, sounding like ‘tripe’.

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

I cannot spell lots of stupid French words like rendezvous or reservoir.

[@stassnik]

Realtor seems to be a tongue twister for lots of folks… I hear it pronounced “re la tour” all the time and occasionally “re al tour” and “re ala tour”….so crazy!

[@kennyhale8771]

It's also based off where you're from. People have accents that slightly throw off the way they pronounce things. Another thing is that growing up, you learn from others on how to say a word because in that area that's how they pronounce it. Therefore, when people "mispronounce" a word it's not necessarily incorrect, their accent can confuse others, or how they were taught to pronounce it.

[@terryhayward7905]

That should be "Based ON where you are from". Not only words but also expressions should be preserved.

[@miltonwelch8619]

It requires mention that because English was composed from several languages, its rules of pronunciation are quite inconsistent. The pronunciation of an English word is most often based upon the language from which it came. This is why people in a spelling bee contest ask the language and history of an unfamiliar word before attempting to spell it. Thanks Rachel!

[@reh3884]

English isn't "composed" from several languages. It has borrowed words from many languages, but that's not the same thing. English is Germanic language.

[@brdispatch76]

@@reh3884 Just curious as a non expert, what is the difference between composed and borrowed? I found his answer fascinating as well as your rebuttal, but a little confused why this might be a source of contention.

[@Organic_Android]

English does borrow from other languages. We have many words from all over but it is a Germanic language. Not composed of other languages!

[@ninjaclan83]

All western languages are derived from Latin. Anyone speaking Latin would tell you that just about everything you say is mispronounced...

[@Organic_Android]

@@ninjaclan83 English is a western Germanic language brought over by Anglo Saxons. It does feature latin but it is classified as Germanic but I guess you mean that it replaced British Latin? I suppose you're right.

[@georgehatzimanolakis1904]

I get extremely annoyed with people mispronouncing words, this is very soothing haha

[@jessicamou]

I just want to say the “wrong” pronunciation is actually marked as the stander American pronunciation in many official English learning materials. That’s how I learned it lol.

[@chaoswitch1974]

For what?

[@svenjahnsen3381]

"s t a n d e r American pronunciation", Goodness, you have got to be American, i.e. completely uneducated.

[@miyou3playz_yt389]

"Chaos" People who have watched sonic:*i have no such weaknesses*

[@LeonJagerWulf]

Until you play the games and go to the Chao garden. Then it's pronounced as if you're saying goodbye in italian.

[@ouruaOG]

^^this

[@thesmartestidiot3547]

As a kid, I never knew the word “chaos” so I pronounced it as ( ch-Aw-ois-) I was such a smart kid...

[@wamengxiong0409]

@Hecker-chan uh...

[@Chuyin_mtg]

Is this video popping up in everyone's feed or something? Anyway, when people say "expresso" when ordering coffee really grinds my gears for some reason.

[@indigo_enigma]

You mean grinds your beans?

[@uncletasty9721]

“Acrossed” instead of “across” “Ambidextrious” instead of “ambidextrous” “Lacksadaisical” instead of “lackadaisical” Some more mispronunciations with the potential to ruin my mood for the day.

[@livableincome]

It would me too, but have never heard it said that way.

[@livableincome]

@@uncletasty9721 Ah ha Alex, I myself have been laxadaisical in my pronunciation of lackadaisical. Thank you for pointing it out. 👍

[@PapaSk8r]

@@livableincome You clearly have been listening in a lackadaisical manner.

[@storydale]

The mischievous mispronunciation drives me crazy. Thank you for addressing it.

[@MrGeemonty]

For the last few years I have been hearing basically EVERYONE pronounce et cetera as eK cetera.

[@Gloops01]

In British English 'schedule' is pronounced with a soft 'ch' - 'shedule' (although, with the influence of American movies, many younger people now say 'skedule').

[@danielagilmour8798]

I agree and have heard both versions.

[@lil_weasel219]

both are correct

[@iscariotmadeo4672]

Don't get influenced by americans, its your own language.

[@catalot]

I have heard Canadians using the soft ‘ch’ pronunciation also. She is referring to American English though so maybe that’s the reason.

[@gaynormainwaring1853]

I think the Oxford English Dictionary would state, schedule is pronounced with a soft a sshh, as in shed. Some people may think they sound more American by saying skedule.

[@Numpodeze]

Working at the banking industry, one word that I hear often is “recurring”. People often pronounce it “reoccurring”, which has a slightly different meaning.

