12 Commonly Mispronounced English Words

I’ve worked with a variety of accents from countries around the world. Throughout my time as a speech and language pathologist, I’ve noticed a few commonly mispronounced English words across accents. Let’s review and learn how to correctly pronounce them.

1. Answer – Although there is a ‘w’ in the spelling, we do not pronounce it. We say it as anser.  Ex: “The answer to the question was not obvious.”
2. An – This word is sometimes mispronounced as “on” or “un” but should be pronounced just like saying the letter ‘n’. Ex: “She took an airplane to New York.”
3. Chicago – Most of the time, ‘ch’ is pronounced as a hard, percussive sound as in “chair” and “chew”, but in the word ‘Chicago’, the ‘ch’ should be pronounced as the ‘sh’ in “shoe” and “she”. Ex: “Chicago is an exciting city.”
4. Clothes – Although this word has ‘th’ in it, most of the time it is pronounced without the ‘th’ and sounds like the verb “close”, as in, “Please close the door.”
5. Would – The ‘l’ in this word is always silent and is pronounced exactly like the word “wood”. Ex: “I would like to take your course.”
6. Half – This word is always pronounced with a silent ‘l’ as if it were spelled as ‘haf’. Ex: “I can eat half of this pizza.”
7. Once – Pronounce this word as if it starts with a ‘w’, similar to how the word “wants” is pronounced. Ex: “I have only been to Italy once.” Or, “I swim once a week.”
8. Debt – This word is pronounced with a silent ‘b’ as if it were spelled, “det”. Ex: “He is in so much debt”.
9. Salmon – The ‘l’ should not be pronounced in this word. Think of it as “sammin”. Ex: “I enjoy eating salmon for dinner.”
10. Colonel – This is one of the strangest words to pronounce as it doesn’t sound at all like it is spelled. Say it as “kernel”. Ex: “He is a colonel in the Army.”
11. Receipt – The ‘p’ is totally silent in this word. It sounds like ‘re-seat’. Ex: “The salesperson handed me a receipt when I paid for my groceries.”
12. Women – The ‘o’ should be pronounced as the ‘i’ in the word “in” and the ‘en’ ending is pronounced as “in”. It could be thought of as “wimmin”. Ex: “All of the women film directors received awards.”

Do you struggle to pronounce these words or others like them? You aren’t alone. Contact me today to learn about my Accent Modification program. By the end of the 13-week program, most students see a 50% improvement in reducing their accents and being better understood by their peers. Learn more about the program here! 

About Derra Huxley, Speech and Language Pathologist

I am a California-licensed Speech-Language Pathologist in Los Angeles. I earned my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Communicative Disorders from California State University, Northridge. I work as a Preferred Trainer with LDS & Associates – Accent Modification Program, and I am a member of CORSPAN (Corporate Speech Pathology Network). I collaborate with people of all ages to improve their communication and pronunciation skills in schools, hospitals, and private practice settings. To learn more or to contact me, complete this form or reach me at (818) 385-1716. I look forward to hearing from you!