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Why is English pronunciation such a headache? Blame the imports. A thousand years of borrowing from Latin, French, Greek, Norse, Italian, Spanish, Nahuatl, and more has left us with spellings that rarely match the sounds coming out of our mouths. Add in roughly twenty vowel sounds squeezed into five vowel letters, and mistakes are almost guaranteed. The list below collects 100 words that routinely trip up speakers — native and learner alike — grouped by the specific trap each one sets. For every entry you get the accepted pronunciation, the version you should steer clear of, and a short note on why the word behaves the way it does.
Table of Contents
1. Letters You Don't Actually Say (1–20)
A surprising chunk of English words contains letters you're meant to ignore when speaking. They're leftovers from older pronunciations, scholarly meddling, or loanword conventions, and they catch out anyone trying to read a word aloud for the first time.
1. Colonel — Say: KUR-nuhl. Avoid: KOL-oh-nel. The spelling came from Italian (colonello) while the sound came from the French variant coronel, and the mismatch stuck.
2. Wednesday — Say: WENZ-day. Avoid: WED-nes-day. The day honors the god Woden, but that middle chunk has been mute in everyday speech for ages.
3. Subtle — Say: SUT-ul. Avoid: SUB-tul. The "b" arrived with the Latin subtilis via Old French and has been voiceless in English from day one.
4. Debt — Say: DET. Avoid: DEBT. Scholars slipped the "b" into the spelling to gesture at the Latin debitum, but English speakers never pronounced it.
5. Receipt — Say: rih-SEET. Avoid: reh-SEEP-t. That "p" is a ghost of the Latin receptum — written but unheard.
6. Salmon — Say: SAM-un. Avoid: SAL-mun. English picked up the word from Old French and left the "l" behind from the start.
7. Debris — Say: duh-BREE. Avoid: DEB-ris. French rules call for a silent final "s" and stress on the second syllable.
8. Corps — Say: KOR. Avoid: KORPS. The "ps" goes quiet in this French loan; "corpse" is a different word that does pronounce those consonants.
9. Rendezvous — Say: RON-day-voo. Avoid: REN-dez-vows. French pronunciation applies straight through this frequently-used borrowing.
10. Sword — Say: SORD. Avoid: S-WORD. Middle English speakers did sound the "w," but it dropped out centuries ago.
11. Comptroller — Say: kun-TROH-lur. Avoid: KOMP-troh-lur. The word is sounded identically to "controller" — the "mp" is a spelling quirk, not an instruction.
12. Victuals — Say: VIT-ulz. Avoid: VIK-choo-ulz. One of English's strangest mismatches between what you see and what you say.
13. Mischievous — Say: MIS-chuh-vus (three syllables). Avoid: mis-CHEE-vee-us (four syllables). That extra syllable is a near-universal slip-up.
14. Almond — Say: AH-mund, with a silent "l" in mainstream speech. Some regional accents do sound the "l," so both are heard in the wild.
15. Albeit — Say: awl-BEE-it. Avoid: ALL-bite. It's literally a squeezed "all be it," with three syllables and stress on the middle one.
16. Clothes — Say: KLOHZ. Avoid: KLOH-thiz. Natural speech collapses it into a single syllable that sounds just like "close."
17. Often — Say: OFF-un — or OFF-ten. Both are accepted; the silent-"t" version has the longer history.
18. Herb — Say: URB in American English, HURB in British. Americans follow the original French by skipping the "h."
19. Mortgage — Say: MOR-gij. Avoid: MORT-gage. That "t" has been silent since the word entered the language.
20. February — Say: FEB-roo-air-ee. Avoid: FEB-yoo-air-ee. Conversational speech often drops the first "r," but the formal pronunciation keeps it.
2. Stress Patterns and Syllable Counts (21–40)
English stress is a moving target, and putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable can make a familiar word unrecognizable. These entries are commonly miscounted or mis-stressed.