[@thedebatemechannel4746]

20 spot 7 Most insane thing ever. They say spot instead of dot or point.

[@juliethunt9251]

😳I have never considered that one before. 🤔

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

There is no such word as “reoccurring”.

[@melissagaynor5880]

@@Woodman-Spare-that-tree That is incorrect.

[@nicolemonrue]

Thank you sir...you just helped me out lol..now I'm self conscious, which is good actually

[@genemahoney4626]

My favorite is "spatula" where the 't" is pronounced like "tch."

[@anniewaitz8]

It drives me bananas when people say “sequences” instead of “sequins.” (Second only to “expresso”)

[@DefiniteIntegral0to1]

Some real estate agents mispronounce the word realtor. Adding an "a", pronouncing it "realator".

[@geoculus5606]

A lot of people who aren't realtors say it that way, too, including me, haha.

[@williamfulgham2010]

A little side point relating to the word realtor. There is an organization that has added an a to the word. This organization requires registration with their group and they are called "Real-a-tors"(TM), just like the mispronunciation for the word, - 'realtor'.

[@vendingdudes]

This one really bothers me. And yes, local realtors will mispronounce it in their own radio ads. Smh!

[@grizzlygrizzle]

"Masonary" for "masonry" is a similar error.

[@steveescher1554]

@@geoculus5606 I feel like 95 percent of the English speaking world does.

[@EnglerCreative]

The first time I saw “outlier” I thought it was French and pronounced it Ute-Lee-ay. Hilarity ensued.

[@aspenrebel]

I'm sure it did. Ha ha ha ha!! Then there are those words that you have heard SPOKEN and you have SPOKEN all of your life ... BUT ... you have NEVER written them, seen them written, nor read them. Now that is a real shocker!! You're like "is that how that word is spelled? I never knew that". At this moment I can't think of a word, an example, but I know it has happened to me. I remember one time, many years ago, I said the word "wholly" to my aging mother. As in "that child's behavior was wholly unacceptable". meaning ... entirely, completely. She didn't know what it meant, spelling, or usage, and she was surprised that I did. English and grammar was never my strong suit in school, I'm more mathematical.

[@calvinjewett8216]

I bet that one time is now an outlier from all the other times you have pronounced it correctly. :)

[@astraeaellsworth5308]

The realtor scene from Santa Clarita Diet absolutely broke me.

[@LicksontheGstring]

The main thing I learned from this video is that some wrong pronunciations sound way better than the actual word. I wish I never learned that mischievous was correct. It sounds so much worse.

[@BelakorVenator]

“Rural” has always taken more of my concentration than it should.

[@lj.3589]

I agree. Rural is not the easiest to pronounce. I think about it every time I say it. After thought: Days after posting the previous sentences I was reminded of a movie title from the tv show Thirty Rock. The character Jenna attempts to tell others about the small budget movie she made the previous summer. The movie was titled The Rural Juror. The way she pronounces it has everyone confused; no one can understand what she's saying. Lol. It's perfect for this example.

[@BlueDauntless]

I hate this word. I stumble on it regularly

[@jenni8982]

If you're from a rural area in the US, you don't have issue with it as people here pronounce it as a one syllable word "rul" that is drawn out.

[@lj.3589]

@@jenni8982 I'm from a rural area of the U.S. We pronounce it both ways. Fast (one syllable) if saying an address quickly (the old style of address) and slowly (two syllables) if saying the word in other circumstances.

[@jenni8982]

@@lj.3589 nobody speaks quickly where I'm from.

[@harrytoyshirt4146]

I don't ever mispronounce "echelon". Heck, I never use it, forgot it even existed.

[@windasafriend]

😂😂😂

[@shadowkissed2370]

Exactly. I learned the word from reading and still pronounce it properly.

[@Cromwelldunbar]

It’s a French word. It would be more honourable an attitude to openly admit this.

[@Eirik_Bloodaxe]

I learned it from Splinter Cell. Because you’re part of 3rd Echelon.

[@mokuseinoosa]

I'm Japanese but I knew the word and its pronunciation thanks to Travis Scott's song 😅

[@thelastjoe2122]

I have LITERALLY never heard the proper pronunciation of Worcestershire, every time I say it I would just say something similar to "worsheshesheshire shaush" because I never knew how to pronounce it

[@paulpaul20000]

Me a french native, seeing the prononciation of "Vague" which as far as I'm concerned comes from French, well this mister pronounced it correctly as Vague in French and Wave in english (bears also the same second meaning) is pronounced with a pure A sound. And I love how all of the words with the "que" ends are litteral French words as many of them to my knowledge all possess english contreparts, often direct like Antique and Antic , of cours they do not bear the same meaning, and yet all of the "que" ending words were mispronounced as well But don't worry, we the French also have a lot of fun butchering the prononciation of many english words!

