0:00 Are you mispronouncing these 50 common English words?
0:06 So many learners and even native speakers get these words wrong.
0:11 Remember, this lesson is based on my own accent, modern received pronunciation.
0:16 Other accents are available.
0:18 This is a guide.
0:20 Oh, and if you really want your English accent to be clear, crisp,
0:25 and confident, I have two things for you.
0:29 First, you need to know where you currently are.
0:32 And for that, I have created a free online pronunciation level test.
0:37 It only takes a few minutes.
0:39 I send you your results by email.
0:41 Take that test, click on the link in the description box,
0:44 or scan the QR code there.
0:46 That will tell you where you currently are.
0:48 But if you know that you want to improve,
0:51 if you know you want to speak English with my accent, modern RP,
0:54 I have launched my fast track to a British accent.
0:58 It's the 5-day British accent boot camp.
1:02 All I need from you is 15 to 30 minutes each day for 5
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1:28 Think of it as your British accent makeover for a huge discount.
1:32 Okay, let's get started with the commonly mispronounced words.
1:37 Let's get started with the lesson,
1:38 and please remember that I am modeling these words with my modern RP accent.
1:44 Other pronunciations are available.
1:46 If your version is different from mine, that doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong.
1:50 Even some of the wrong pronunciations we cover in this video may be regarded
1:55 as correct in other regional dialects.
1:58 So, let's get started with number one.
2:00 How do you pronounce the word in bold?
2:03 I go for a run in the morning.
2:08 This word here causes so much confusion with my students.
2:13 Is it often or is it often?
2:15 It might be one of the most controversial words in the English language.
2:20 Often or often?
2:22 I have said often in the past in my videos
2:24 and I have received comments correcting me.
2:28 This one is a trick question.
2:29 I just wanted to highlight it
2:31 because it's so important
2:32 and I often see it miscorrected.
2:36 Both often and often are correct and commonly used.
2:41 I grew up in Bedfordshire and often was most commonly used.
2:46 I've heard teachers say that often is incorrect.
2:49 It is not.
2:50 It's widely accepted.
2:52 Use whichever feels most natural to you.
2:54 Often or often?
2:55 Number two.
2:57 How do you pronounce the word in bold?
2:59 I use a moisturizer to my skin.
3:05 Would you say soften or soften?
3:09 If you said soften with a t sound, I'm sorry,
3:13 but this time you are wrong.
3:15 Soften should always have a silent t.
3:17 I use a moisturizer to soften my skin.
3:20 I was in a yoga class the other week
3:23 and I couldn't relax
3:24 because the teacher kept telling me to soften the muscles in my face.
3:28 Don't make the same mistake she did.
3:30 Soften the muscles in your face.
3:33 A quick note on pronunciation here, even though my yoga teacher mispronounced soften,
3:38 it didn't impede my understanding.
3:40 The most important thing in English is communication.
3:44 Then work on fine-tuning your pronunciation if you want to.
3:47 Okay, number three is a word
3:49 that I used to mispronounce all the time
3:52 when I was young.
3:53 I can still hear my mom correcting me.
3:55 We rely on energy.
3:59 The correct pronunciation is nuclear.
4:03 Nuclear, but a lot of people get confused with where the y is
4:08 and say nukular,
4:12 nukular, or nukular.
4:13 They add in an extra y sound.
4:15 Make sure you get it right by saying nuclear, nuclear.
4:20 Now, in North American accents,
4:22 they will drop the y sound from the first syllable.
4:26 Nuclear, but it should be nuclear, not nukular.
4:31 It's very subtle, but it's a mispronunciation I hear often or often.
4:36 Think of it as if you're combining the words new and clear.
4:43 Nuclear.
4:44 Nuclear.
4:44 Okay, number four.
4:46 I'm a big fan of music.
4:50 When you pronounce this, do you pronounce the L?
4:53 I don't blame you.
4:54 A lot of people do, but this is incorrect.
4:56 The correct pronunciation is folk.
5:00 Folk.
5:01 I'm a big fan of folk music.
5:03 The letter L is often silent
5:06 when it comes after a vowel sound
5:08 and is followed by a consonant sound.
5:10 Not always, often.
5:13 Can you think of any more examples?
5:15 Here are some.
5:16 Read them out with me now to practice.
5:18 We have half, calm, yolk, palm,
5:27 and this last one that lots of people get wrong, almond.
5:32 Many native speakers do actually pronounce the L in almond
5:35 and say almond or almond.
