Commonly Mispronounced Words
10/24/2026
By Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, licensed speech-language pathologist
Short answer: some of the most commonly mispronounced words in English are pronunciation, espresso, et cetera, nuclear, library and supposedly. Native speakers often add, drop or swap a sound in them. English learners tend to stumble on different words, usually ones with silent letters (debt, receipt, Wednesday) or an unexpected stressed syllable (determine).
Below are 40 commonly mispronounced words, split into two lists: 20 that trip up native speakers and 20 that trip up English learners. For each one, I show how Americans say it and the common mistake. Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. In natural American speech, a T between two vowels often becomes a quick, light Flap T, so subtle can sound like "SUH-dul."
Why Do People Mispronounce Words?
Most mispronunciations follow a few patterns:
- The spelling hides the sound. English has many silent letters, like the B in debt, the P in receipt, the S in island and the L in salmon.
- An extra sound sneaks in. Athlete becomes "ath-uh-leet," and espresso picks up an X.
- Two sounds swap places. Nuclear becomes "nu-kyuh-ler," and jewelry becomes "jew-luh-ree."
- The stress lands on the wrong syllable. In determine, the stress is on TER, not on the end.
- The word is borrowed. Words like genre, suite and cache came from French and kept a French-style pronunciation.
20 Words Native Speakers Often Mispronounce
| Word | Say it | Not |
|---|---|---|
| pronunciation | pruh-nun-see-AY-shun | pro-NOUN-see-ay-shun |
| espresso | eh-SPRES-oh | ex-PRES-oh |
| especially | ih-SPESH-uh-lee | ex-SPESH-uh-lee |
| et cetera | et SET-er-uh | ek SET-er-uh |
| library | LIE-brer-ee | LIE-ber-ee |
| nuclear | NOO-klee-er | NOO-kyuh-ler |
| supposedly | suh-POH-zid-lee | suh-POH-zuh-blee |
| mischievous | MIS-chuh-vus | mis-CHEE-vee-us |
| athlete | ATH-leet | ATH-uh-leet |
| jewelry | JOO-uhl-ree | JOO-luh-ree |
| realtor | REE-uhl-ter | REE-luh-ter |
| sherbet | SHER-bit | SHER-bert |
| prescription | prih-SKRIP-shun | per-SKRIP-shun |
| height | HITE | HITETH |
| asterisk | AS-tuh-risk | AS-tuh-rik |
| triathlon | try-ATH-lahn | try-ATH-uh-lahn |
| cache | KASH | kash-AY |
| specific | spuh-SIF-ik | puh-SIF-ik |
| epitome | ih-PIT-uh-mee | EP-ih-tome |
| hyperbole | hy-PER-buh-lee | HY-per-bowl |
A few of these deserve a closer look. Pronunciation is spelled with "nun," not "noun," even though the verb is pronounce. Supposedly comes from supposed, so there's a D in it, not a B. And in mischievous, there's no "ee" sound before the last syllable: it's three syllables, MIS-chuh-vus. If you've been saying any of these the other way, you're not alone. These are mistakes many native speakers make.
20 Words English Learners Often Mispronounce
| Word | Say it | Not |
|---|---|---|
| been | BIN | BEEN |
| schedule | SKEJ-ool | SHED-yool |
| recipe | RES-uh-pee | ree-SIPE |
| receipt | rih-SEET | rih-SEEPT |
| island | EYE-lund | IS-land |
| debt | DET | DEBT |
| subtle | SUH-tul | SUB-tul |
| salmon | SAM-un | SAL-mun |
| Wednesday | WENZ-day | WED-nes-day |
| suite | SWEET | SOOT |
| chaos | KAY-ahs | CHAY-os |
| Thailand | TIE-lund | THIGH-land |
| determine | dih-TER-min | dee-ter-MINE |
| genre | ZHAHN-ruh | JEN-ree |
| plateau | pla-TOH | PLAT-oh |
| nonchalant | nahn-shuh-LAHNT | NON-chuh-lant |
| ubiquitous | yoo-BIK-wih-tus | YOO-bih-kwih-tus |
| conscience | KAHN-shunss | kon-SY-ens |
| realm | RELM | REELM |
| parallel | PAIR-uh-lel | puh-RAL-el |
Many of these words have silent letters. Others have a stress pattern you can't guess from the spelling, like nonchalant and ubiquitous. And some are simply different from how they look. Been is a good example: in American English it usually rhymes with bin, not bean. Schedule starts with SK in American English. SHED-yool is the British pronunciation.
Watch me say these words up close and in slow motion: been, bean and being, schedule, plateau, nonchalant, conscience, ubiquitous and realm and parallel.
How to Stop Mispronouncing Words
- Listen before you say a new word. If you learned a word from reading, check how it sounds before you use it. Most online dictionaries have an audio button.
- Find the stressed syllable. It's longer, louder and higher in pitch than the others. Getting the stress right goes a long way, even if one sound isn't perfect yet.
- Don't trust the spelling. Watch for silent letters and for vowels that shrink to a schwa in unstressed syllables.
- Say it slowly, then at full speed. Break the word into syllables, then put it back together.
- Train your ear. Take my free 2-minute American English listening quiz to find the sounds you mix up.
- Follow a course. My free course, English Pro Lite, has 45 video lessons on vowels, consonants, stress and rhythm. In English Pro, I teach every sound and pattern step by step, and you can send me your recordings for feedback.
Looking for words that are hard to say, rather than easy to get wrong? See my guide to hard words to pronounce in English, or read about the American accent.
Common Questions
What are the 10 most mispronounced words?
Ten that show up on many lists: pronunciation, espresso, et cetera, nuclear, library, supposedly, mischievous, athlete, especially and jewelry.
Is it "supposably" or "supposedly"?
Supposedly, pronounced suh-POH-zid-lee. It comes from supposed. "Supposably" is a common mistake for it.
How do you pronounce "pronunciation"?
pruh-nun-see-AY-shun. The second syllable is "nun," not "noun," even though the verb is pronounce.
How do you pronounce "nuclear"?
NOO-klee-er. The "NOO-kyuh-ler" pronunciation is common, but many listeners hear it as a mistake.
Why do native speakers mispronounce words?
Often they learned the word from reading, not from hearing it, or they heard it said the wrong way so often that it sounded right. Some patterns, like adding a sound to athlete, also just feel easier to say.
Is it a big deal to mispronounce a word?
Usually not. People will still understand you. But a few words, like pronunciation and nuclear, are ones that listeners notice, so they're worth getting right, especially at work.