[@JackTheGiantOne]

I read the word “conscience” growing up and genuinely believed they were referring to science of con artistry. Rather than your internal moral compass.

[@discmotoslots]

I cannot ever seem to spell “conscience” or "couscous" correctly!?

[@ladyvelvet56]

I split it up the word conscience. I take the first syllable c o n and then I spell science made it easier for me growing up.

[@scottnunnemaker5209]

I still think it is.

[@josephguerino7416]

You got my ribs cracking!!!

[@joshcook6431]

@@discmotoslots Couscous, so good they named it twice.

[@lmorter7867]

I have a high respect for foreign people that come here and learn the language.

[@duanereed9358]

WELL understood! Good point.

[@dperry19661]

Its weird all right. Like parking on a driveway but driving on a parkway. Or knight, knife and knave.

[@marisadam12]

Thank you! Although when I got there I already knew the language, it was hard to use it every day for everything. But I love English.

[@letsgomario]

Tough for sure but fun and so gratifying when you become fluent. Now, if my French could be just as good as my English, I would be in heaven.

[@FxHolden-kt1df]

Yes! Especially if you come from any other English speaking country like England or Australia.

[@aEquanimity]

For most of my life I was pronouncing “plaid” incorrectly because I hadn’t heard it said out loud. It was quite a surprise to learn that I’d been pronouncing it wrong in my head

[@thomasewing2656]

Plad, not played.

[@NH365]

I like talking a lil messed up casually. It makes people listen when I switch gears and speak very clearly. Different strokes for different folks and situations. It imparts nuance that can be an important component of the info conveyed.

[@PensandoAltoRobertoCardoso]

QUEUE is simply the letter Q followed by 4 silent vowels

[@colt4667]

Queue is one of my favorite unusual words. I also like syzygy. Queue and syzygy can mean the same thing: in a line.

[@dodgermartin4895]

I have never heard an American ever use the word, "queue" for a line. In fact when an English person asked me if I "were in the queue," I did not know what she meant.

[@ajarnsingtoh2392]

Here's another way to understand the word 'queue' it is read as [k-yoo] - the letter group QUE forms the [k] sound - think of antique [an-teek] etc., and the last 2 letters -UE creates the vowel sound [yoo] - as in other words like cue [k-yoo] due [d-yoo] etc. :)

[@SuperMagnetizer]

In America, queue is pronounced LINE. In Britain it is pronounced CUE.

[@ajarnsingtoh2392]

@@SuperMagnetizer The word 'queue' cannot be 'pronounced' as 'line.' But the word 'line' is used in America instead of the word 'queue.' And the word 'queue' and 'cue' are both pronounced EXACTLY the same as [k-yoo] - because they are 'heteronyms' - words with different spelling, but the same pronunciation. :)

[@eddier8576]

The work "ask" pronounced as "axe" just kills me every time.

[@threepot900]

An axe to the ear will do that every time! It annoys me too, but on further reading, it turns out that it’s an archaic English pronunciation, that would have been common at the time the Puritans left England. - because after the restoration of the monarchy, everyone was fed up with their killjoy ways that had seen them ban sport, the theatre, singing, dancing, Christmas and anything else that could be fun in any way.

[@RepublicConstitution]

Ebonics

[@threenorns3]

"eskewz me, but can I axe a question? I just want to axe a question? Can i axe a question? Sir? Sir? Siiiiir? Can I axe a question???"

[@beastshawnee]

That is cultural though. You were hearing a culture that is not your own. They can say it however they want. That is no different than some people saying ain’t. It might not be the rule but it is cultural and some people will always say it.

[@jamescobban857]

Note that aks was the original pronunciation, ask is the more recent "correction". Some dialects preserve the older pronunciation.

[@robbybreighner4560]

I'm amazed at your ability to search for and find mispronunciations.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks Robby!

[@leximatic]

"Schlep" probably derives from German "schleppen", which means "to lug" or "to drag". The pronounciation is equal, so could be.

[@vikkitaylor5469]

We were taught phonetics back in the 60s. I've read thousands of books. If I didn't know what a word meant through context or if I wasn't sure of its pronunciation, I was taught to use the dictionary.