5:38 It's controversial.
5:39 I don't want to get into it.
5:40 In general, we say almond.
5:42 And here's something else to add to the confusion.
5:45 Many native speakers drop the L sound in several words spelled A L
5:51 when technically it should be there.
5:54 Here are some examples.
5:55 Although becomes although, already becomes already, all right becomes all right,
6:03 and always becomes always.
6:06 I do this myself in fast speech.
6:08 Already, all right, always.
6:10 Okay, number five.
6:12 I took some for my headache.
6:15 Okay, this word is
6:16 so difficult to spell
6:17 that it's not surprising
6:18 that loads of people mispronounce it.
6:20 The most common pronunciation is ibuprofen.
6:25 Ibuprofen with the main stress on the third syllable,
6:29 but lots of speakers misplace the stress and say ibuprofen.
6:35 Another tricky thing about this word is the invisible y sound before the u.
6:42 Ibuprofen.
6:42 This word causes so much confusion.
6:44 Can you believe I've even heard this pronounced ibruprofen by some native speakers?
6:50 If in doubt, just ask for a painkiller instead.
6:53 Okay, let's move on to a picture round.
6:55 We have some words that confuse so many of my students.
7:00 Firstly, what is this?
7:02 For those who can't see the screen,
7:04 it's a leafy green vegetable used as the base of salads.
7:09 It is a lettuce.
7:12 Lettuce.
7:14 I know it's so tempting to see the letter U
7:17 and say something like lettuce
7:19 or let us,
7:21 but we need to use the short i vowel sound here.
7:24 Lettuce.
7:25 Lettuce.
7:27 Can you think of any other words
7:28 that are spelled with a U
7:30 that are pronounced with a short i sound.
7:33 Here are a few.
7:33 Read them with me to practice.
7:35 We have busy, business, and minute.
7:43 Got it?
7:44 We'll try a full sentence together.
7:46 I'll highlight the other i sounds, too.
7:49 Repeat with me.
7:51 Give me a minute.
7:53 I'm a bit busy with my lettuce business.
7:57 I imagine that's the first time anyone has said that sentence.
8:01 No one on Earth could have said that sentence before.
8:03 It's so random.
8:05 Give me a minute.
8:06 I'm a bit busy with my lettuce business.
8:09 Okay, number seven.
8:10 What is this?
8:12 A beard.
8:14 So many students often get confused
8:16 when pronouncing this word
8:18 and three other similar words.
8:21 What do we call these?
8:23 We have beer, bear, bird.
8:29 Very similar to beard.
8:31 Beer, as in an alcoholic drink.
8:35 Bear, as in the animal that lives in the forest.
8:38 Bird, the flying animal.
8:40 And beard, the hair on your face.
8:42 I want to help you remember the difference between these confusing words once
8:46 and for all.
8:47 So we're going to use some short rhymes to memorize the different pronunciations.
8:52 Are you ready?
8:53 Read along with me.
8:54 He's got a weird beard.
8:57 Same pronunciation there.
8:59 He's got a weird beard.
9:03 That deer's drinking beers.
9:08 That deer's drinking beers.
9:13 A bear cut my hair.
9:17 A bear cut my hair.
9:21 The bird is a nerd.
9:26 The bird is a nerd.
9:28 Okay, here are some more images for you.
9:31 What is this?
9:34 And what about this?
9:35 Picture one is of a delicious cake or something,
9:39 and picture two is of a very dry sandy area.
9:43 Word number eight is desert.
9:47 Desert.
9:47 We stress the first syllable and then use the weak uh vowel sound,
9:53 the schwa, in the second syllable.
9:55 Desert.
9:56 Desert.
9:57 Dessert is stressed on the second syllable
10:02 and has a long uh vowel sound like in her dessert.
10:09 Dessert.
10:09 Can you hear the difference?
10:14 Desert.
10:14 Dessert.
10:14 Here they are in a sentence.
10:16 We had ice cream for dessert in the desert.
10:20 Now, the spelling of these two very different words is
10:23 so similar that it's not surprising they get mixed up.
10:27 Okay, another pair of images for you now.
10:29 Number nine, what is this?
10:33 It's blue with clouds in it.
10:34 What is it?
10:35 And what about this?
10:37 It's a man going down a mountain really fast on two planks.
10:43 So, we have sky as in high in the sky,
10:47 and then we have ski with the long e sound.
10:51 Often, my students will confuse these vowel sounds.
10:55 Sky, ski.
10:58 And our last, number 10.
