Because English borrows words from a variety of language backgrounds, there’s no surefire way to tell how a word is pronounced just by looking at its spelling. This makes learning to speak American English without an accent particularly difficult. But there are some American English words that even native speakers mispronounce. Make sure your pronunciation is on target and your speech reflects your professional expertise. Get started by taking a look at these commonly mispronounced American English words:
- cache:
WRONG: cash-ey RIGHT: pronounced like cash
- fiscal:
WRONG: pronounced like physical RIGHT: fiss-kul (Two syllables only)
- etcetera:
WRONG: eksetera RIGHT: eTcetera (Don’t add an imaginary ‘x’)
- liable:
WRONG: lible (rhymes with bible) RIGHT: li-a-ble (Don’t forget that middle syllable! Libel is a term for legal defamation, while li-a-ble means to be responsible for something.)
- niche:
WRONG: neetch RIGHT: neesh
- espresso
WRONG: ekspresso RIGHT: esspresso (Like etcetera, there’s no ‘x’ sound!)
- tenet:
WRONG: tenent RIGHT: tenet (There’s only one ‘n’. Tenent is a completely different word.)
- mischievous:
WRONG: mis-chee-vee-us RIGHT: mis-che-vus (Don’t add an extra syllable.)
Mispronouncing words can make you seem uninformed and unprofessional. In addition to polishing your pronunciation, make sure to speak with clarity and confidence so your communication skills reflect your professional ability!
Do your professional communication skills need improvement? Let us help you make your speech and communication your most powerful professional tool! For information on the New York Based Speech and Accent Reduction services offered by Corporate Speech Solutions please give us a call at 212-308-7725 or visit us on the web at www.corporatespeechsolutions.com. Not in NYC? No problem! We also provide Skype and video conferencing services.
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