9 Words Americans Pronounce Wrong | Words Americans Mispronounce

[@rachelsenglish]

Looking for the BEST way to improve your spoken English? 💥💥💥 www.RachelsEnglishAcademy.com 💥💥💥

[@HypocrisyLaidBare]

Rachel as a Brit you say @12:13 "British English", There is no such accent or language as British English. British has two identities those being Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales (including islands)) or the British Isles (which further includes Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). So British English as you remark upon would include Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and English. All have their languages and English is not their first language in many cases. So it cannot be British English, only English. Which is differentiated from other forms of English prefaced with identifiers such as "American", "Australian", "Canadian", etc. English without a preface identifier is automatically going to be England English. Would you do this with French? There is Metropolitan (AKA Standard) French, Belgian French, Swiss French, Aostan French (Italian French), Canadian French (which has two styles further dividing it, Acadian and Quebec French), Levantine French (Lebanese French). The list goes on. They are not speaking Franco-French. Americans always make this mistake and love teaching the world and so teach this mistake to others. It is English unless it is referring to any place, not in Britain then it's "insert country" English. Eg American English.

[@andrewgraves4026]

Mispronunciation suggests they learned the word by reading. Applaud readers, don’t shame them!

[@euniceatieno6247]

I am from Kenya, but also lived in England for a little while. A lot of the time, I find myself unsure of the correct pronunciation. When in doubt, I as Siri , my iPhone tutor. It works for me

[@cisium1184]

@@tobleroonie5043 "Nope. If they like to read, then they can read the dictionary's IPA pronunciation guide that goes with the word." This is like saying, "you like to eat, so you can eat broccoli." Ludicrous. People enjoy reading because they read what they enjoy. Don't be the schoolmarm who sucks the fun out of life.

[@gaildoughty6799]

@@tobleroonie5043 Your response is just a bit harsh.

[@johnmeyer2072]

I gave a "thumbs up"...but it's still wrong. LOL

[@giacomopeters9988]

She describes how she mispronounced the word gerund. She includes herself in the group that mispronounces words. That is called empathy. Where does she shame others? Btw, mispronouncing words whether in our own language or a foreign language is to be expected. It is part of the learning process. I do wonder how she graduated with a degree in English and was unfamiliar with its pronunciation, but then again, our English programs focus more on literature than linguistics. children learn more about how the language is used before entering school than in school. School focuses on spelling, mechanics, and punctuation.

[@crc7548]

One that drives me mental is when people say 'axe' instead of 'ask'. He axed me to stop at the store. How hard is it to say 'He asked me to stop at the store'?

[@insertclevernamehere2506]

That happens because is pronounced that way in AAE. A lot of common US spoken language is now being influenced by AAE, probably due to social media.

[@kasnarfburns210]

@@insertclevernamehere2506 Interesting acronym AAE.....LOL....I was once asked about that. I might say "ask" is often pronounced like "axe" in certain vernaculars.

[@njari2]

Axe has existed as long as ask. It was used in the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. Its an old English word as a matter of fact.

[@user-gv1nk8cq3d]

You have one hell of a tough friend if he was axed at a store and survived lmao

[@gaynormainwaring1853]

Oh, I hate that too!

[@Bogie6588]

I once heard a man say "old tomato" when he meant "ultimatum". LOL!!

[@Mina56]

😂 gave me chuckle.

[@carolyng5133]

😂😂😂

[@JoBrill07]

That's awesome.

[@just_passing_time]

That's right up there with the guy that said he couldn't mustard the courage! LOL

[@hydrolito]

@@just_passing_time Muster courage and mustard is often on hamburgers and hot dogs. Three musketeers are often seen with swords when they should have muskets.

[@valkyrie1066]

I have read far more books than I've spent time conversing with people. I bet I have tons of them. (words I know but can't pronounce)

[@hydrolito]

I started reading far more books than I completely read.

[@2002monsoleil]

As an English major in a non-English-speaking country, I learned all this as a freshman at 16 40 years ago. But you definitely make one AMAZING English teacher, the kind I wish I could have had when I was young. Extraordinary vocal quality! You are one of the best there is.

[@rachelsenglish]

Wow, thank you very much!

[@iainsan]

As a British English speaker, I've always pronounced eschew as es-SHOO. It's a Germanic word so the 'sch' would have been pronounced 'shh'. It came into English from French, which isn't known for guttural sounds like 'ch' - they always pronounce them as 'sh' as in Champagne.

[@williamdargelas5585]

I have the verb "échouer" , to fail , that helps from French /mother tongue vs. English. For the rest of your reasoning , as a child i didn't mind to use the term ' tchouc-tchouc' to evoke locomotives ...Onomatopeia . Or people born in Prague are tchèques , in 1986 we learnt how to pronounce "Tchernobyl" along with cancer de la thyroïde ; English makes it sound 'hsayhrouid' , Germans say 'Schilddrüse' , listen on google translate : vous avez raison c'est guttural , cela vient du gosier !