11:00 What's the dog doing with the bone?
11:03 He's putting it in the ground.
11:06 He is burying it.
11:09 So, the verb bury with the letter u is pronounced the same
11:13 as the fruit berry with the letter e.
11:16 Berry, berry.
11:18 The letter u causes many of my students to say burying or burying,
11:23 but that's incorrect.
11:24 It should be berry with an e sound.
11:27 Berry, burying.
11:28 This word confuses a lot of native speakers, too.
11:31 There's a place called Bury in the north of England, near Manchester,
11:35 and not even the residents seem to agree on the correct pronunciation.
11:40 Some say berry, rhyming with berry, and others say bury, rhyming with curry.
11:46 So, how many of these incredibly common words were you pronouncing correctly?
11:52 Let me know your score in the comments,
11:54 and tell me if any pronunciations surprised you.
11:57 Let's get started with number one.
11:59 How do you pronounce this word?
12:02 My is getting clearer with practice.
12:07 Now, if you said pronunciation, it's incorrect, but I understand your logic.
12:15 You'll hear many native speakers making this mistake.
12:19 The verb to pronounce is pronounced with the ow diphthong.
12:25 So, why not the noun, too?
12:28 The correct pronunciation is pronunciation.
12:32 I often get accused of mispronouncing pronunciation, because sometimes I say pronunciation so quickly,
12:40 it sounds like it could be pronunciation.
12:44 So, if you are ever tempted to correct someone, bear that in mind.
12:48 One other thing you might hear is people adding a soft t sound before
12:53 the s pronunciation.
12:56 Some people do that.
12:57 Let's move on to number two.
12:58 How would you pronounce this word here?
13:02 The scientists began to analyze the what?
13:07 Did you say data or data?
13:12 Either is correct.
13:14 They are both perfectly correct.
13:15 However, one is more common in British English.
13:19 Do you know which?
13:20 Data is more common in British English.
13:23 Feel free to use the long ah vowel sound, data,
13:28 if that works better for you.
13:29 Now, our friends across the pond in North America would generally say data.
13:35 Okay, our next word also causes a lot of confusion amongst my students.
13:40 How would you pronounce this word?
13:43 I have a hectic Is it schedule or schedule?
13:51 Now, according to most online dictionaries, Brits favor schedule with the sh sound.
13:58 However, I'm British.
14:00 I grew up in Bedfordshire, and I heard lots of people say schedule.
14:05 It really is a mix.
14:08 In North America, schedule with the sk sound is favored, but again,
14:13 you might hear schedule.
14:14 Number four is word that seems to be having some sort of identity crisis.
14:21 How would you pronounce it?
14:23 I parked the car in the So,
14:28 there are at least three common pronunciations for this word in British English.
14:34 I tend to say garage.
14:37 It's what I grew up saying.
14:39 My parents say garage.
14:40 This has an idge sound at the end.
14:43 Some of my friends say garage, garage,
14:49 with a long ah vowel sound and a zh at the end.
14:53 The zh sound is in words like usually and television.
14:58 A similar pronunciation replaces the zh sound with j as in jeans.
15:05 Garage.
15:07 So, we have garage, garage, or garage.
15:13 All three versions are stressed on the first syllable, ga.
15:18 However, don't get ahead of yourself.
15:20 I haven't finished yet.
15:21 This word comes from the French word garage.
15:25 >> >> So, my French pronunciation needs a lot of work, meaning to shelter.
15:29 And why am I telling you that?
15:30 Well, in many North American accents,
15:33 there's a tendency to stress the last syllable and say garage or garage instead.
15:40 So, that's five different possible pronunciations for this one word.
15:45 I personally prefer garage because it's what my dad says.
15:49 Let's move on to another controversial word.
15:52 How do you pronounce this one here?
15:55 I'd like a with jam and cream.
15:59 Clotted cream to be precise.
16:01 Now, if you said scone rhyming with phone,
16:07 I'm afraid you're in the slight minority.
16:11 If you said scone as in gone with the aw sound,
16:16 welcome to my club.
16:18 This is most definitely how I prefer to pronounce this word.
16:21 Scone as in gone, not scone as in phone.
16:26 Now, not everyone in the UK agrees with me,
16:29 and I'm certainly not saying that scone as in phone is incorrect.
16:33 I know lots of people who are very passionate about the correct pronunciation of
16:39 this word.
16:39 There are regional differences as well with how we pronounce scone or scone.
16:44 Let me know which one you'll go for in the comments.