21. Espresso — Say: eh-SPRES-oh. Avoid: EX-press-oh. The Italian source has no "x" anywhere — the name literally means "pressed out."
22. Et cetera — Say: et-SET-er-uh. Avoid: ek-SET-er-uh. The first part is the Latin "et" for "and," not "ek."
23. Nuclear — Say: NOO-klee-ur. Avoid: NOO-kyuh-lur. Keep the "klee" — there is no "kyuh" hiding in there.
24. Pronunciation — Say: pruh-NUN-see-AY-shun. Avoid: proh-NOWN-see-AY-shun. The noun swaps out the "nounce" vowel from the verb.
25. Comfortable — Say: KUMF-ter-bul, three syllables in everyday speech. The middle section naturally compresses.
26. Deteriorate — Say: dih-TEER-ee-uh-rayt, five syllables. Avoid the four-syllable shortcut that skips the "uh."
27. Hierarchy — Say: HY-uh-rar-kee, four syllables. Avoid collapsing it to three.
28. Jewellery/Jewelry — Say: JOO-ul-ree, three syllables. Avoid JOO-luh-ree and the compressed JWEL-ree.
29. Library — Say: LY-brair-ee. Avoid: LY-berry. Both "r" sounds deserve their turn.
30. Miniature — Say: MIN-ee-uh-chur, four syllables. The trimmed three-syllable MIN-uh-chur is nonstandard.
31. Temperature — Say: TEM-pruh-chur, three syllables in normal speech. Avoid stretching it to four.
32. Vegetable — Say: VEJ-tuh-bul, three syllables. The four-syllable VEJ-uh-TAY-bul version is a classic overcorrection.
33. Quinoa — Say: KEEN-wah. Avoid: KWIN-oh-uh. The Quechua origin leaves you with just two syllables.
34. Worcestershire — Say: WOOS-tur-shur. Avoid: WOR-ses-ter-shy-ur. The English place name collapses dramatically when spoken.
35. Açaí — Say: ah-sah-EE. Avoid: uh-KAI or AK-ai. Three syllables from Portuguese-Brazilian, with the stress landing at the end.
36. Epitome — Say: eh-PIT-uh-mee, four syllables. Avoid the three-syllable EP-ih-tohm — the Greek ending wants to be heard.
37. Hyperbole — Say: hy-PUR-buh-lee, four syllables. Like "epitome," it ends in an audible "ee," not a silent "e."
38. Explicitly — Say: ik-SPLIS-it-lee. Avoid: ek-SPLIS-it-lee. The opening vowel is short "i."
39. Particularly — Say: par-TIK-yuh-lur-lee, five syllables. Casual speech often trims it down to par-TIK-lee.
40. Gubernatorial — Say: GOO-bur-nuh-TOR-ee-ul. Avoid: GUV-er-nuh-TOR-ee-ul. Though it describes a governor, the Latin root is gubernator.
3. Vowels That Fool You (41–60)
With around 20 vowel sounds mapped onto just 5 (or 6, counting "y") vowel letters, English spelling can't keep up with its own sounds. Expect surprises.
