Global brands whose names trip up even loyal customers.
NikeNY-kee
Named for the Greek goddess — not "nyke".
AdidasAH-dee-dahss
German founder Adi Dassler — not "uh-DEE-dus".
PorschePOR-shuh
Two syllables — the E at the end is pronounced.
Hermesair-MESS
French house — silent H, stress on the second syllable.
XiaomiSHOW-me
The X makes an SH sound in Mandarin pinyin.
HuaweiHWAH-way
Two syllables blending smoothly together.
IKEAee-KAY-uh
Swedish acronym — not "eye-KEE-uh".
Nutellanoo-TELL-uh
Not "NUT-ella" — stress the middle syllable.
Moetmo-ET
The T is pronounced, unlike most French words.
Louis VuittonLOO-ee vwee-TAWN
Silent S in Louis, nasal French ending.
Givenchyzhee-VAHN-shee
Soft "zh" start, French nasal middle.
Balenciagabah-len-see-AH-gah
Spanish/Basque roots — five clear syllables.
LoeweLOH-eh-veh
Spanish fashion house, three distinct syllables.
Supremesoo-PREEM
Standard English stress — just often rushed.
UniqloYOO-nee-klo
A blend of "unique" and "clothing" — three syllables.
Lamborghinilam-bor-GEE-nee
Italian "ghi" makes a hard G, not a soft J.
Hyundaihyun-DAY
Korean brand — not "HUN-day".
Nvidiaen-VID-ee-uh
The N is pronounced as its own sound, "en".
XeroxZEER-oks
Starts with a Z sound despite the X spelling.
Sephorasuh-FOR-uh
Stress the middle syllable, not the first.