[@dawnburnett1229]

And, I still do that

[@sharky2675]

That just makes too much sense

[@brontewcat]

That only helps if you have been taught the phonetic alphabet. I have not, and I was educated in the 1960s and 1970s. I have little or no idea of what each of the symbols mean or what sound they designate. Unless I hear the word spoken, I don’t know the pronunciation.

[@cattycorner8]

Vikki Taylor Yes! they taught us the diacritical markings (for long and short vowels , etc.), dipthongs, the schwa sound and all that stuff. It was foolproof! I have noticed online they now either use completely different markings, call them them different names or lump everything into this "universal" code called IPA which makes no sense to me at all. Why fix something that is not broken? We taught our children how to read phonetically since they do not teach it that way anymore. SMH. It's a "guess and go" method now. Look at the whole word and try to guess what it is by the context of a sentence. So dumb.

[@vikkitaylor5469]

@cattycorner...There are so many things they no longer teach in school. It seems the goal is longer learning but graduation. I learned how to count without a calculator (money, too!), how to write cursive, how to type, word origins (which helps with spelling and pronunciation!), typing with all my digits (not just my thumbs!), grammer, math, and many other things I use daily...based on current curricula I think the jobs of our educators have become increasingly difficult and our children are suffering because of it. Morality and accountability are two topics that deserve their own forum! Thank you for listening!

[@christinefortner7725]

My pet peeve is hearing someone say “supposably” when it’s actually “supposedly”. Nails on a chalkboard! 😕

[@PrincessofKeys]

Maybe they have speech problems or different dialect because of region

[@JoeMac1983]

@@PrincessofKeys Not an excuse. 😂

[@ImAlwaysHere1]

Depends, because supposably IS a word, it is just used out of context most of the time. It means "able to be supposed". So, if I know you like chocolate, then supposably you will like a Hershey bar. Supposedly means "according to what is generally assumed or believed". As in "Supposedly she is going to pay me back next week".

[@herbs4135]

For me it’s “in the meanwhile.” Imo it should be “meanwhile” or “in the meantime” and “in the meanwhile” sets my teeth on edge.

[@Zoinski]

@@JoeMac1983 how is having a communication disorder an excuse...?

[@foogod4237]

I think the reason for the common mispronunciation of "mischievous" is because it has a somewhat similar meaning/feeling to "devious", so many people automatically conflate the two pronunciations.. And I have to agree that I've always felt "queue" just has way too many letters, for no good reason. IMHO, to quote Eddie Izzard, "that's just cheating at scrabble"... And to be fair, most of these words are technically really French's fault... I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention "nuclear", though..

[@ThiagoRodrigues-il8vs]

Is there any English Teacher for natives over there? Teachers from high school or elementary school? I wonder how is it like? When you correct an essay of a 6th grade student, do you find many writing mistakes? How long does it take for a native to become 'native' in speaking and writing?? Only in English we see things like that: >> clothes = close >> no = know >> would = wood >> draught = draft But in portuguese we also make many grammar mistakes, but the pronunciation is usually the same. 🙏🏼 Thank you Rachel!

[@Kairon111161]

In sixth grade, I had a schoolmate named Hannah - who was reading the word “political” and she pronounced it as “Polly-tickle”. Even though almost 50 years ago, I will never forget it. Even in 6th grade, most of us knew that was funny. She probably still remembers a sense of shame - for which I personally am sorry.

[@fmpentertainmentmedley3338]

I used to say "viginer" instead of vinegar lol

[@princessharbnger2186]

MEEEEEEEE I DO THISSSS XD

[@christopherfloyd8939]

My wife pronounces the word rotisserie, as in the chicken, “roast-ti-aire.” The first time she told me to pick one up, I was like “the what chicken?!”

[@scottthebot2779]

In seventh grade a girl would continuously say the word "organism" as "orgasm" in science class and I will never forget my homies and I trying our best to keep it together lmao

[@saraholiver631]

I said polytitial one time and got made fun of lol

[@loveanarchy8488]

I learned how to pronounce chaos from watching "Get Smart."

[@hzla88]

I'm not even entirely sure how I leaned the correct pronunciation, but it was definitely before I was actually taught it. Trachea too. It's just one of those words that I've always known how to pronounce.

[@loveanarchy8488]

@@hzla88 You're for sure my hero.

[@jgdooley2003]

Chasm is another tricky one.

[@hzla88]

English is a strange language!

