What happens when you know a lot of vocabulary but you fail to say it correctly? Well, that
amounts to having bad pronunciation. And if we want to learn and speak English the proper
way, we can't afford for any of that. so today we're gonna talk through some of the words
that we can hear and use in everyday English but sometimes we make huge mistakes with.
My name is Kat and I believe that this lesson will help you to speak English like a native
speaker. So let's take a look at what we've got.
The first word we're going to have a look at is poem. This is a word you probably have
heard in school. However, a lot of people make the mistake of saying it the wrong way.
It is pronounced as poe-um and not po-yem. As you can see, this word has got two syllables,
po and em, where the stress is placed on the first syllable. So say it with me, poe-um,
poe-um, poem.
The next word we're gonna have a look at is epitome. This word is used to describe a person
or a thing which is a perfect example of a particular type of quality. You say it as,
epi-tumi. It's definitely not an epi-tom-e or an epitom. If your friend has displayed
the best work ethics at your job place, you can say, Joe is the epitome of hard work and
punctuality. Say it with me, epi-tumi, epi-tumi.
The next example we're going to look at is debris. This word means there are remains
of rubbish or scattered pieces. It’s pronounced as debris. Two syllables, de and bree. However,
the second syllable, bree is stressed. So the word goes as debree, if you've been saying,
deb-ris, you need to stop it now. In a sentence, you could say that the debris had to be cleared
post the earthquake. Say it with me, de-bree, de-bree.
The next word we're going to look at is asthma. This word is named for a condition where you
have difficulty in breathing. It’s a disease of the lungs, pronounced as az-ma, az-ma.
Not as as-th-ma. The Th in the word is silent. You don't have to pronounce it. You could
use in a sentence by saying, Collin had asthma since birth. Say it with me, az-ma, az-ma.
The next word we're going to look at is Wednesday. Now, this is the day of the week and it is
wenz-day, not wed-nezz-day. It’s just two syllables, wenz and day. So you could say,
what are you doing this Wednesday? Wednesday.
The next word is pizza. So maybe this Wednesday, you're going to order a pizza. Yeah even though
this word does not have a t while writing it, it is pronounced with a t sound. So it's
called, peet-za and not a pee-za as many people wrongly pronounce it. Say it with me. Peet-za,
pizza.
The next commonly mispronounced word we're going to have a look at is lingerie. This
one's often mispronounced. It refers to women's innerwear but make sure you pronounce it as
lawn-zhuh-ray. Three syllables, the second syllable has a very unique sound. It’s not
a shh sound, it's a jh sound. So the word again is lawn-zhuh-ray. Please don't call
it ling-eree. It’s totally wrong. Lawn-zhuh-ray, lingerie.
The next word on our list is bowl. Another common word to describe a round dish that's
used to keep food or liquid in. it is often pronounced as ba-owl but please don't use
that. It is pronounced bo-l, bo-l, say it with me, bowl.
The next word on our list today is breakfast. What you eat in the morning with your cup
of tea. It’s not brayk-fast. It’s pronounced as brek-fust. Two syllables, break-fust, where
you put the stress on the first syllable causing it to sound as breakfast. Say it with me,
brek-fust, breakfast.
The next word that we're going to have a look at is video. You are now watching thus vid-i-yo
on YouTube. It’s not weee-diyo but vid-i-yo, video. Say it with me, video.
The next word is discretion. Now discretion is the freedom to decide what needs to be
done in a situation. It’s pronounced as dis-kreh-shun, not dis-kree-shun. Make sure
you stress the second syllable, kreh. So you say it as dis-kreh-shun, discretion. Repeat
that, discretion.
The next commonly mispronounced word is violin. A violin is a famous musical instrument which
is supposed to be pronounced as va-yuh-lin. a lot of people call it a voi-ee-lin. that's
not an instrument at all. It’s va-yuh-lin. say it with me, va-yuh-lin.
On our list next, we have the word, monk. Have you read the book, the monk who sold
his Ferrari? This word is pronounced as munk. You don't want anyone to catch you saying,
maw-nk. It is munk, say it with me, munk.