[@danielahoti4109]

@@williamdargelas5585 People born in Prague (like me) are Czechs. We have an easy pronunciation of this, because we have "c" with acsòn, in Czech called " HACEK".

[@BahKnee]

I started to panic until she said it that way. I was like oh my gawd I've been doing it wrong all this time! Now I know... apparently, there's no wrong way to eat this Reese's.

[@johnleake5657]

Trouble is that it didn't come to English from modern French but from Anglo-Norman, so /esˈtʃuː/ is indeed the correct historical pronunciation (in the original Germanic word, sch was a double sound, as it still is in Dutch /sχ/). But sounds change, and like you I too say /eˈʃuː/ in my own British English pronunciation.

[@kasnarfburns210]

I pronounce that word like "es-skew".

[@bharthidhagonwanithkungwan8059]

I do admire your sincerity and carefree attitude in sharing your story. you are an ideal teacher.

[@dans.8198]

Both the Italian word “espresso” and the English word “expressed” come from the Latin verb “exprimere” (meaning: to press out). Most “x” sounds were lost in Italian, replaced by an easier and faster “s”.

[@user-nt6fy2jr3u]

As a non-coffee drinker, I didn’t realize it was eSpresso until a few years ago. I always thought it was eXpresso because the cup was small and you could quickly drink the coffee by taking it like a shot, and therefore “eXpresso (express)”.

[@dans.8198]

@@user-nt6fy2jr3u In that sense, some dictionaries explain the “espresso” word for coffee as: quickly prepared for a customer who has requested it. Note that the original Latin word is the same. Originally meaning “press out” and then used also to mean “explicitly and quickly made for someone”. Both are true for the Italian espresso! Hope I have expressed this clearly ;-)

[@johnleake5657]

Some dictionaries - the Zanichelli for one - derive espresso from the English express, a word trending across late ninteenth century Europe. So not very surprising if it picks the lost /k/ up again as it wanders into French (un café express) and English (an expresso)

[@phoebus007]

Although loose is most commonly used as an adjective, it is also a verb meaning to set free or shoot, as in "to loose an arrow". Its past tense is "loosed".

[@maryfusoni3151]

I heard a professional woman in a radio interview pronounce "novice" with a long "o"- no-viss. I've never heard anyone use this pronunciation, and she said it several times. Great video, by the way!

[@kasnarfburns210]

Are you sure that's not a British pronunciation?

[@PrinceMontrey]

You and your friend’s laughter is contagious! Thanks for the candid reference to go along with the story!

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome and thanks for watching Montrey!

[@margaretwells7010]

A friend of my hubby in middle school mispronounced "legume" as "legoomie". It was his nickname from there on out, to this day :P

[@suzukiterminator]

Legoomie so funny

[@tacxcat]

That's how it's pronounced in portuguese

[@AndreKaram1353]

The best teacher ever!! Congrats.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thank you!

[@GuardianMB]

Tu es um chavequeiro de primeira hein!? ;-)

[@AndreKaram1353]

@@GuardianMB kkkkk equivoco seu amigo... interesse nenhum nessa moça do video. Apenas valorizo um trabalho bem feito e vc deveria fazer o msm....

[@GuardianMB]

@@AndreKaram1353 relaxa Dr., de boa... Ela eh uma boa professora sim, nao resta duvidas. Eu por um acaso cai no youtube dela. Eu sinceramente nao preciso, eu ja vivo ha 30 anos aqui. Mas ela eh muito boa professora.

[@AndreKaram1353]

@@GuardianMB Rsrs!! Maravilha!! Que Deus abencoe vc e familia! 🙏 Estou de mudança para os EUA, por isso estou intensificando os estudos! Abracao!

[@bernardodaniel8873]

Hi there! I am an non-native, I fond it out that I was also the one who mispronounced those words. Some dictionaries can show very different pronunciations. Therefore, I mispronounce them, I am in a muddle. thanks for that teacher. God bless you

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Bernardo!

[@UyenNguyen-fv4sc]

@@rachelsenglish We would like to have a translation into Vietnamese . Thanks

[@DoggieFosters]

Wow! I was not expecting to be surprised by any of these, but the varied dictionary pronunciations for eschew got me. I've honestly never heard anyone saying it in the US with a "t" sound. Fascinating.

[@DoggieFosters]

Oops. Should have waited to the end. All my Latin training and med/legal New Latin exposure make me pronounce "nauseous" in what you termed "the VERY British" way. Nausea, nauseae, nausea, nauseam, nausea.🤣

[@Erehtolleh1]

I was corrected by a doctor who told us that we should not say " the patient feels nauseous", we should say "the patient feels nauseated", instead.

[@sonjafarnsworth6208]

A note of appreciation for this video... I realize from your explanation of what influenced your mispronunciation of gerund is that my mispronunciation of the author "Camus" (which I wrongly pronounced "Kay-muss" when I was in college) was influenced by my years of studying Latin. In Latin, the "us" ending is common for adjectives--(e.g., "incorruptus" meaning genuine or pure and some nouns, such as "maritus" for husband). It was good to understand what happened...so thank you!

