English is not our mother tongue. I get it, and there is nothing to be ashamed of if you end up mispronouncing a few words. However, learning should never stop. We highly recommend checking pronunciation of the new words that you add in your mental dictionary while also checking the pronunciation of the old ones.
Many of the words we just pick from people around us like our teachers, friends, and colleagues. Unfortunately, we forget to check the pronunciation to see whether what we have learned is correct or not. As a result, we internalize the flaws and over a period of time, it becomes hard to get rid of those flaws. Again, practice makes everyone perfect. So, here we are compiling a list of some commonly mispronounced words in India. We hope you won’t make these mistakes😊
- COMB
Usually pronounced as komb which is incorrect.
Correct pronunciation: kowm
The ‘b’ is silent.
- TOMB
Usually pronounced as tomb but ‘b’ is silent even here.
Correct pronunciation: toom
- WOMB
Usually pronounced as womb, but
Correct pronunciation: woom
- PIZZA
Pronounced as pi-zza
Correct pronunciation: peet-suh
(u as in ago)
- WEDNESDAY
Pronounced as wed-nus-dey
Correct pronunciation: wenz-dey
(‘d’ in wed is silent)
- GENRE
Pronounced as jener
Correct pronunciation: zhaan-ruh (US) or zhon-ruh (UK)
- POEM
Mispronounced as po-eem
Correct pronunciation: pow-um
- POETRY
Mispronounced as po-ee-tree
Correct pronunciation: pow-i-tree
- ACCESS
Mispronounced as assess
Correct pronunciation: ak-ses
- AUTOMOBILE
Mispronounced as o-to-mobile
Correct pronunciation: o-tu-mu-beel
Want to get grip on your pronunciation? Then, visit the official website of Cambridge Dictionary.
About the Author
Neha has been teaching English for over 8 years. She has trained and mentored students of different age groups for spoken English, IELTS, campus recruitment, competitive exams like SSC, IBPS and CAT, group discussions, and interviews. Currently, she is working as a freelancer, training Indian American students for SAT, mentoring Indian students for IELTS and placements. She is passionate about teaching, blogging, and editing videos. She has recently published her book “A Word A Day”, which is available on Amazon. Her special skills include English grammar, proofreading, copy-editing, communication skills, and counseling. In her free time, she loves honing her skills, learning more courses, and spending time with her family. Her life purpose is to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.