16:47 I welcome some friendly banter from Brits that disagree with me.
16:51 We'll stick with food for the next word.
16:53 How do you pronounce this vegetable here with large,
16:57 dark green leaves that can be cooked or eaten raw in salads?
17:01 In a sentence, is packed full of nutrients.
17:05 So, I usually say spinach,
17:09 spinach with the short i vowel in the second syllable
17:13 and ch at the end.
17:15 Spinach, not spinach or spinash, but here's an interesting thing.
17:23 Some speakers switch this unvoiced ch sound for the voiced j in jeans.
17:30 Spinage.
17:31 Can you think of any other words ending in ch with this alternative pronunciation?
17:37 We have this one.
17:39 Sandwich or sandwhich, Norwich or Norridge, Greenwich or Greenidge.
17:48 Okay, now for a word I hear mispronounced quite often.
17:53 How would you pronounce it?
17:56 Aunt Alice has always been a bit what?
18:00 Are we continuing with the food theme?
18:03 No, we're not, but I do hear eccentric quite a lot.
18:07 Instead of the voiced g, use the unvoiced k.
18:12 Eccentric.
18:14 Eccentric.
18:15 Eccentric with the e vowel sound works well, too.
18:17 For number eight, we have a pair of words.
18:20 How do you pronounce each one?
18:22 He dreamt of a lifestyle.
18:28 Okay, so the first word is the noun luxury with the k sound.
18:35 Luxury.
18:36 But what happens when we switch to the adjective?
18:40 It's not luxurious.
18:43 The k changes to a g sound.
18:47 Luxurious.
18:49 I think it sounds more luxurious when you use the g sound as well.
18:57 Luxury, luxurious.
18:57 Notice how the stress shifts here, too.
19:04 Luxury, luxurious.
19:04 Now, remember, I'm modeling my modern RP accent, but in North American English,
19:10 some speakers use a k sound followed by a shh, not zh.
19:16 So, in British English, it's luxurious, and in some North American accents, it's luxurious.
19:23 Let's stick with the sound for this next word.
19:27 What do you call this small star-shaped symbol
19:30 that you can add to a phrase to add more information at the bottom
19:34 of a page?
19:35 Now, if you said "asterix", I'm really sorry, but you're wrong.
19:40 Instead of thinking "rix", you need to think "risk".
19:44 Asterisk.
19:45 Now, you can choose to say "asterix" or "asteric", and you will be understood.
19:51 But, technically, the correct pronunciation is asterisk.
19:55 Okay, it's time for our final word,
19:57 and this word is
19:58 so utterly difficult that even the British legend
20:02 that is Benedict Cumberbatch can't pronounce it correctly.
20:07 Can you?
20:08 How do you pronounce this super cute black
20:10 and white animal that lives in the Antarctic?
20:13 The waddled across the ice.
20:17 Okay, so I'm very sorry.
20:18 This is not a penguin.
20:21 It's not a pengwing, either.
20:24 This very cute animal is called a penguin.
20:28 Penguin.
20:29 Nice and simple, right?
20:31 Not for Benedict.
20:32 Let's get started with the mispronounced words.
20:35 Okay, number one.
20:36 How do you pronounce the word in blue?
20:39 She's made a for herself as a vegan food photographer.
20:44 Now, as you may have guessed,
20:46 there's quite a debate over how to pronounce this word.
20:50 Two pronunciations are generally considered to be correct.
20:55 Niche, that rhymes with "kish", and "nitch", that rhymes with "which".
21:03 Can you hear the difference?
21:05 Niche, with the long e vowel sound ending in sh
21:10 and niche with the short i vowel sound ending in ch
21:15 as in cheese.
21:17 Niche nitch.
21:20 Now, can you guess which one I use?
21:22 I say niche and this pronunciation is much more common in British English.
21:28 To me, it just sounds a bit nicer.
21:30 Niche nitch.
21:32 Niche nitch.
21:34 Go with whichever you prefer.
21:36 Okay, number two.
21:38 How do you pronounce the word in blue here?
21:40 The coastal towns are to flooding.
21:44 Okay, this is a hard one, but there are a couple of accepted pronunciations.
21:49 We have vulnerable, vulnerable with four syllables or vulnerable, vulnerable with just three.
22:04 Vulnerable vulnerable.
22:04 Which one do you think I favor?
22:06 I prefer three syllables.
22:08 We love getting rid of vowel sounds in the middle of words like this.
22:11 Think comfortable and vegetable and chocolate.
