mispronounce

Everyday

To say a word or a name in the wrong way, with the wrong sounds or the wrong stress. tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons, many words are often mispronounced: «library» (lie-brer-ee, not lie-berry), «February», «specific» (not «pacific»). In everyday life, mispronouncing someone's name is easy to do, so it is kind to ask how to say it and to learn it. Readers often mispronounce words they only know from books, like «epitome». Phrases: «mispronounce a name», «a commonly mispronounced word».

Examples

• Please tell me if I mispronounce your name. tree →
• Many people mispronounce «Wednesday». tree →
• He mispronounced «epitome» because he had only read it. tree →
• The newsreader mispronounced the name of the town. tree →
• It's okay to mispronounce words while you are learning a language. tree →
• My little brother mispronounces «spaghetti» as «pasghetti». tree →
• The teacher apologised for mispronouncing my surname. tree →
• Some words, like «colonel», are easy to mispronounce. tree →

Note

Regular verb: mispronounced. Noun: mispronunciation – note the spelling changes: pronounce → pronunciation (no «o» after «n»). «Mis-» = wrongly. Not a maths word.