[@jpatterson8883]

Yes KAOS always caused chaos lol

[@simonebiles3432]

As a native speaker of English I enjoy watching this because I am learning French right now and it is nice to know I’m a native speaker of a very hard language to learn

[@nova80]

I used to live in London. I used the tube almost every day. And a lot of people mispronounced two places. Maybe more but these two where the most common. Amersham and Chesham.

[@ThatColtGuy]

I find it funny that when she was talking about acai I didn’t know what she was talking about. But as soon as she pronounced is “a-k-ai” I suddenly understood 😂

[@cheekytygher]

Muso?

[@benh5774]

Def felt like a fool ordering an “ akai” bowl in Hawaii last month lol

[@saf499]

My English is pretty good but I went with a K too

[@carltonlambert7608]

They used to make good tape decks.

[@DeliriumElectric]

@@carltonlambert7608 still make samplers

[@salxonico]

Others enunciate words how they learned at home. “SCH” is a Deutsch or Germany for “SH”. English is a composite of mean words from different languages.

[@unstoppableExodia]

Yeah I don’t even speak German but I would assume the correct pronunciation of schedule would be with an “SH” sound at the beginning

[@soxpeewee]

So schez you al.

[@ItsNayWorld]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZyzfZ2vaNGsgM0 I prank call dollar tree asked them to watch my kids 😭😭😭😭😭

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Yes, English has Germanic and Romance spelling conventions, which is why it's all over the place. And then pronunciations have changed over the centuries, but spelling stays mostly static. Other languages usually change the spellings of loanwords, but English doesn't.

[@unstoppableExodia]

@@shaunmckenzie5509 that pretty much covers the things that make English very difficult to learn for people who have had little exposure to it.

[@tommyconner1203]

Thank you, at last , it's a pure delight to hear words in our mother tongue pronounced correctly. to be quite honest, I've compiled an English to American English conversion table but you've given me new hope. You will be blessed.

[@AutoReport1]

A lot of these are hard because they are non-native and don't follow normal English spelling rules. But we don't have the accented letters in acai or facade so don't realize there is an alternate pronunciation. Schedule is dialect. A lot of the English speaking world pronounces it as shejul or skejul.

[@anushkabahutule4970]

I have heard everyone say Mischievous wrong all my life, that the correct pronunciation sounds wrong now haha!

[@simongleaden2864]

I quite often hear a similar thing - grievous, pronounced as grev-i-ous, adding an extra syllable.

[@IAmAlgolei]

The pronunciation and spelling "mischievious" with the extra -i- goes back hundreds of years. It's rarely (if ever) been included in dictionaries, and yet it has endured for a very long time.

[@Mehwhatevr]

@@IAmAlgolei There are two approaches to creating dictionaries. Prescriptive and Descriptive. Prescriptive is when you create a dictionary that tells everyone how they ought to be speaking regardless of whether anyone actually speaks that way. Descriptive is if an alien (or foreigner) were observing us and trying to figure out how to understand and speak our language. This dictionary would reflect the way the language is actually spoken. Dictionaries try to strike a balance between the two (unless they are specific to a region and time) because languages change over time. If you have appointed yourself the High King/Queen of English (or any other language) you can declare that the way you speak is correct and prescribe to everyone else how it ought to be spoken the way you do. Of course the issue here is that before you could create your prescriptive dictionary, you had to first describe the way you speak it. Because the way you speak it today was incorrect a hundred years ago. I actually didn't realize Misch-ee-vious wasn't a word. I thought Mischievous and "Mischievious" were two different words. If a vast majority of people accept "Mischievious" as a word and use it, then it becomes a part of the language. and if it is replaces the "correct" pronunciation, then it becomes the correct pronunciation. I find this belief that our languages should remain stagnant to be as ridiculous as the beliefs that our scientific, political, etc. views should remain stagnant.

[@AnaLuizaHella]

@@Mehwhatevr Perfect! I just left a comment about it and you explained it. Proscriptive, prescriptive and descriptive. 😘 Language is live otherwise I would be speaking Latin - I'm Brazilian and we speak Portuguese, not Spanish -🌹

[@VTSifuSteve]

@@AnaLuizaHella And isn't your Brazilian Portuguese significantly different from Iberian Portuguese? And both are correct, since ultimately, language is what the majority of people actually speak, not what some presumed authority dictates.

[@phillipmayer6124]

i didn't know any of these mistakes were common, I've literally never heard any of these words pronounced wrong until this video

[@ToasTFresh]

I heard echelon, the first one, a few times. But it's not usually used outside of formal speaking.