[@francoiseluzy360]

In French, "chic" has two meanings. The first is how you explained it in your video. The second is knowing how to talk about a very nice person, who likes to help someone else, for example. And thank you for your videos.

[@michaelsanterre4208]

Que veut-dire chic alors?

[@francoiseluzy360]

@@michaelsanterre4208 we say "chic alors !" or "chic chic !" when we learn a good news, when we are happy about something. We could replace by "super !"

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing!

[@abdelkaderbahallah4072]

Hi dear francoise is it possible to make friends

[@Sarah-ew2pp]

Merci @Françoise Luzy!

[@garpko4623]

With regard to phrases I often hear native speakers say” I could care less” rather then “I couldn’t care less”. I used to mispronounce tribunal, analysis, dessert and albeit ( to name just a few). Once I was in a grocery store in Canada and asked the retail person where the desert was. He finally figured out what I meant [I meant dessert]. I was very embarrassed! 😂🤓

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Garp!

[@FrankNStein-mr1mp]

Luckily they didn't say Saudi Arabia:-)

[@geeache1891]

Espresso is Italian, and in Italian words containing the Latin "ex" have 'degraded' to es, conversely English words originating from French.

[@treebirds536]

Hi Rachel ! You are teaching english with accuracy, so my thanks to you is untold !

[@arturazevedodifusaoespirita]

This is by far the best channel to learn and improve your English!

[@rachelsenglish]

Awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@michaelsanterre4208]

@@rachelsenglish I know this is none of my business. And you're certainly gonna think that I should mind my business but wouldn't it be a bad idea to bring back Tom in one of your YT video?

[@michaelsanterre4208]

my own business...

[@dailyneedstore2156]

Miss Rachel's English works in real life because her videos are overwhelming and her videos are motivational. She is English motivational speaker 🔊 👏 🙌 😀 👌 😄.

[@rachelsenglish]

Wow, thank you!

[@josephraj9235]

Yes, we learn from mistakes. Thank you Rachel.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome Joseph!

[@evgenydudiakov7302]

For the English learners I would recommend that when you do the reading read it OUT LOUD as much as you can. As you stumble on some words you will immediately hear/see the words you are not sure about and where you need to improve.

[@cheryljackson5659]

I hear the following words frequently mispronounced: Mischievous - mis-chee-vee-ous; Frustrated - fus-stray-ted; Ask - ax; Hover - hoover; and Voila - woll-ah

[@mottahead6464]

Gueroond? Really? It's amazing to me how ,with one single mispronounced word, you made me feel way better about my struggles when it comes to expressing myself in English.

[@leewest356]

I believe that mispronunciation often results from learning a new word through reading. If you’ve never heard the word spoken, perhaps you’re simply giving it your best shot. It happened to me years ago with the word “plethora” which I had seen in print many times, but never had never heard spoken. I placed the accent on the second syllable and was rewarded with laughter. Not the nicest way to correct a person’s mistake.

[@lldffrank]

Hi Rachel, I was wondering if the example you gave, “ I feel nauseous” should not be replaced with the following sentence, “ I feel nauseated “ instead. I was taught that something nauseous can cause nausea.

[@rachelsenglish]

Hi! In casual settings it's acceptable to use either word to mean "feeling ill" here. However, in a more formal setting, like writing a paper, you would want to use the words as you suggest!

[@solowinterwolf]

Two words Americans say wrongly: 1. "Nuclear," and 2. "Arctic." They are both pronounced phonetically, as written, but many people say "nucular" and "artic." These are mispronunciations, no two ways about it.

[@99katkins]

You're right about nuclear. As for arctic, either is fine (according to the dictionaries I've consulted). There may even be a stronger case for not pronouncing the first 'c' if you look into the etymology. I don't pronounce it, and I've spent most of my life in Alaska.

[@horsemeattball]

@@99katkins those examples you named are really upsetting to the ear. I also believe people should be corrected when they say "axed" when they mean "asked".

[@miriamhausman2287]

Everyone should be watching Rachel. Going to continue watching, learning so much.

[@ronaldgarrison8478]

"Nauseous" is one of those words that is just best to avoid entirely. Use "nauseated" or "nauseating" as the situation requires. BTW nice top.

[@patriciakeats1621]

Agreed. Personally, I don’t like the word nauseous. I have never used it naturally. Most I the time I would say “stomach sick” or nauseated.

[@landyandy270]

Nauseous. The American pronunciation makes me just that 😂.

[@JimMonsanto]

@@landyandy270 Agreed. the zh pronunciation feels much more correct to me, but the zee pronunciation sounds fine, too. The sh pronunciation sounds uneducated. Especially in the face of nausea, which does have a zh.

[@chazm3]

It doesn’t have to be an either-or decision. You can more or less vocalize the consonant in question. And that is why both pronunciations are acceptable.

[@ronaldgarrison8478]

@@chazm3 Why are you saying this to me? My comment had nothing to do with the pronunciation of anything. I said I prefer to avoid "nauseous" in favor of more specific altenratives.

[@melflo4651]

She is such a proper teacher.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks Mel!