22:17 But the um consonant cluster, that sounded a bit weird when I said that.
22:22 Um right, but vuln um, that consonant cluster is quite a mouthful.
22:29 Vulnerable, vulnerable.
22:31 So, some people get rid of it
22:33 and just say vulnerable
22:35 or vulnerable with or without the ul sound.
22:39 Doesn't really matter.
22:40 You are going to be understood.
22:42 What's more important here is the suffix able.
22:47 Able.
22:48 It's the weak schwa vowel sound, uh, not the strong diphthong ay.
22:56 Vulnerable, not vulnerable.
22:59 Okay, number three.
23:00 How do you pronounce the word in blue?
23:03 The child gave the teacher a grin.
23:07 Okay, I love saying this word and to me it sounds naughty,
23:11 which is what it means.
23:13 Now, it is usually pronounced mischievous.
23:19 Mischievous with the main stress on the first syllable.
23:22 However, there's a big debate in the UK.
23:25 Lots of English speakers mispronounce this word.
23:29 My mom mispronounces this word.
23:31 I was originally brought up to mispronounce this word.
23:35 For some reason mischievous has become a common pronunciation.
23:41 However, it's not spelled mischievous.
23:44 There's no extra syllable there in the spelling.
23:47 I grew up in Bedfordshire.
23:48 It could be a Bedfordshire thing.
23:50 Um, but I remember typing in mischievous with an ious at the end
23:56 and always having it marked incorrect by word spell check.
24:00 Now, this non-standard pronunciation is
24:03 so common it actually appears in some pronunciation dictionaries.
24:07 But you might prefer to learn the more traditional pronunciation
24:10 that reflects the spelling mischievous.
24:13 Okay, number four, how do you pronounce the word in blue here?
24:17 I'll have a double please.
24:20 Okay, if you said expresso or expresso I don't blame you,
24:27 but technically it's incorrect.
24:29 One of my first jobs was working in a pub
24:32 and I used to mispronounce this all the time.
24:35 I would even write expresso when taking orders.
24:38 I was shocked when I learned it was spelled espresso instead of expresso.
24:45 Number five, how do you pronounce this word in blue?
24:49 I wrapped up the sandwiches in foil.
24:54 So, this is a British versus American fight here.
24:57 In British English, we normally say aluminium.
25:03 Aluminium or aluminium.
25:06 Aluminium, aluminium.
25:07 But, this word can sound very different in North American English.
25:11 Many people say aluminum, aluminum with the stress on a different syllable.
25:17 The spelling can also be different, reflecting this big pronunciation difference.
25:22 So, choose whichever you prefer.
25:24 Aluminium or aluminum.
25:27 Number six, how do you pronounce the word in blue?
25:30 Clear your browser to speed up your laptop.
25:34 Did you say cache?
25:37 So did I for many years, but it's not right.
25:40 The correct pronunciation is cash, just like cash as in money.
25:45 Computer cash and money cash are homophones.
25:49 These are words that are pronounced the same,
25:50 but with different spellings and different meanings.
25:53 I think a lot of people get confused between the word cash,
25:58 here meaning computer memory, and cache, meaning prestige.
26:04 Number seven, how do you pronounce the word in blue here?
26:07 There's a at work that I find really intimidating.
26:12 Okay, did you say clique with the long e vowel sound, clique?
26:18 Well, if you did, that is how most Brits would pronounce this word.
26:23 But, in North America,
26:26 it's often pronounced as a homophone of click with the short i sound.
26:32 I favor clique, some people favor click.
26:36 I wonder which pronunciation you've heard before.
26:38 Number eight, the word in blue.
26:41 Oranges are rich in C.
26:45 So, I say vitamin with a clear, crisp t sound.
26:51 And I use the short i vowel twice.
26:57 Vitamin.
26:59 Vitamin.
26:59 In North American accents,
27:01 you'll often hear vitamin
27:03 or vitamin with the i diphthong
27:07 and the soft almost d sound replacing the t sound.
27:13 It's a flap t.
27:15 It's not quite the full d sound.
27:18 Both are correct.
27:19 It just depends on whether you're aiming for more of a British
27:22 or North American accent.
27:23 Okay, number nine.
27:24 How do you pronounce this word here?
27:27 The empty chair was a reminder of his absence.
27:31 So, this beautiful word meaning moving is pronounced poignant.
27:39 Poignant.
27:40 Isn't that gorgeous to say?
27:44 Poignant.