41. Chaos — Say: KAY-oss. Avoid: CHAY-oss. The Greek "ch" produces a hard "k" sound.
42. Segue — Say: SEG-way. Avoid: SEG-yoo or SAYG. Originally an Italian musical instruction, now standard English.
43. Regime — Say: reh-ZHEEM. Avoid: REJ-ime. The French-style soft "g" is key.
44. Genre — Say: ZHON-ruh. Avoid: JEN-ree. That French "g" lands as a "zh."
45. Niche — Say: NEESH or NITCH. Both pass; NEESH keeps the French feel, NITCH goes full English.
46. Cache — Say: KASH. Avoid: ka-SHAY. A cache (hiding spot) is one syllable; "cachet" (prestige) is two.
47. Draught — Say: DRAFT. Avoid: DRAWT. British spelling, identical sound to American "draft."
48. Choir — Say: KWY-ur. Avoid: CHOY-ur. The Latin chorus root leaves a "k" sound for the "ch."
49. Quay — Say: KEE. Avoid: KWAY. This word for a waterfront dock, from Old French, sounds exactly like "key."
50. Gauge — Say: GAYJ. Avoid: GAWJ. The "au" here becomes a long "ay."
51. Sew — Say: SOH. Avoid: SOO. Despite looking like "dew" or "new," it rhymes with "go."
52. Bough — Say: BOW, rhyming with "cow." Avoid: BOH or BUFF.
53. Slough — Say: SLOO for the swamp meaning, SLUFF for the shed-skin verb. Same letters, two jobs.
54. Cough — Say: KOFF. Yet another "ough" doing its own thing.
55. Plough — Say: PLOW. Avoid: PLOH or PLUFF. British spelling for the American "plow."
56. Bouquet — Say: boo-KAY. Avoid: BOW-ket. Straight French pronunciation, all the way through.
57. Thorough — Say: THUR-oh. Avoid: THUR-ow. It rhymes with "borough," not "through."
58. Hiatus — Say: hy-AY-tus. Avoid: HEE-ay-tus. Three syllables, stressed in the middle.
59. Anemone — Say: uh-NEM-uh-nee. Avoid: AN-eh-moan. Four syllables with the stress on the second.
60. Synecdoche — Say: sih-NEK-duh-kee. Avoid: sy-NEK-dosh. The literary term has four syllables and that distinctive "-kee" ending.
4. Consonant Pileups (61–80)
Some English words stack consonants so tightly that producing them cleanly takes real practice. These entries bunch hard sounds at starts, middles, or ends of words.
61. Anemone — Say: uh-NEM-uh-nee. The alternating "n" and "m" sounds give the mouth a workout.
62. Sixth — Say: SIKSTH. Three consonants — k, s, th — stacked at the close.
63. Strengths — Say: STRENGKTHS. A single syllable with five consonant sounds jammed together.
64. Twelfths — Say: TWELFTHS. The "lfths" stack is arguably the gnarliest cluster English offers.
65. Isthmus — Say: IS-mus. Avoid: ISTH-mus. The "th" is quiet in standard speech.
66. Clothes — Say: KLOHZ as a single syllable. The "th" fuses into the "z" at normal speed.
67. Months — Say: MUNTHS. The "nths" sequence trips up a lot of speakers.
68. Fifths — Say: FIFTHS. The closing "fths" cluster needs deliberate articulation.
69. Otorhinolaryngology — Say: OH-toh-RY-noh-lair-in-GOL-uh-jee. Eight syllables naming the ear-nose-throat specialty.
70. Phenomenon — Say: fuh-NOM-uh-non. Avoid: fuh-NOM-uh-nun. The tail is "non," not "nun."
71. Miscellaneous — Say: miss-uh-LAY-nee-us. Five syllables, and the "sc" softens to an "s."
72. Entrepreneurial — Say: on-truh-pruh-NUR-ee-ul. Six syllables of French-heritage tongue-work.
73. Totalitarianism — Say: toh-TAL-uh-TAIR-ee-uh-niz-um. Eight syllables laced with unstressed vowels.
74. Antidisestablishmentarianism — Say: AN-tee-DIS-uh-STAB-lish-men-TAIR-ee-uh-niz-um. Twelve syllables that test endurance more than any one sound.
