How to Pronounce Difficult English Words

English Pronunciation Is Ridiculous

Let’s just acknowledge the obvious – English pronunciation makes NO sense. We have words like “colonel” (sounds like kernel), “queue” (just say Q!), and “Wednesday” (where’d that D go?). It’s a mess.

But you know what? You CAN learn to pronounce these tricky words. It just takes some practice and a few good tricks.

The Really Hard Ones

1. Worcestershire

How people try to say it: Wor-ces-ter-shi-re
How to actually say it: WOOS-ter-shur

Yeah, most of those letters are just decoration apparently. British place names are wild.

2. Colonel

How it looks: Co-lo-nel
How to say it: KER-nel

This one’s from French, and English just decided to keep the weird spelling. Thanks, France.

3. Epitome

Wrong: Epi-tome
Right: ih-PIT-oh-mee

I read books for YEARS before I heard someone say this out loud. Felt pretty dumb.

4. Chipotle

Wrong: Chi-POL-tay, Chip-ot-el
Right: chih-POHT-lay

It’s Mexican, not French. The E at the end is pronounced!

5. Quinoa

Wrong: Quin-oh-uh
Right: KEEN-wah

This threw everyone off when it became trendy. Still does, honestly.

Silent Letter Nightmares

English LOVES silent letters. Here are some words where letters just… don’t work.

6. Pneumonia

Say it: new-MOH-nee-uh

That P is just there to confuse you. Ignore it.

7. Psychology

Say it: sigh-KOL-oh-jee

Silent P strikes again!

8. Knife

Say it: NIFE

The K gave up. It’s not even trying.

9. Receipt

Say it: reh-SEET

That P is taking a nap.

10. Salmon

Say it: SAM-un

The L is silent. Don’t say SAL-mon unless you want weird looks.

Words That Don’t Sound How They Look

11. Chaos

Wrong: Chow-os
Right: KAY-oss

It’s a K sound, not CH. English is chaotic like that.

12. Choir

Wrong: Choy-er
Right: KWIRE

Sounds like “require” without the “re.”

13. Debris

Wrong: Deb-ris
Right: deh-BREE

It’s French. The S is silent.

14. Albeit

Wrong: Al-bayt
Right: awl-BEE-it

Think “all be it” smooshed together.

15. Niche

US: NICH (like “rich”)
UK: NEESH (like “leash”)

Both are right! Depends where you are.

The TH Problem

English has TWO different TH sounds, and they’re both annoying if it’s not your first language.

16. This/That (voiced TH)

Your tongue touches your teeth and you hum. Your vocal cords vibrate.

17. Think/Thanks (voiceless TH)

Your tongue touches your teeth but no humming. Just air.

Tip: Put your hand on your throat. If you feel vibration, it’s voiced (this). If not, it’s voiceless (think).

Words With Weird Stress

Sometimes putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable makes you sound super wrong.

18. Caribbean

Say it: kuh-RIB-ee-un OR care-ib-BEE-un

Either works, but pick one and stick with it!

19. Adult

US usually: uh-DULT
Also fine: AD-ult

20. Advertisement

US: ad-ver-TIZE-ment
UK: ad-VER-tis-ment

Medical Words Nobody Can Say

21. Alzheimer’s

Say it: ALTS-high-merz

Not “old timers.” That’s wrong (and kind of mean).

22. Anesthesia

Say it: an-es-THEE-zhuh

23. Ophthalmologist

Say it: off-thuh-MOL-uh-jist

Good luck with this one. Even doctors mess it up.

Food Words That Trip People Up

24. Hors d’oeuvres

Say it: or-DERVZ

Just call them appetizers. Way easier.

25. Bruschetta

Wrong: Brew-SHET-uh
Right: broo-SKET-uh

The CH is a hard K sound in Italian.

26. Açai

Say it: ah-sigh-EE

That weird C with a tail means it’s an S sound.

Business/Tech Words

27. Cache

Say it: CASH

Not “catch” or “cachet” (that’s different).

28. Data

US usually: DAY-tuh
UK usually: DAH-tuh

Both work. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

29. Meme

Say it: MEEM

Rhymes with “dream,” not “me me.”

30. GIF

The eternal debate: JIF or GIF with a hard G?

The creator says “JIF” but most people say “GIF.” Just pick one and prepare to argue about it forever.

How to Actually Get Better

1. Listen to native speakers
YouTube, podcasts, movies – whatever. You need to HEAR these words, not just read them.

2. Use Google Translate
Type in a word and hit the speaker icon. Free pronunciation guide!

3. Record yourself
Yeah, it’s uncomfortable. But hearing yourself helps you catch mistakes.

4. Don’t stress about the accent
American, British, Australian – they’re all different. Pick one general style and go with it. Nobody expects perfection.

5. Ask people to correct you
Most people are too polite to correct pronunciation unless you specifically ask them to.

The Truth About Pronunciation

Here’s what nobody tells you: even native English speakers mispronounce words ALL THE TIME. We just fake confidence and keep going.

I literally learned I was saying “epitome” wrong when I was like 20. In a meeting. In front of my boss. It happens.

The goal isn’t to never make mistakes. The goal is to be understood. If people get what you’re saying, you’re doing fine.

One More Thing

Regional accents are a thing. How people say words in New York is different from Texas is different from California. And that’s not even counting the UK, Australia, India, etc.

So if someone tells you you’re pronouncing something “wrong,” maybe ask them where they’re from first. There’s usually more than one right way.

Just do your best, don’t be afraid to ask, and remember – English pronunciation is hard even for people who grew up speaking it. You’re doing great.