27:44 So, we have a silent g in there.
27:47 So, if you said poignant, it's not quite right.
27:51 This word comes from Old French and literally means pricking.
27:55 Some other words with French origin
27:57 that have a silent g before the letter n are foreign,
28:04 sovereign, align, and of course, champagne.
28:08 Okay, are you ready for our last word of the lesson?
28:11 Number 10.
28:12 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
28:14 It's difficult to if they're pleased with the decision.
28:19 Did you say gage or gorge or maybe gaj or gajoo?
28:27 >> >> Well, the correct pronunciation is gage.
28:30 The letter a is pronounced with the a diphthong like in pay,
28:36 and the letters u g e make a j as in jeans.
28:41 So, gage rhymes with page.
28:44 Let's start with number one.
28:46 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
28:49 I'll put these flowers in a How do you pronounce it?
28:56 So, I say vase with the long ah vowel sound like in stars.
29:05 The vase has stars on it.
29:08 But, you may have heard this pronounced quite differently.
29:14 Many North Americans switch the ah for a
29:19 and the z at the end for s.
29:23 So, vase for me becomes vase for them.
29:29 Place the vase on the table.
29:31 There is another alternative.
29:34 Some North American speakers prefer a z sound at the end, vaze,
29:41 but this is less common.
29:43 The variation that I have never heard is vahs.
29:48 >> >> We always say vase in British English.
29:51 Choose whichever you like best.
29:53 What's important is that people understand you.
29:56 Okay, number two.
29:57 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
30:01 Should we take the direct or the scenic home?
30:07 Did you say route or root?
30:11 And which do you think most Brits would use?
30:14 We tend to use the long oo vowel here.
30:17 So, root rhymes with boot.
30:21 This pronunciation is very common in North America, too,
30:25 but some prefer route rhyming with shout.
30:30 But, I've never heard anyone say Route 66.
30:34 Have you?
30:35 Maybe we have some Americans in the chat who can let me know.
30:37 Okay, number three.
30:39 I struggled to pronounce this word
30:41 as a child and it still sometimes causes me problems.
30:44 So, how do you pronounce this word here in blue?
30:47 Some cash and electronics was stolen in the So, the correct pronunciation is burglary.
30:59 Burglary.
30:59 Now, I've heard all kinds of mispronunciations of this word.
31:09 Burglary, burglary, burgalary.
31:10 >> >> Burglary is the one you should learn.
31:11 And a burglary is the general noun for the crime of illegally entering a
31:17 building and stealing things.
31:20 But, what do we call the person who does this?
31:23 This is a burglar.
31:26 A burglar, which can also be really challenging to pronounce.
31:30 In fact, some Scottish people find the phrase "purple burglar alarm" almost impossible to
31:39 say.
31:39 Purple burglar alarm.
31:40 Purple burglar alarm.
31:43 Purple burglar alarm.
31:44 See if you can say it.
31:46 Purple burglar alarm.
31:48 I wonder how often situations arise where people genuinely have to say the phrase
31:53 "purple burglar alarm".
31:55 Number four, how do you pronounce this word in blue here?
31:59 Close the door, there's a coming in.
32:03 So, we have a silly spelling here.
32:06 The letters A and U combine to make ah, like in aunt and laugh.
32:14 And the letters G H combine to make ff as in laugh again,
32:21 and enough.
32:22 So, the correct pronunciation is draft with the long ah vowel sound,
32:29 and then ft at the end.
32:32 Draft.
32:34 Draft.
32:35 I know it's very tempting to say drought or something like that.
32:39 Draft with a short a vowel is also very common in North America
32:45 and in the north of England.
32:47 I say draft.
32:49 Now, I totally understand why North Americans have simplified the spelling to match its
32:54 pronunciation more closely.
32:56 They spell this word d r a f t, much easier.
33:01 Okay, number five and here you get two for the price of one.
33:05 How do you pronounce these words in blue?
33:09 Film was interesting, so I didn't finish of them.
33:14 My students ask me about these words all the time.
33:18 Are they pronounced either and neither or either and neither?
33:27 Well, according to most online dictionaries, Brits generally prefer either and neither,
33:35 and either and neither are more common in North America.
33:39 But in North America, they do pronounce the r sound at the end.
33:44 Either, neither.
33:46 I have to say though, we now use them pretty much interchangeably.
33:51 I do this myself.
33:52 It just kind of depends on what mood I'm in
33:56 and how my sentence is flowing.