75. Rural — Say: ROOR-ul. Two "r" sounds sandwiched around a vowel — a genuine tongue twister.
76. Brewery — Say: BROO-uh-ree. The "br" opener and the following vowel shift catch many speakers out.
77. Murderer — Say: MUR-dur-ur. Three "r" sounds back-to-back-to-back.
78. Regularly — Say: REG-yuh-lur-lee. The "g" feeding into "y," plus all those weak syllables, makes it slippery.
79. Particularly — Say: par-TIK-yuh-lur-lee. Five syllables with that tricky "rl" bridge.
80. Squirrel — Say: SKWUR-ul. The "skw" kickoff plus the "rl" finish is a notorious stumbling block for learners.
5. Words That Kept Their Foreign Accent (81–100)
English is a sponge for vocabulary, but it doesn't always anglicize the pronunciations that come with imported words. These loans still wear their origins on their sleeve.
81. Charcuterie — Say: shar-KOO-tuh-ree. Avoid: char-CUT-er-ee. French "ch" softens to "sh."
82. Gnocchi — Say: NYOH-kee. Avoid: noh-CHEE or guh-NOH-chee. The Italian "gn" produces a "ny."
83. Bruschetta — Say: broo-SKET-tuh. Avoid: broo-SHET-tuh. Italian "sch" is "sk," never "sh."
84. Croissant — Say: kwah-SON, or the anglicized kruh-SONT. The French version ends in a nasal vowel.
85. Pho — Say: FUH. Avoid: FOH. The Vietnamese soup uses a short, clipped vowel.
86. Gyro — Say: YEE-roh for the Greek sandwich. Avoid: JY-roh. Greek "g" here is a "y."
87. Chipotle — Say: chih-POHT-lay. Avoid: chih-POL-tay. Nahuatl's "tl" produces the "-lay" closer.
88. Sriracha — Say: see-RAH-chah. Avoid: srih-RAH-chah. Named after Si Racha, a Thai coastal town.
89. Schadenfreude — Say: SHAH-dun-froy-duh. A German compound meaning roughly "harm-joy."
90. Coup — Say: KOO. Avoid: KOOP. The "p" is silent in this French loan.
91. Faux pas — Say: FOH PAH. Avoid: FAWKS PASS. Both halves keep their French sounds.
92. Apropos — Say: ap-ruh-POH. Avoid: AP-roh-poze. French import with stress on the final syllable.
93. Liaison — Say: lee-AY-zon or LY-uh-zon. Both anglicized forms are accepted.
94. Lingerie — Say: LON-zhuh-ray. Avoid: LIN-juh-ree. French flavor, nasal vowel and all.
95. Macabre — Say: muh-KAH-bruh. Avoid: muh-KAH-ber. That trailing "e" turns the finish into "bruh."
96. Mauve — Say: MOHV. Avoid: MAWV. It rhymes with "stove," borrowed from French.
97. Façade — Say: fuh-SAHD. Avoid: fuh-KAYD. The cedilla beneath the "c" signals an "s" sound.
98. Penchant — Say: PEN-chunt. Avoid: pen-SHONT. The anglicized version is standard in English.
99. Reservoir — Say: REZ-ur-vwar. Avoid: REZ-ur-voy-ur. Three syllables with a French close.
100. Archipelago — Say: ar-kih-PEL-uh-goh. Avoid: arch-ih-PEL-uh-goh. The Greek roots give the "ch" a "k" sound.
How to Actually Get Better at These
Pronunciation improvement boils down to exposure and reps. Pull up the audio clip in a dictionary anytime you hit an unfamiliar word. Split long words into pieces, drill each piece, then glue them back together. Watch your stress patterns — landing the emphasis on the wrong beat stands out far more than a muffed vowel. Read paragraphs aloud, record yourself, play it back. Remember that accepted pronunciations differ across regions, so check a trusted reference when the choices look reasonable.
These hundred words form a kind of map of where English has been. Silent letters preserve dead sounds. Unexpected stress marks centuries-old borrowings. Odd vowel choices trace the paths taken by words moving between Latin, French, Greek, Norse, and beyond. Picking them apart does more than clean up your speech — it gives you a ground-level view of how English actually got built, one loan and one sound shift at a time. Keep practicing the hard ones, and you'll find the rest fall into place.
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