[@h.m.5724]

Simple ones that came to mind are: ask, route and the newest being street which is now mispronounced as shreet. Example I was playing Shreet Fighter game last week.

[@kasnarfburns210]

Really? "Shreet"?? This is the first I'm hearing that.

[@aarmenar2358]

You have just become my speech therapist. Thank you!

[@User20E24]

Hello Rachel, first, I want to thank you and applaud you for these incredible videos. I don't see anyone like you and you're a unique teacher. I'm looking forward to see more video especially like this one.

[@paulodamiaosobreira4139]

To seeING more ....

[@MF-vl8sq]

@@paulodamiaosobreira4139 You're right. It has to be a "gerund". : )

[@gattateo]

Many American mispronounce "mischievous." Instead of `mischievous, they say, mis`chivious. I love the lightheartedness of this video, and also how you added the media clips, and the idiom, "to live something down."

[@AdamLeite]

I'm an ESL teacher, and a lot of my American colleagues often mispronounce words like "superlative" and "amenable". When I repeat with the correct pronunciation, they just say "yeah." But I notice they think I am wrong, but they are nice enough not to correct me.

[@AdamLeite]

@Frances It is hard to make that change. Especially when people keep correcting you to say a-mean-able.

[@themusespeakstome4467]

I have mispronounced "contract" with the verb meaning that requires stress on the second syllable. In addition, I have to really focus to hit the right stress on "intermittent". Also, the vowel distinctions in these words are not natural for me: "beer" vs "bear" and "fear" vs "fair". One of my linguistics grad mates teased me when I told her "I passed by a fair on my way to class." because I pronounced "fair" like "fear".

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing!

[@brunopinheiro5456]

My native language is portuguese when I started learning English, I often mispronounced the word vegetable as /vɛ dʒə 'teɪ bəl/ as a four-syllable word with the stress on the wrong syllabe and pronouncing the letter a as /eɪ/ due to the word table. Now I know It's pronounced /'vɛdʒ tə bəl/ . Stress on the first syllable and the letter a pronounced as the Schwa /ə/ Just like in the beggining of the word agree.

[@patrickmoreth2174]

A classic for Brazilians 😅

[@nobradors]

@@patrickmoreth2174 And french people

[@robertmeyer7836]

Thank you, Rachel! So few today seem to pay attention to pronunciation. I'm 83 and am so very grateful for a strong educational system that realized the importance of pronunciation. That doesn't mean I don't err from time to time, but, if I am aware of it, I research it and try to never make that mistake again. However, I still have trouble with "despicable". I can't seem to wrap my mouth around emphasis on the first syllable. I say it incorrectly.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome and thanks for sharing Robert!

[@annamoure8998]

“VALET”: the correct pronunciation is [‘vælit], with “t”. The commonly used versions [‘vælei/,væ’lei] are wrong. Etymology is English, not French. The word “valet” stems from Middle English “vadlet, varlet”, going back to Gallo-Roman “vassellittus”, diminutive of “vasselus”, diminutive of early Medieval Latin “vassus” (servant, vassal).

[@rj-jl5nv]

"Valet" IS of French origin. We had valets in France even before the Norman conquest in 1066 when French came into contact with English culture. This is how most if not all the French words got assimilated in the English language. Or actually WHEN the whole process of it started.

[@rj-jl5nv]

@@tobleroonie5043 i was speaking of etymology. 2 different occupations today, but one single origin of the word. The point was whether the word was of French or of English origin.

[@kevinanderson8118]

My wife and I chide each other about the pronunciation of "Herculean". Great job here Rachel!

[@adityasakkamahindra1232]

In my country (non-english speaker) we sometimes speak English to each other, we speak broken English with many incorrect grammar. But amazingly we understand each other 😃😙

[@Mary-S11]

🤣😂 Good one 👏

[@bracket0398]

Sidenote, 'many grammar' is a weird way to use many. 'Many people', 'many things', or 'many incorrect grammar mistakes' would work. Many is for quantity, so you can use 'things' just fine but not 'thing' because it is singular. 'Terrible incorrect grammar', 'too much incorrect grammar', or just 'incorrect grammar' would work just gravy. American English is a weird, weird language in that sense, and we steal a ton of other language vocabulary as well!

[@adityasakkamahindra1232]

@@bracket0398 thank for your advice 😘

[@bracket0398]

@@adityasakkamahindra1232 you got it, glad it kinda helps! I'm not as good as teacher up top, but ask away if you need help with any other English things. I'm always down to enlighten when able.

[@mwang03]

Thank you Rachel for the great work. I found your channel a week ago and my listening and speaking skills have improved. Wish I could have found you 10 years ago.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome and thanks for watching @mwang03!

[@wennesmota3860]

This kind of lessons and tips motivate us even more. Thanks for being such an incredible teacher. ❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome and thanks for watching Wennes!

