The all-time greatest hits of English pronunciation traps — one word from each of the categories below.
colonelKER-nel
Two silent letters hide inside — say "kernel".
quinoaKEEN-wah
Not "kwin-OH-uh" — the Andean grain surprises everyone.
worcestershireWUSS-ter-sher
British place names love to eat their own syllables.
espressoes-PRESS-oh
There is no X in espresso.
pronunciationpruh-nun-see-AY-shun
Not "pro-NOUNCE-iation" — the noun form drops the "ounce".
mischievousMIS-chuh-vus
Three syllables, not four — resist "mis-CHEEV-ee-us".
nuclearNOO-klee-er
Not "nuc-yoo-ler" — the syllables go in the order they're spelled.
februaryFEB-roo-air-ee
The first R is easy to drop — try to keep it.
wednesdayWENZ-day
The middle "nes" is silent.
oftenOFF-en
The T is usually silent in standard speech.
salmonSAM-un
Silent L — the fish rhymes with "gammon".
almondAH-mund
The L is soft or silent for most speakers.
comfortableKUMF-ter-bul
Native speakers compress it to 3 syllables, not 4.
vegetableVEJ-tuh-bul
The middle "e" all but disappears.
chocolateCHOK-lit
Two syllables in fast speech, not three.
libraryLY-brer-ee
Keep both R sounds — don't say "LY-bury".
jewelryJOOL-ree
Not "JEW-ел-ery" — it compresses to two syllables.
espressoes-PRESS-oh
Worth repeating: no X.
hyperbolehy-PER-buh-lee
Four syllables — the E at the end is pronounced.
epitomeih-PIT-uh-mee
Same trap as hyperbole — the final E speaks.
segueSEG-way
Spelled like "seg-yoo", said like the scooter brand.
colonelKER-nel
(Yes, it's on here twice in spirit — everyone gets this one wrong.)
entrepreneurahn-truh-pruh-NUR
French spelling, four syllables, stress on the last.
anemoneuh-NEM-uh-nee
Four syllables, not "anenome".
et ceteraet SET-er-uh
Not "ex-cetera" — there is no X.
sherbetSHER-bit
One R, not "sherbert".
jubilantJOO-bih-lunt
Stress the first syllable, not the second.
genuineJEN-yoo-in
Doesn't rhyme with "wine" — ends in a soft "in".
awryuh-RY
Rhymes with "cry", not "AW-ree".
draughtDRAFT
Same sound as "draft" despite the odd spelling.
archipelagoar-kih-PEL-uh-go
The "ch" sounds like K, not "ch".
facadefuh-SAHD
The final D is pronounced; it's not "fa-KAY".
nicheNEESH
Rhymes with "quiche" in most modern usage.
zoologyzoh-OL-uh-jee
Starts like "zoh", not "zoo".
a lotuh LOT
Two words — never one "alot".
expresso(incorrect spelling)
A very common misspelling of "espresso" — no X exists.
realtorREEL-ter
Two syllables — resist "REEL-uh-ter".
mayonnaiseMAY-uh-naze
Three syllables, not "man-aze".
prescriptionprih-SKRIP-shun
Not "per-scription" — the R comes after the S.
askASK
Resist swapping to "aks" — keep the S before the K.
espionageES-pee-uh-nahzh
Ends in a soft "zh" sound, like "beige".
cacheKASH
Rhymes with "stash", not "cash-ay".
gyroYEE-roh
Greek G sounds like Y, not "jy-roh".
bruschettabroo-SKET-uh
Italian "sch" makes a K sound, not "sh".
quesadillakay-suh-DEE-yuh
The double-L makes a Y sound in Spanish.
acaiah-sah-EE
Three syllables, stress on the last.
poinsettiapoyn-SET-ee-uh
Four syllables — don't drop the middle one.
triathlontry-ATH-lon
Three syllables — no extra "uh" between TH and lon.
athleteATH-leet
Two syllables — resist "ATH-uh-leet".
realtorREEL-ter
Listed twice because it is genuinely that common a slip.