A study of 2,000 adults has revealed the top 20 words Brits mispronounce most often, with acai, segue, and charcuterie topping the list. Other difficult words include quinoa, gnocchi, and Worcestershire, while Chipotle, phenomenon, and gyro also featured in the top 10. Hyperbole, aesthetic, and even gif also proved tricky for some.
85% have been corrected on pronunciation
The research found that 85% of Brits have had someone correct them after mispronouncing a word, leaving a quarter feeling awkward and embarrassed. As a result, 24% admitted they aren't confident trying to pronounce unfamiliar words, while 27% have continued to say a word incorrectly despite knowing they were getting it wrong.
More than eight in 10 (85%) believe correct pronunciation is important, with 59% saying it helps avoid misunderstandings. Others think it shows respect for the language (52%), makes them appear more intelligent (38%), and professional (34%). Nearly four in 10 (38%) say the way someone pronounces words can influence their impression of them.
Generational differences in correcting pronunciation
Across generations, attitudes vary. More than half (53%) of Gen Z say a person's pronunciation would impact what they think of them, compared to just 24% of Boomers. Similarly, 57% of Gen Z have corrected family, friends, or colleagues on pronunciation, but only 29% of Boomers do the same, according to the OnePoll data.
Among those who avoid correcting others, the most common reasons were not wanting to embarrass them (39%), not wanting to appear rude (35%), and not feeling it's their place to do so (33%). The study also found 47% of adults believe words should be spelt the way they are said, but three in 10 say social media made them more aware of correct pronunciations.
Škoda's 'Šhhhkoda' campaign
Kirsten Stagg, a spokesperson for Škoda, which commissioned the research, said: "Sometimes, there are words that simply don't sound how they are spelt, and even everyday terms tend to catch people out. Škoda is a perfect example. The distinctive mark above the S, known as a hacek, or caron, can throw people off, and here in the UK the name is commonly pronounced 'S-co-der' rather than the correct 'Sh-co-da'. What's great to see from the research is that the majority of people are still willing to have a go, even when they're unfamiliar with a word and risk getting it wrong."
Stagg added: "As a brand whose name people haven't always found easy to pronounce, we know better than most that some words can be trickier than others. That's exactly why we've launched our 'Šhhhkoda' campaign… along the way, hopefully we can help more people discover how we say ours."
The top 20 mispronounced words include: acai (mispronounced as "ah-sigh" vs. correct "ah-sigh-ee"), segue ("seeg"/"seg" vs. "seg-way"), charcuterie ("char-koo-ter-ree" vs. "shar-koo-tuh-ree"), quinoa ("kwin-wa" vs. "keen-wa"), gnocchi ("no-kee" vs. "nyawk-kee"), Worcestershire ("wor-chest-er" vs. "wus-ter-sher"), Chipotle ("chip-oh-ttul" vs. "chi-poht-lay"), phenomenon ("phenom-nom-non" vs. "phe-nom-enon"), gyro ("gi-ro" vs. "yee-ro"), similarly ("si-mi-ly" vs. "si-mi-lar-ly"), hyperbole ("hy-per-bly" vs. "hy-per-bo-ly"), aesthetic ("aesth-tic" vs. "as-the-tic"), gif ("jif" vs. "g-if"), entrepreneur ("on-tre-prener" vs. "on-tre-pre-neur"), colonel ("co-lo-nel" vs. "cur-nel"), necessarily ("ne-siss-rily" vs. "ne-siss-sar-ri-ly"), specific ("spe-sthi-fic" vs. "spe-ci-fic"), espresso ("ex-press-o" vs. "es-press-so"), brewery ("broo-wry" vs. "broo-wer-ry"), and squirrel ("skwirl" vs. "skwi-rrel").