33:58 It seems that older Brits are sticking with either and neither,
34:04 whereas younger Brits are using either and neither.
34:09 So, I have good news.
34:11 Use whichever you like best.
34:13 It really doesn't matter.
34:14 Let's look at number six.
34:16 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
34:19 I grew up in a quiet area.
34:24 This one always comes up with my students in lessons.
34:27 It can be really tricky to get your tongue around this word. rural rural
34:35 So,
34:35 the "er" sound can be challenging, and we've got two in quick succession here,
34:41 one after the other.
34:42 And to make matters worse, we have got my least favorite diphthong,
34:49 "er" as in pure in the middle.
34:52 Gliding from the "er" to "uh"
34:56 and then back to "er" is difficult even for me. rural rural
35:04 And then,
35:04 the icing on the cake is
35:06 that transition from "er" to "ul" at the end.
35:11 So, your tongue has to curl back and then forward. rural >> >> Gosh,
35:18 it's a tough one.
35:18 Give it some practice. rural And well done if you can pronounce it clearly.
35:24 It's tough.
35:25 Number seven, I love pronouncing this next word, but it's hard.
35:30 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
35:32 I admire her keen intelligence and So,
35:38 this word describes the quality of being energetic, active, or positive.
35:45 And it's pronounced effervescence. effervescence What makes it so tricky?
35:53 Well, I have to concentrate really hard
35:55 when I pronounce this word
35:57 because my tongue desperately wants to repeat the "f" again
36:02 and say effervescence,
36:04 but that sounds like I'm saying effervescent, which makes no sense at all.
36:09 Pheasant starts with a "ph". effervescence Okay,
36:13 let's try a much shorter word for number eight.
36:16 How do you pronounce this word in blue here?
36:18 We gazed at the snow-capped mountains in So,
36:25 this word is actually surprisingly easy to pronounce.
36:29 It contains just one vowel sound.
36:33 Or.
36:34 That's right.
36:34 It's or as in more, door, and four.
36:39 Now, in North American accents, this sound is usually pronounced a little more open.
36:45 So, this word could sound more like ah,
36:49 but it's still got a touch of the or in it.
36:55 Ah.
36:56 Ah.
36:56 I really struggled to produce that sound in an American accent.
36:59 So, I would like to ask an American friend pronounce it for me.
37:04 Here we go.
37:04 Ah.
37:07 Thank you.
37:08 Let's move on to number nine.
37:09 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
37:13 She is the of elegance and good taste.
37:18 I adore this word.
37:19 It means you are the embodiment or perfect example of something.
37:24 Now, if you pronounce this word epitome, I'm afraid that's incorrect.
37:30 The o is a schwa, and that e at the end isn't silent.
37:36 It's pronounced e.
37:38 So, the correct pronunciation is epitome or a epitome.
37:46 Epitome.
37:47 Now, please learn it and use it.
37:48 It's a beautiful word.
37:50 Spread it around.
37:51 Okay, time for our final commonly mispronounced word, number 10.
37:57 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
37:59 The dinosaur in the Natural History Museum are incredible.
38:04 So, the correct pronunciation is skeletons with the weak i
38:12 or skeletons with the schwa.
38:15 Skeletons.
38:17 Now, lots of people mispronounce this word
38:20 and place the stress on the last syllable by mistake.
38:24 Skeleton.
38:25 And many kids really struggle to say this word
38:27 and say "scallington" like "wellingtons" instead,
38:32 and I find that so cute.
38:33 Let's get started with the mispronunciations.
38:36 Number one.
38:38 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
38:42 Celebrities have the right to two.
38:49 Well, in British English, we can say privacy or privacy.
38:56 Privacy is more common.
38:58 Privacy is becoming more common.
39:01 I tend to use privacy.
39:03 My husband uses privacy.
39:05 When we have children, we will have to fight, maybe a thumb war,
39:09 over which pronunciation to use.
39:11 In both versions, it's important to get the weak schwa vowel sound in the
39:17 middle.
39:24 Uh.
39:24 Uh.
39:24 Uh-see.
39:24 Uh-see.
39:24 Privacy.
39:26 Privacy.
39:26 Now, in North America,
39:28 privacy with the I sound like in "hi" is more common.
39:34 As long as you are using the uh schwa sound, privacy, privacy, you're fine.
39:42 Okay, number two.
39:44 How do you pronounce this word in blue here?
39:48 From trees and houses covered the streets after the storm.
39:57 Well, the S at the end is silent.
40:01 So, this word ends with a long E vowel sound.