[@nacciomart4586]

Hi Rachel, how are you? I don't feel embarrassed by mispronouncing a word in English, I'm learning and I will mispronounce many words many times until I master them. If I don't know how to pronounce a word, I ask someone. From experience, it is interesting that native English speakers in general are so respectful to someone who is trying to communicate with them but this does not happen with the people whos speak your native language and are more advanced or speak English very well, no all but some of them try to embarrass you every time you make a mistake. Thank you Rachel. You are the best.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome and thanks for sharing Naccio!

[@craigbuzan]

A word that has become majority mispronounced, even by major news media, is “potable”, meaning safe to drink. Correct pronunciation is long “o”... it’s becoming very common (and wrong) to say “pot - able”.

[@williamrodriguez169]

Oh wow, that's a new one for me. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

[@kasnarfburns210]

I only became familiar with that word when my family moved to the Caribbean. Collection and conservation of water is paramount there -- as it should be EVERYWHERE.

[@chrissakul-thongbai8238]

Thank you. A great lesson. I love your point about mispronouncing a word because you only have seen it written and not heard it. I'm not a teacher but am helping many Thai people with their English. Most Thais mispronounce words because they learn by reading or hear it said by Thai teachers who often are not all that good at English themselves. Also, they never (or rarely) get to hear native speakers say these words or get to use them in real conversation as a daily practice. Also, most Thais are too scared to speak English for fear of making mistakes, thus lessen their opportunities to speak aloud, and learn to pronounce words. Cheers.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Chris!

[@timothydoyle3951]

A perfect opportunity at the end to address another issue: people more frequently than not use the word "nauseous" to mean "nauseating", as in "the odor was nauseous".

[@itsjustme4848]

@Randy Miranda I eschew obfuscation.

[@AbdoAli-lu1bb]

People of varies cultures suffer from the same problem. I'm a big fan of you, Rachel. Keep going.

[@rachelsenglish]

Will do, thank you!

[@Mari443Garrett1]

I've never heard of GERUND either until I came across some Filipinos teaching other Asians English (Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, they go to the Philippines to learn English). Even in elementary and high school English grammar class, I don't remember GERUND word.

[@shawnjones4527]

Really? I learnt the meaning of gerund in High School English class, although some of my friends that I went to grammar school with said that they learnt during that time. I don't remember.

[@HJ-di1bo]

Gerunds were taught during elementary school.

[@cestmagnifique7932]

Who else loves when someone mentions the derivation or etymology of a word? Like she did with gerund < general 👌🏽

[@MelanaC]

I struggle with Hyperbole..... I used to pronounce it hyper-bowl.....! It was my daughter who taught me hi-per-bow-lee 🤦🏻‍♀️ Also I love that you used ‘you suck at cooking’ for an example of correct espresso pronunciation! Very nice!

[@ervinnevesrodrigues818]

That's what renders English a fascinating challenge.

[@zzt5282]

In U.S pop songs, I've seen so many times singers misprounce the words; loose & lose! 😅 Thank you, Rachel, for another useful video 💜

[@mildredreyese]

Yep. It's part of the new generations. Just check out text messages. This new "language" could not help learning "good English"

[@maggiebaxter5095]

@@mildredreyese 1111111111¹

[@MJODellDC]

In 9th grade English class, I was presenting an oral report on Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens). When I talked about an award he had been bestowed upon him after his death, I said he had received it "post-humorously," mispronouncing posthumously. I am 70+ years old and I can STILL see and hear my English teacher laughing and telling me what the correct pronunciation was, but she said in this particular instance, my pronunciation was prefect given it was for Twain.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thank you very much for sharing Mike!

[@Franciscoluche]

4:00 🎼 Le freak, c'est chic !!! ☺️ 🎶

[@rap3208]

I noticed this right away as soon as I got here in the US. Lots of people pronounce "ask' as "ax".

[@h.m.5724]

How about the ridiculous confusion of "then" and "than", can someone please tell how this happened

[@PrincessofKeys]

I mean I'm also confused to which one I should use sometimes I have to just think about it if it makes sense.....I don't know how to explain it myself

[@pettylabelle7944]

Because at least in American English those two words are pronounced exactly the same, so people often confuse them when in a hurry. Or some have never learned the difference in the first place

[@pettylabelle7944]

@@PrincessofKeys “than” is used when you compare two things. (Example: this is better *than* that.) “Then” is used to talk about time. (Example: first I did this. *Then* I did that.)

[@lindamasson3094]

Then and than should not be pronounced the same. It's laziness in speaking that causes people to do so.

[@h.m.5724]

@@lindamasson3094 Exactly! Thank you. I grew up in a country where people rarely speak English but never have I encountered anyone who gets confused with those words.

[@annexton3795]

Such interesting comments! In South Africa we get 'vul NARRA bull', 'perry-ferry' (periphery) and 'Archie pelargo' (archipelago). An interesting usage is to say 'He is late', meaning 'he has passed away' which can lead to some misunderstanding!

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Ann!

[@Amelia_H-A]

For awhile my girlfriend pronounced "steppe" like "steppy". I thought she was joking, but we had a good laugh once I realized she thought it was really said that way. Major props to anyone learning English as a second language, the rules are all over the place

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Amelia!

