Now that you know how to say otorhinolaryngologist correctly, make sure you know how to properly pronounce these 35 medical words too. Say what? Here are 17 words even smart people mispronounce without realizing it. 16 English Words That Are Hard for Non-Natives to Say By. 1. As a follow up to our article on confusing words, here are ten of the most difficult words in English. Amnemonemomne.” It’s not surprising that even little Nemo trips over his own wild-flower habitat: The vowel-heavy word looks like it should rhyme with “tone” or “bone” and be pronounced “an-e-MOAN” or “ayn-moan,” but it’s actually a four-syllable word pronounced “ah-NEM-oh-nee.”. Squirrel 12. Along with pronouncing words correctly, make sure you also use these fancy words in conversations to sound smarter. If you’re an English language learner, however, the double consonants in this Middle-English word can certainly trip you up and make you think that it’s pronounced “SKIss-ors” (when we know it’s actually pronounced “sizzors”). Education Expert. Tip: See my guide to the Most Common Pronunciation Errors in English. Colonel 2. This is one of the trickiest sounds and to add insult to injury, there are two distinct ways to pronounce it! Szczęście . On-o-what? BY Nicola Prentis. 3. The most difficult words to pronounce in the English language revealed – as well as the world’s favourite English tongue-twisters. Worcestershire sauce originated in the town of Worcester, England, and is pronounced “Wooster,” while the term “shire” is the British word for “county” and sounds like the ending of “Hampshire.” Therefore, the word is pronounced “WOOster-sher.” Make sure you never say these food words wrong again, as well as know how to pronounce gyro. Isthmus 10. The tricky part, for German speakers in particular, is the “rel” ending. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Worcestershire 3. Onomatopoeia. Why? At Confidence Learning Services, we freely admit that English is a difficult language to pronounce.That’s why we offer advanced English Pronunciation courses and offer tips and videos on Accent Reduction. There are innumerable examples of conundrumssuch as: 1. Tip: See my guide to the Most Common Pronunciation Errors in English. to receive a weekly summary of new articles, Follow me to get updates and engage in a discussion, You can use the image on another website, provided that you. English. It will teach you about commonly mispronounced words, pro­nunci­ation patterns, and the basics of English phonology. istock. Okay, so this is a difficult one even for English people. They sometimes replace the “TH” sound with the letters “f” or “s” … 1. Thank you to everyone who has told us about words you find hard to pronounce. And nawiwindang is how we feel after seeing Yolanda’s aftermath: it’s shocking, unbelievable, unexpected and hard to wrap your mind around (Yes, we got all that in one word). After all, there are words spelled completely differently than they actually sound, multiple words that sound the same but mean totally different things, and complex grammar rules that still make our heads spin. By Caroline Picard. English can be a tricky language for foreigners to learn, especially when it comes to deciphering these hard words to pronounce. The stressed syllable is indicated by a bold typeface. Sixth 15. Onomatopoeia 7. Neither is there any apple nor pine in pineapple. It will teach you about commonly mispronounced words, pro­nunci­ation patterns, and the basics of English phonology. Which words are most difficult for Spanish Speakers to pronounce? It will teach you about commonly mispronounced words, pro­nunci­ation patterns, and the basics of English phonology. Scissors 8. While the popularity of this ancient grain has grown in recent years because of its “superfood” powers, many people still struggle with how to pronounce quinoa because of its numerous vowel blends. Many English language learners are quite unsuccessful reading and pronouncing the word “successful” for the very first time. The Most Difficult English Words 1. Ironically, the word that means happiness makes lots of people (mostly foreigners) very unhappy. The hardest word in the English language for foreigners to the pronounce is 'Worcestershire', according to a recent poll.. On a recent Reddit thread, user … Yes, this is a fairly common word, and most native native speakers have no trouble learning how to pronounce it. “Overlook” and “oversee” have opposite meanings, while “look” and “see” mean the same thing. 1. After all, most of us have grown up saying the word squirrel on a regular basis. Find out what the longest word in English is. A billion people are learning English around the world and most of … Mischievous 4. First off, the “th” combination doesn’t even exist in some languages, including German and Dutch, which raises the difficulty level. 5. We recommend our users to update the browser. Why don’t you check it out? Can you tackle the 14 toughest tongue twisters in the English language? 1. 