The next word on our list is bury. Now, this is a very common word that refers to hiding
or covering something completely. So did you bury the dead sparrow? Or did you bury the
dead sparrow? No, that's not right, you need to say, buried. It’s the same as in strawberry,
ber-ry, ber-ry.
Another word on our list today is dengue. Now, this is a scary disease that you don't
want to catch. I hope you never have to talk about this disease but it's called den-gee.
It’s not den-goo, den-gee. So let's say the word together, den-gee, den-gee.
Next up on our list, we have tomb. Now a tomb refers to a large vault made to bury the dead
and it's always called a toom. The b at the end happens to be silent and if you have been
calling it s a toom-b or a tom-b, that's absolutely wrong. It is toom. Say it with me, toom.
Up next we have, coupon. You have no coupons for the movie. It’s not coo-pans. A koo-pawn
helps you to get discounts on certain purchases for items like groceries, a restaurant or
even movie tickets. Don’t get this word wrong. You’ll have to use it more than you
know, koo-pawn, koo-pawn.
The next commonly mispronounced word is marijuana. Now, this is an illegal drug which is usually
smoked in cigarettes and it's pronounced as mar-un-wah-nuh, marijuana. If you pronounce
it any other way, you’re not going to get any of that, not that you want to but the
word again is mar-uh-wah-nuh. Four syllables so take care and practise and I'm sure you'll
be able to pronounce it the right way, mar-uh-wah-nuh, mar-uh-wah-nuh.
Up next on our list today, we have iron. You need to iron out your clothes not eye-run
it. The r in the word is silent so let's say it again, eye-un, iron. Say it again, eye-un.
Up next we have banquet. So you're hosting this dinner for your family to celebrate.
What do you call it? It’s a bank-wet, not a bank-way. A banquet, you are having a banquet.
Say it with me, banquet.
Next up on our list, we have Mojito. Mojito was founded in the country of Cuba where Spanish
happens to be the predominant language and that's pretty much why we say it the Spanish
way. So when you order a mo-hee-toh along with your meal, you need to know, that the
juh in Spanish, the j is pronounced with a huh, h sound. Therefore the juh in Mojito
is called mo-hee-toh, Mojito. I'd love my Mojito, Mojito.
Up next on our list is restaurant. So we're going to the restaurant, this word seems long
but don't be afraid, it's actually just two syllables, res and trawnt, making it restaurant,
restaurant. Say it again, restaurant.
The next word is, entrepreneur. Now everybody wants to become one but everybody makes a
mistake with the pronunciation too. so if you want to be a self-employed person but
you're looking to become an entrepreneur, take care and don't miss out on any of these
four syllables. Make sure you get the pronunciation right, on-tre-pren-yur, entrepreneur, say
it again, entrepreneur.
Coming up next is data. Please save the data onto your disc drive. It’s not daa-ta, it's
day-ta. Although it can be commonly heard is being daa-ta, the correct way is day-ta.
Up next on our list of words is demon. Now a demon is a mythical beast and is commonly
said as de-mawn but the correct way of saying it is dee-mun, dee-mun.
Up next on our list of words is genre. now, this words refers to a category of something
like arts, literature, music, science, things like that and it is pronounced as zhon-ruh,
zhon-ruh. Say it with me, zhon-ruh, zhon-ruh.
Up next we have pronunciation. Ironically this word is never pronounced right. So for
everyone listening, it's pr-nun-see-ay-shun. The nun will never be pronounced as noun.
It’s pronunciation, pr-nun-see-ay-shun, pronunciation.
Thank you so much for joining me in today’s video. I really hope that you are able to
use some of these commonly mispronounced words in your everyday conversation. There are far
more mispronounced words but I could only get through some of them today. So if there
are more words that you would like to know about and need help with, please mention them
in the comments below. While you are doing that, why not click like and subscribe and
don't forget to click that bell button so you are notified when any new videos similar
to this one, come up. I hope to see you again soon, thank you.