[@hydrolito]

That's because most of the words did not come from English speakers.

[@Dalupin702]

I once pronounced tulle (too-lee) later to be corrected by my practicum teacher that it was (tool). Never forgotten it! 😆

[@dinosaurbiscuit7285]

One day I was talking about the song, Cheap Thrills. I pronounced Cheap Trills. My friends' face was looking wired at me.

[@tardismole]

I have a similar story to your gerund (a word I had never heard of before). When I was at school, the teacher was showing us a map of the USA, with the States all named. She got to Arkansas and said it exactly how it was spelled. Ar-kan-sas. It wasn't until I went to the USA years later that I discovered how it was actually said. Ar-kan-saw. So, this list can work both ways. Great video.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Tardis!

[@DG-mv6zw]

English words that Americans mispronounce: You're gonna need a much longer video! 😃

[@dreiss]

Americans are the majority of English speakers around the world. If Americans are consistently pronouncing the words a way different from others, than it's the Americans who are right and everyone else who is wrong. Which is why nobody speaks Old English or Anglo-Saxon anymore. The correct way to speak is the way the majority speaks. Anyone who claims otherwise is wrong. Language is literally a dictatorship of the majority. You stop speaking that language when you refuse to cooperate. Therefore you aren't speaking English. Your opinion doesn't matter.

[@mynyddmawr5351]

@@dreiss No, English is defined by the language as spoken in England. That is not to say that American English is incorrect as American English, but that it is less correct as simply English than English as spoken by the English in England.

[@PrometheanRising]

I have bad news for you. Our friendians are going to eat all of our lunch.

[@yourgodisevilandsoareyou1590]

@@dreiss Americans can't understand the difference between they're, there and their. Your opinion is invalid.

[@pratapp]

@@dreiss Not sure what drugs you're on. There are about 1.35 billion English speakers around the world. The population of the USA (the rest of the world use International English which is a derivative of UK English) is 328 million, which makes it about 24% of the English speakers of the world. So even if we ignore the incorrect nature of your "majority rules" argument - which is wrong anyway - your original premise is also wrong.

[@마부작침-p3p]

Similarly enough to the case of 'loose and lose', i hear many Koreans, even English teachers, tutors, coaches and many more, oftentimes mispronounce the word, 'basic[beisic]' as /beizik/. Please let them know what is supposed be correctly pronounced, ma'am. All in all, not to mention your great pointers in this video, i always appreciate your inexplicably wonderful lectures from the bottom of my heart.

[@seafong]

I find the American pronunciation of "route" jarring as I'm more used to the British one that sounds close to "root". Just my preference.

[@PeterPaul175]

Some Americans pronounce route to rhyme with shoot, and some Brits pronounce it to rhyme with bout.

[@PrometheanRising]

There is a country song with the lyric "I was raised off of route route 3..." featuring both pronunciations because both are widely used in American English.

[@angelaburrow8114]

@@PeterPaul175 I'm British, living in the UK I've never heard anyone pronounce it to rhyme with bout over here. Where have you heard it? 🙂

[@PeterPaul175]

@@angelaburrow8114 Thirty years ago, I think it would have just been British computerspeak, but the pronunciation has migrated. I now hear it used elsewhere by British native speakers, and not always technically.

[@benevolentconcepts]

I am American and I say “root” for ‘route.’ 🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️ Who are you hanging out with?

[@roelbernal2195]

In the Philippines, I commonly hear tv reporters or radio hosts pronounce "simulation" as "sah-ee-myu-lei-shun"

[@Brett.Simpson]

McLoud is often pronounced "Mah Cloud" where I live.

[@evsabby]

FOYER: which is a word taken from French meaning an entry hallway, vestibule or lobby. Too many Americans say "Foy'-ur" when it should be pronounced "foy′ā″.

[@drippyinfinities]

Unfortunately I think foy-er has become acceptable in American English.

[@thomasdwyer6128]

Having lived in the NYC Metro area most of my life, much of it on Long Island, we have a lot of mispronounced words that are just part of the local color. My mother was originally from Brooklyn and grew up in Queens. The "th" blend often sounded like an "f". So, the name Cathy would come out as "Caffey". My Grandfather was raised in lower Manhattan and his language was classic. "Work" was pronounced "woik" but, "toilet" was pronounced "terlit". Being a Long Islander I have been caught pronouncing our home Island as Longk Guyland. When in a business environment, I clean up my accent as much as possible and not to use the local verbiage. There is one word that is mispronounced regularly that drives me nuts. That is "supposedly". 'Have been at public forums, school board meetings, township meetings and the like. When my ear catches somebody say "suppose-ably" , I just cringe!

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Thomas!

[@eddycuevas5130]

Another awesome job, thank you so much. Watching a movie I heard someone asking herself "What do I done?" I was thinking I wrongly heard so I activated the CC and in fact that was what she said

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome and thanks for sharing Eddy!

[@bracket0398]

Watch those CCs! Sometimes they're just way off for what the speaker actually said.