[@followeroc2]

maybe people don't say mischievous around you but that word is mispronounced more often than not, even on tv and movies

[@Athovik]

I'm in the same boat never heard these wrong. Even mischievous is pronounced correctly

[@xplosivesmoke490]

Yea there is a bit of reaching here. It feels mildly pretentious to say Americans in the title like everyone across the US says Ekkelon or Cheyas. Never heard those words mispronounced, and even though I've heard mischievous mispronounced it's not a big deal because I know what they're saying.

[@Blxxm007]

For real dude I’ve never heard a damn time these words being used wrong or differently XD

[@sasugashogun]

I have a couple of friends who refuse to say "cache" correctly and pronounce it as one should "cachet."

[@Spikespeak]

Niche. I pronounce it “nish”. My wife and I argued this one for months. She was adamant it was “nitch”. Turns out, both of us were wrong and right!

[@solooverland3666]

Nee-sh

[@Spikespeak]

@@solooverland3666 like I said…either way is correct

[@Spikespeak]

The upside to all this is that we began playing scrabble and Yahtzee together every day until Nov 14th, 2013.

[@Stitching_grandma]

It’s kills me when people say across and add a “t” to the end of it. That absolutely drives me crazy.

[@marciabradley7660]

That was me! Lol I was not even aware until a teenager pointed it out to me.

[@Mamasfarmhousekitchen]

YES!

[@hatuxka]

Not a speaking issue but a writing one: the 90% use of loose when they mean lose.

[@paulbradford6475]

Very true. And some can't distinguish between they're, there or their.

[@mikespearwood3914]

Like a lot of people spell the line splitting two countries apart as "boarder" instead of "border".

[@firefly19690]

Aaaack! The whole "loose" and "lose" thing. Pet peeve of mine. Lol

[@katydid1600]

@@firefly19690 that drives me nuts.

[@jennifermercer3481]

People who spell does as dose

[@Squeebles]

Even if you say triathlon the way it’s pronounced correctly you can still hear a subtle “a” sound that comes between triath and Lon. Perhaps that’s where the mispronunciation originated

[@rjaxxxas]

Same sort of deal with Brand Names.... Nutella for example is pronounced as "Nut"-"ella". But some people say "NUtella". "Nut" is said because it's referring to the Hazelnut. Adidas is pronounced as "Adi"-"Das". Because it is an abbreviation of 'Adolph Dassler'. Adolph was referred to as "Adi". But some people say "AD"-"DEE"-"DIS".

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing!

[@aldod3937]

I'm originally from Italy and I came here when I was 2. I astonishingly say all these words correctly. Thank you to my grammar school teachers.

[@hannahking1984]

I did not have 25 percent of my hearing all the way up to the 2nd grade. I really could have used someone to teach me. I'm still learning.

[@OmegaBahn]

It happens. You put pride on speaking and writing grammatically correct unlike most Americans.

[@daviddelprince1059]

same

[@danceswithpatton3650]

Hai fatto molto bene, Aldo 🇺🇸 🇮🇹

[@mehameha4453]

I’m from America originally, I say everything correctly just like it was in the 1960’s. Now I say everything wrong decades later. I didn’t change the world did. Even the new elementary teachers say I am no longer saying it the way it is taught now.

[@markrobinson4478]

😅give me a break while I eat my salmon. Oops! I mean "samen." I am 82 years old and only a few teeth left. So the way I pronounce words now is a new form of English. 😄Keep up the good work!

[@hannahrea-campbell6904]

Yessssss! Drives me nuts!

[@joyceneal6169]

🤣🤣🤣

[@gusgus8134]

English language is pronounced with no reason. Watch the comedian Galleger talk about it. Very funny!

[@krystalizedmagic4894]

YOUR 82?! YOU are freaking immortal !!

[@cockeyedoptimista]

Yeah, salmon is a weird one! Good call!

[@deborahamy1225]

Please do one on oriented. I have heard it two different ways and would love the correct pronunciation. Thanks for doing these, they are extremely helpful!! Blessings.👏🤓🕊

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for the suggestion Deborah!

[@friedathompson7872]

Hi Deborah Amy. I am a nurse so I am used to my patients being either oriented to time, place, etc or disoriented. It is like fingernails on a blackboard when I hear anyone say "orientated" & "disorientated"! I can't stand it! But I keep my mouth shut!!

[@orizg]

Once I stopped a meeting by saying "ISOTOPES" the wrong way using my native language rules. Another word that drove crazy for a while was "LINCOLN". I say both right now. Thanks Rach for showing us more of those.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome Giorgio and thanks for sharing! :)

[@HappybyChoice]

Realtor is frequently mispronounced as “re-la-tor” instead of real-tor.

