The English language is already hard enough to learn, and some words can be hard to pronounce. We did some digging and discovered that there are five words in the English language that are commonly mispronounced, even by native speakers.
5 Across
While this word may seem simple enough, it is very common for people to pronounce the word as “acrossed.” The word “acrossed” isn’t actually a word. You walk “across” the lawn. The post office is “across” the street from the supermarket. Next time someone uses this word around you check and see how they pronounce it. You might get a laugh out of it.
4 Ask
Has someone ever “AXED” you something? Yes, it’s very common for people to say “axed” instead of “ask” when talking about a question. Have you ever mispronounced this word?
3 Especially
If we had a dollar for every time this word was mispronounced we would be wealthy rich. Somewhere along the way someone decided to throw elements of the word “extra” at the beginning of this word, causing a major mispronunciation. Listen closely the next time you hear someone pronounce this word, they may just say: “EX-specially?”
2 Library
This one is one of the harder words to pronounce if you aren’t fluid in the language. But even for some native speakers, this word has caused them trouble.
If you hear someone utter the word “LI-berry,” chances are they’ve never set foot in one. Even in our increasingly digital age, LIBE-rare-ees are the cornerstones of literacy.
1 Supposedly
Say this word out loud before you continue reading this… If you caught yourself saying “sup-POSE-ab-ly,” you are most likely guilty of the equally horrifying “PRAH-bal-ly.” Nothing makes a listener doubt your intelligence more than the intentional dropping of a consonant – or the swapping in of a totally different one.
Let us know: have you ever mispronounced these words?