[@ParkinT]

The 'escape' and 'espresso' brings to mind the extremely common mispronunciation of ET CETERA. Not only is it pronounced "ex setra" but often the abbreviation is incorrect: ect rather than etc

[@lizbignell7813]

This drives me nuts too.

[@ParkinT]

@@lizbignell7813 Two others - not quite related to this discussion - that are "on my list" are these: Safety Deposit Box - it is a BOX that is enclosed THE SAFE into which you place DEPOSITS of valuables, which makes it a SAFE DEPOSIT BOX. I suspect that 'sound' of SAFE DEposit has caused this erroneous usage. Second is to see, in writing, the phrase "per se" spelled as "per say". And let's not get started on the OVERUSE of the apostrophe !!!!!!

[@lizbignell7813]

@Thom Parkin, oh yes, the dreaded grocers’ or grocer’s apostrophe, depending on the number of grocers…

[@ParkinT]

@@lizbignell7813 What annoys me even more - and I see this far too often - is in a Thrift Store, for example, I see signs for - Books - Records - CD's - DVD's

[@waynedombrowski7568]

There's a wonderful book all about the English language named "The Mother Tongue ". It mentions that 2 ways to say 'often' are listed in Webster's as correct. No one can agree as to whether the t is silent or not. Would that mean I can say 'fabric sof Ten er'? Hmm..

[@JohnRandomness105]

Wait a minute! Have I been pronouncing "eschew" wrong all this time? I've been saying, "E-shew" -- short e, sh sound. (One minute later.) Oh good, at least one dictionary has my pronunciation.

[@joecausey8508]

You've been saying "E-shew" all this time? Gesundheit!

[@JohnRandomness105]

@@joecausey8508 That would be "Eh-chew!"

[@PrometheanRising]

Eschew: a word of self-contained warning against it's own usage .

[@JimMonsanto]

At least one dictionary has THE CORRECT pronunciation, as do you.

[@nobradors]

Same here. I've always said "es-kew"

[@asherray4969]

I was looking for Eschew, thank you!

[@g.v.3493]

As I told the traveling cobbler: “I eschew your shoes, so SHOO!”🤓

[@heatherbubble]

A few of mine that were a result of always reading them growing up but never hearing or connecting what I heard to the spelling of the word include: hors d'oeuvre, homage, and the name Penelope.

[@martinstaylor]

'Nauseous', as seen (briefly) in the dictionary clip, means 'causing nausea' as in 'a nauseous smell', although many people have started using it to mean 'feeling nausea'. But one should be aware of the older meaning, which a lot of people regard as the only correct meaning.

[@davidjames3494]

What's the opposite of "Gerund"? For example, when a noun or a proper noun is verbalized: Like "I am [xeroxing] these papers" ?

[@rachelsenglish]

Great question! You can call that verbing - or many grammarians will call it: denominalization.

[@alenakoval9976]

Vocation vs vacation ... till a certain moment I even didn’t realize there are 2 different words!

[@RhapsodyHC]

Loss and lost are also confused in the same way loose and lose are.

[@pixied1028]

I know one a big pet peeve of mine ! She/they/ he don't know. I used to make my kids break down the contraction and re-say it. When they heard she do not know, I got the whatever look, of course, but they quickly began using doesn't instead of don't.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing!

[@davidlai1996]

I guess pop culture needs to get some credit?

[@itsjustme4848]

Speaking of breaking down....a wide misuse of grammar is, for example, “It was for he and I”. I hear professional speakers, professors, reporters and regular folks say this kind of thing probably more often than the correct use. But breaking it down, no one would say “It was for he.” or “It was for I.” I’m trying to give up caring because the misuse is so widely done now.

[@christopheroliver148]

The key issue with nauseous is not whether or not the middle consonant is voiced but that it is wrongly used as a synonym for nauseated. Poorly cooked food might be nauseous, but its victim is nauseated. The given example is perhaps correct in pronunciation; however it is incorrect in usage.

[@Pensées_depuis_mon_balcon]

The worst example is when I hear someone mispronounce "ask" as "axe", I always ridicule them by asking what they want to chop or cut down

[@zuzuspetals9281]

That’s a common mispronunciation in the South.

[@insertclevernamehere2506]

That happens because is pronounced that way in AAE. A lot of common US spoken language is now being influenced by AAE, probably due to social media.

[@jessicaramer6630]

What great teaching. Thanks for making this video and using your own mistake to make us feel more comfortable.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're so welcome Jessica!

[@chathamcrescent]

“Epitome” is commonly mispronounced, which I feel embarrassed for the speaker when they do so!

[@mushroomstone]

I still remember the moment my 17 yr old self was corrected on that word!

[@constantTVstatic]

It took me forever to realize that epitome (ep•it•oh•mee) was the same as the word I'd pronounced as eh•pih•tone for ages after reading it in a book haha

[@sheanailor704]

Excellent! English fascinates me and was always my favorite subject. I learned something today (and I am a health professional). I've always pronounced nausea as: nau-zee-ah. Duh!! Thanks for the lesson.