[@rufust.firefly4890]

I hate it when people say libarry, omitting the first R.

[@plaidpanda]

This. This one kills me! But the one that grinds my gears the most is "expresso," as if there's an x in espresso. Aaaaaarrrgh!!

[@kathleenkillen7820]

that drives me nuts

[@deansgirl1369]

@@plaidpanda I'm with you 100% on both of those!!

[@plaidpanda]

@@deansgirl1369 If someone says they're meeting their "realator" for an "expresso," there's a good chance I'll have an aneurysm.

[@1956paterson]

English has so many foreign words that either retain their pronunciation or undergo change in English.

[@anmariesewell6064]

Gg

[@sorscha1308]

Depends on which English you speak though. I would say fillet with the t but someone speaking American English would probably say it the French way. Conversely, i would say niche the French way but every American i've ever heard use the word has said nich (and i heard it a lot in my U.S. Evolution Seminar class believe me - drove me mental).

[@kristinebailey2804]

@@sorscha1308 Yes in the USA we pronounce it (filet) the French way, just as we pronounce ballet , after all a ballot with a t is something you vote with. And ballet is dance.

[@sorscha1308]

@@kristinebailey2804 i don't really understand your example of ballet vs ballot, as they're completely different from the 2 i gave, both ballet and ballot are pronounced the same way in the US, Canada, UK, Aus & NZ, South Africa and by every other English speaker. These are 2 examples where we're all on the same page.

[@joannefolkins4784]

@@sorscha1308, Canadians don’t. We say it the French way, mainly because French is our second national language.

[@neshiajones7844]

Shrek 3 sparked a 14 year "Worcestershire" debate that coincidentally ended today 😂

[@BesIsSatan]

My worst mispronounced word was probably rendezvous. 😅

[@mixflip]

Draught...is actually draft? My mind is blown 💣

[@soxpeewee]

Where's the f?

[@dvorak101]

In Harry Potter they kept saying "draft" for draught of living death. I was confused but this video explains it.

[@stormcmmdr1412]

That was the only one that really got me. Have always been pronouncing it like Drawght kind of. Thought it was a measurement of any liquid. Cool

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Any -augh or -ough word is going to be random. Gh used to be pronounced like a hard German CH. It's now changed to an F sound, or is even silent.

[@MimicMimicMimic]

💀

[@johnbrzenksforearm8295]

There's multiple English dialects, so naturally many words are going to be said differently. English is Germanic, with Greek and Latin roots and is constantly changing with each generation.

[@christopherhelton6999]

The whole muddle with English really starts in 1066, when Anglo-Norman began to be incorporated into Old English. It wasn't purely Germanic after that. That's why Middle English is actually pretty intelligible to Modern English speakers, whereas Old English might as well be a foreign language. Compare The Canterbury Tales' "Whan that Apryll with his shoures soote" to Beowulf's "Hwaet! We gardena in geerdagum..."

[@aspenrebel]

you can't really call them dialects, different accents or different "habits" for saying certain words a certain way or certain phrases. Just now I've been watching British Detective Series "Vera" again. Boy do they come up with some whoppers! I have no idea what they just said or what it means or what they are talking about. But that is mostly from the Newcastle locals with their Geordie accents. The actress playing "Vera" is from Kent. I'm like "what is that word? What does that mean?" Wow!!

[@aspenrebel]

@@christopherhelton6999 Yup! That Damn William again!! Muddling things up!! I have a copy of the original written Magna Carta (1215 A.D.) hanging on my wall, with a typed up Modern English translation hanging up next to it. Now, maybe, I can make out a few words from the original. Man is it a nightmare.

[@G0LD3NR0D]

@@aspenrebel you absolutely can call them dialects. Dialects encompass both differences in pronunciation as well as differences in vocabulary. A good way to understand this is that a sociolect is itself a dialect, specifically a dialect of a particular social class, usually confined to a particular area. A great example of a sociolect that is very commonly seen in media would be valleyspeak, which outright popularized the use of "like" as a discourse marker in American English.

[@aspenrebel]

@@G0LD3NR0D fir sure ah! Narly, totally rad.

[@mikegee7169]

I always came across the word ennui while reading. I had never heard anyone use it in casual conversation. I finally heard it spoken much later in life.