5 Things That Make English Difficult for Foreigners to Learn. Despite the word’s short length, its five syllables filled with many “i’s” and “o’s” is enough to get anyone tongue-tied. This is the term given to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, and is probably one of the most difficult-to-pronounce medical specialties in the entire history of humankind. Slam poet and former teacher Taylor Mali says that he makes students spell definitely and beautiful over and over again, until they never misspell either one of those words again.. Non-native English speakers can easily get confused by the pronunciation of this British word because it has a double irregularity: first with the a-u vowel combination, and then again with the g-h-t consonant blend. We will teach you how to sound like a native Korean speaker! For many non-native speakers, the “xth” three-consonant cluster in words like “sixth” are quite the tongue twister. Here, we’re looking at the common 18 English words that Spanish speakers mispronounce when trying to learn English. So if you have problems using the formal pronunciation, which is “oh-toh-rye-no-lar-ing-GOL-uh-jee,” you can just refer to the doc by her more informal title: an ENT. Rural 17. One of the reasons why English is known for being difficult is because it’s full of contradictions. It looks like it’s pronounced “wor-cest-er-shi-er,” but it actually retains is British-English pronunciation. Successful 14. Unfortunately, the English language is full of word quirks that continue to boggle our minds. Pronunciation can also be a problem. If you say "rural" perfectly every time, you must be superhuman. Ignominious 13. Like Worcestershire, “mischievous” is one of those hard words to pronounce that many Americans also have trouble saying. What makes it so tricky? B.A., American Studies, Yale University; Olivia Valdes is the senior editor of ThoughtCo and the founder of Zen Admissions, a college admissions advising service. Keeping your tongue behind your teeth while speaking this word can help with pronunciation. That’s why we’ve created a list of some of the hardest English words to help you learn how to say them correctly. Otorhinolaryngologist 11. Mary Jo DiLonardo . The list below contains some of the most commonly mispronounced words (mostly by foreigners) in English. Anemone 9. No one would say the English language is simple. We asked our Instagram followers, as well as our students and English teachers, which words they struggled with the most when they first started learning English. In fact, you’ve probably heard people pronouncing the word as “mis-CHEEVE-ee-us,” when it’s actually a three-syllable word pronounced MIS-chiv-us.” The problem lies in the fact that the old form of the word was spelled with an extra “i” at the end, which was standard until the 1700s. English Grammar An Introduction to Punctuation Writing By. Next, find out the 20 words even smart people mispronounce. If you know a language purist, watch out. If you … In German, the “rl” typically comes at the end of a syllable like the name Karl, but in English the “rel” forms a syllable of its own. Literally. And I’m Jay and I’m American. Well, aside from the silent “h” and the irregular use of the consonant “y,” the word has 21 letters and eight—yes, count ’em, eight—syllables. Olivia Valdes. School/Eschool Sure there are accent differences, but there are also a few common pronunciation mistakes Spanish learners of English can make. If you have more suggestions for hard-to-pronounce German words, send them to us at feedback.english@dw.de. We’ve compiled thirty such words. Quinoa 6. Draught 5. However hard you try to learn English, there will always be exceptions to the rules to make your life harder. 2. If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? You can also join the discussion on Twitter with DW at … If you’re a fan of Finding Nemo, you might remember the scene where Mr. Ray asks Nemo what type of home he lives in. University of Cincinnati; Mary Jo DiLonardo covers a wide range of … ‘Literally’ means, “in a literal sense”, or “what I’m saying is not imagined, but truly happened as I’m saying it.” Therefore, popular uses like “I literally died … Jul 21, … Misuse of this word has been known to raise people’s blood pressure. If you apply Standard English rules, you’d think it would be pronounced “qwin-o-ah,” but it’s actually a Spanish word that has numerous acceptable pronunciations, including “KEEN-wah,” “ken-WAH,” and even “KEN-o-ah.” (Believe it or not, but you may have been saying these company names wrong your entire life.). Temperature 20. When a German speaker tries to say the two-syllable word “squirrel,” it comes out as the monosyllabic “skwörl.”Dissatisfied with this result, the German speaker tries to produce a real ‘R,’ of the sort you get in (Rock ‘n) Roll, in the end cluster, wreaking havoc,” Carlos Gussenhoven, a linguist in the Netherlands, told Live Science. Not to mention that it ends in an “s,” which typically refers to a plural and is called a “pair,” even though it’s a single instrument. Tip: See my guide to the Most Common Pronunciation Errors in English. Native English speakers know that this 16th-century word, which is derived from Middle French, is pronounced “ker-nul.” However, those learning English as a second language get confused by the first “o” sounding like an “e,” the “l” that sounds like an “r,” and the second “o,” which is completely silent. Let’s be honest: This word is actually hard for native English-speaking Americans to pronounce too. I’m Vicki and I’m British. At first glance, the word looks like it should be pronounced “succ-ess-ful” but that is incorrect because the second “c” is pronounced like an “s,” which can confuse anyone learning how to read or speak English. These exceptions only prove the rules, and yes, you heard that right – there are very clear rules governing English pronunciation. Synecdoche 19. 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