[@augustobonalumi]

Sometimes I confuse these three sounds for the "i" vowel: /ɪ/ˌ /i/ and /ai/ sorry but only 5 Spanish vowel sounds against +12 English vowel sounds make things a bit harder lol

[@kasnarfburns210]

Speaking Spanish ( to some extent), I find Spanish to be far more "phonetic" than English -- meaning it's less difficult to figure out how a Spanish word might be pronounced. Spanish seems to deviate far less from its rules on how it uses the alphabet.

[@dansanger5340]

My mistake was pronouncing impedance (opposition to flow of electricity) as IMpedance instead of imPEDance. The problem with pronouncing it as IMpedance is that it sounds like impotence, which is something totally different. It was embarrassing because I was an electronic hobbyist at the time. I had only ever seen it in writing. Regarding nauseous, I pronounce it as NAH-zee-us, and pronounce nausea as NAH-zee-uh. Dictionaries seem to say it's OK, and it's less confusing.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Dan!

[@kristymeoww]

Oh and how could I forget to mention library? When I hear "lie berry" I just cringe! Lol

[@indigotulip11]

I want to ask them “what kind of berry?”However I usually don’t (unless they’ve asked me to help them with their English).

[@pixied1028]

Always on my daughter in law says libary. Look at her say there is a r in libRary lol and in the Midwest I come across laundrymat, instead of laundromat lol. Many words change by where you are, but to keep one language, all should say them properly. With a normal education, there isn't a reason one cannot learn proper English. Many Americans like to be lazy, and also use a lot of slang, idioms, and other ways to really mess a foreigner trying to speak English up badly lol. How many people had an English teacher that wouldn't allow the word "ain't"? How many stood there waiting when ask "can I go to the bathroom", and the teacher gives you the you figure out what you said wrong look ?

[@itsjustme4848]

@@pixied1028 Pronunciation varies by region and I think we need to accept that. In some places “easy’ and “greasy” rhyme, in other places they don’t. I buy inSURance while others buy INsurance. When millions of people in a region pronounce a word the same way, who’s to say it’s incorrect? On the other hand, I agree that ignoring spelling and saying libary or Febuary is a bit lazy.

[@edwardsaulnier892]

I am from Canada, and the word 'nausea', I have always pronounced it "naw zee ah" with the stress accent of the first syllable. The word 'naus' means 'ship' as in Greek through Latin through French. Thus the idea of being 'seasick'.

[@imperfectst]

In one example sentence on buying shoes, you said "ordering two pair." Shouldn't you have said "ordering two pairs"?

[@noodle_fc]

Yes, grammatically the plural of "pair" is "pairs." For whatever reason, many native speakers omit the 's' when speaking of more than one pair. In casual contexts, either is fine. In less casual contexts or if you want to be scrupulously correct, use "pairs."

[@imperfectst]

@@noodle_fc Thanks for the clarification.

[@Chris-wj4ze]

This is subject to dialectical variation.

[@noodle_fc]

@@imperfectst I thought of something else that is pretty interesting. A hand of poker consisting of two sets of two similar cards is always referred to as "two pair," never "two pairs." Even someone who would otherwise refer to those cards as "two pairs" of cards would use "two pair" to name that particular hand when playing poker. I haven't the slightest idea why. It's just one of those things.

[@imperfectst]

@@noodle_fc Another example of dropping the "s": "He need to go."

[@justoloriga4647]

Thank you, Rachel

[@rachelsenglish]

My pleasure Justo!

[@casitamanhbolero]

Once, I was going to the shop to buy a bottle of Vinegar but when I was on the way, I could not remember how to call Vinegar in English. Getting there, I unexpectedly called it virgina. I said:" sell me a bottle of virgina, please". The seller was like " what the heck are you saying?". I realized that I did something wrong so ran away as fast as I could to hide my embarrassment. After that, I swear that I will never forget the word " Vinegar" and will never use the word " Virgina" anymore

[@kristinbrown6768]

I’m so sorry that happened. That person was not very nice. You should not feel embarrassed.

[@xavierrich5169]

@@kristinbrown6768 I mean, I would be confused too.

[@maryaigler7651]

Or just be descriptive! “That sour liquid from apples”

[@cigmorfil4101]

@@maryaigler7651 Isn't vinegar "wine that's gone off"?

[@nenettedy-liacco6972]

I usually hear several Americans pronounce mischievous as "MIS-CHI-VIUS" (last syllable sounds like "views"), but in the Philippines, we pronounce it as "MIS-CHI-VUS" since there is no "i" in "vous".

[@عبدالسلامالشهراني-ن8ف]

Thank you , you have been a great help.

[@rachelsenglish]

Glad to help!

[@TechieSewing]

It seems that everyone mispronounces "sewing" at first. I was sewing, and a part of English speaking sewing groups, and folowing sewing KZbin videos, for a few years before actual pronounciation cought my attention. I've been also babywearing in woven wraps for 6 years now (same with groups and videos) and thought there was an 'o' sound there until the last week! Also "height". And I only recently learned that "export" is read differently depending if it's a verb or a noun. Love your hair by the way!

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Marta!