[@UmatsuObossa]

Only one of these words I ever pronounced wrong was "Draught". Often times you can glean a word's correct pronunciation by knowing its root word or knowing from which language it hails, or even recognizing some patterns from other words

[@koryu9924]

One of my college professors, asked me during class if I read a lot. When I asked why, he said it was because I kept mispronouncing words due to being more familiar with reading them versus hearing them. Apparently his son was the same way. It can be an interesting thing to listen for.

[@cockeyedoptimista]

I mispronounce words I learned through reading, too. I was surprised to hear the woman in the video say this, because I never heard anyone say that before though I figured I hadn't heard them spoken. My friend can pronounce almost anything right but he's a terrible speller! Either he doesn't read as much or it's just a different skill set (I can Spell almost anything). I figure he must have had intellectual parents who used these words; my parents were more earthy. But maybe his ear is better while I'm more observant visually. Or maybe I just don't question my assumptions enough! (Some words I've learned correctly from hearing him: papyrus; scythe; unwieldy..)

[@xXJ4FARGAMERXx]

@@cockeyedoptimista he knows the spoken language and you know the orthography!

[@Mudjie50]

Echelon comes from the French échelon, a word whose literal meaning is “rung of a ladder.” Initially it was confined to military use, to refer to a step-like formation of troops. It is not English

[@TheVampireAzriel]

I would wager half of English isn't English

[@tonis204]

My thoughts EXACTLY. Thank you.

[@ericborczuk135]

A lot of the words in this video come from French (antique, boutique, facade, echelon) - Americans like me can't say anything right :P

[@Annie-mz9ve]

@@tonis204 60% of English comes from French they say ;)

[@reneerosie]

I was born in the US, raised in the UK & I have never heard/seen this word before. I had to look up it’s meaning. Thought it sounded French though so thanks for this clarification!

[@peterzavon3012]

The word that got me was "debris." I had heard it pronounced and understood what debris (pronounced "debbree") was by the time I was 10, but then I read the word "debris" in a book, recognized what it meant from the context, but thought it was pronounced "deb-ris". It was perhaps 5 years later before I understood that I was not dealing with two words that had the same or similar meanings, but with one word spelled "oddly."

[@mb-bc9qs]

Dude English is my first and only language but you got me wanting a pronunciation video for advanced English words

[@johndair2116]

In British countries schedule is pronounced like "shedule", American say "skedule" In British countries, the word buoy is pronounced as "boy", the U is silent, Americans say, "booey"

[@davidwebley6186]

A lot of words in the English language come from Latin via French and in British English we retain some of those elements in the pronunciation . Another typical example is Niche which we English pronounce like Neesh where as in the US it is usually pronounced Nitch although again I often hear many in the US confused around its pronunciation. I think a lot of words coming via French seem to cause those in the US confusion in their own tongue.

[@glcnornes3783]

I’m from N.Ire and we say ‘skedule’

[@carynschmidt5061]

Never have said nitch. That pronunciation is anathema. My mother is from the British West Indies and pronounces all the other words as you have indicated. I suppose Americans pronounce Buoy as they do to auditorily distinguish it from boy

[@jeremystanger1711]

@Jon M everyone I know (apart from a select few) pronounces it skedule, but everyone I know is wrong.

[@karenwadwell6007]

Where did you learn how to pronounce schedule? At school? Or at shool?

[@amaizel]

Schedule with the "k" phoneme is not the only correct pronunciation, it is actually in a way just "accepted". The most corrected one would be as the British do with the "sch" phoneme, as it was originally a French word. Also, açaí cannot really be said to be an American word as well, it is actually tupi-guarani adapted to Portuguese, so it is easy to understand why it is mispronounced, it basically is a foreign word for native speakers.

[@t.castro4493]

I'm Brazilian and foreigners can never say "açaí" properly because they don't know that the "ç" has an 'S' sound and that the accent on the I changes the pronunciation :P Portuguese is a difficult language for everyone, but especially English speakers... The name 'João' is confusing even to those who know another Romance language.

[@ls2tackanka2sl28]

I don’t know if I’d say “originally a French word,” the origin of our pronunciation of it, sure, but I would’ve went with late Latin as an origin

[@Amy_Dunn]

@@t.castro4493 I had a similar problem with ß is German, turns out its just an S sound with just a little longer stress to it.

[@OCC_Plumbing_and_Restorations]

I've heard people pronounce "schedule" as "shkedule"

[@t.castro4493]

@@Amy_Dunn Yup, back when I was a child I thought it was a "B". The "Ä" still confuses me, though.

[@neobirb8597]

Dictionary: it's pronounced ah-sigh-ee Rachael: Wrong! It's ah-sigh-ee