40:05 And what comes before that?
40:08 Well, we have lots of choices here.
40:12 In British English, we tend to go with debris.
40:18 Debris with a short e vowel sound.
40:21 We also say daybri.
40:25 Daybri with an a vowel sound.
40:27 Debri daybri.
40:30 Now, in both of these versions, the stress is on the first syllable.
40:38 Debri.
40:38 Daybri.
40:39 Now, in most North American accents, the stress moves to the second syllable.
40:45 Debri or daybri.
40:48 Confusing?
40:50 Yes.
40:51 But, the good news is
40:52 that as long as you don't pronounce the s at the end,
40:56 pretty much any way you pronounce this word is going to be correct.
41:00 Okay.
41:01 Number three.
41:02 How do you pronounce this word in blue?
41:04 You're for financial assistance as you earn too much money.
41:14 Okay.
41:15 This one is ineligible.
41:24 Ineligible.
41:25 Ineligible.
41:25 If you are ineligible for something,
41:26 you are not allowed to have it because of certain rules.
41:29 Now, not only do I hear this word mispronounced by native speakers,
41:35 but I also hear them confuse this with a similar sounding word, illegible.
41:41 Illegible.
41:42 It might sound similar, but it has a totally different meaning.
41:47 Do you know what it means?
41:48 Illegible means difficult or impossible to read.
41:53 Unreadable.
41:54 Like my dad's handwriting, for example.
41:57 So, take care not to confuse the two.
41:59 Ineligible, illegible.
42:02 Number four, how do you pronounce this word in blue here?
42:05 Children must be accompanied by an at all times.
42:14 This word seems easy, but it causes confusion.
42:18 The confusion is due to stress.
42:21 So, did you place the main stress on the first syllable like adult,
42:27 or did you place it on the second?
42:31 adult adult adult It makes me laugh
42:36 that stress is the main cause of confusion here
42:39 because I'd say that being an adult
42:41 or an adult involves a lot of stress.
42:45 So, both pronunciations are totally fine, though adult is more common in Britain.
42:52 Number five, how do you pronounce this word in blue here?
42:56 As I opened the oven door,
42:59 I was hit by a a freshly baked bread.
43:07 So, I usually pronounce this word with the short monophthong o
43:12 as in October. o October waft waft Maybe you saw the letter A
43:22 and went for waft with an a for apple.
43:26 This is fine, too.
43:27 It's just much less common.
43:30 You can also say waft.
43:32 I favor waft.
43:34 Okay, let's move on to a picture round for the next five words.
43:38 How do you pronounce this structure through
43:42 which smoke is carried up from a fire
43:45 and out through the roof?
43:50 It is a chimney. a chimney Now,
43:55 some people add a syllable in the middle and say chimney.
44:00 I wonder if that's because of Mary Poppins.
44:03 I don't do this.
44:05 In Mary Poppins, there's a song that goes chim chimney.
44:08 I won't sing it for you.
44:10 I don't want to put you through that.
44:12 There are even some places in the world where people will pronounce it chimley
44:17 or chimbley.
44:19 Norfolk, for example, and apparently Appalachia.
44:22 But, unless you live in one of the areas where a regional variation is
44:27 commonly used,
44:28 it's probably best to stick with the standard pronunciation.
44:33 Chimney.
44:34 Okay, moving on to number seven.
44:36 What do we call these items here?
44:38 Like rings, necklaces, and earrings that people wear as a decoration.
44:47 This is jewelry.
44:51 Jewelry.
44:51 Now, some people think we need four syllables here and say jewelry,
44:57 but we don't.
44:59 Just three is perfect.
45:01 Jewelry.
45:03 And in fact, in many accents, especially in North America,
45:07 it's reduced to just two syllables.
45:09 I do this when I'm speaking quickly.
45:12 Jewelry.
45:13 Jewelry.
45:14 In North American English, the spelling is simplified to Now, this is interesting.
45:19 Some speakers also switch the uh
45:22 and l sounds and say jewelry instead of jewelry.
45:28 It's your choice.
45:29 Choose whichever you like best.
45:31 I think jewelry, two syllables, nice and simple.
45:35 Now, number eight.
45:36 How do you pronounce this computer file
45:40 that contains still or moving images often sent on the internet?
45:48 So, this word is short for graphic interchange format.
45:54 And there is a huge debate
45:56 as to whether the letters should be pronounced gif
46:00 or gif.
46:01 I don't really see what all the fuss is about, to be honest.
46:04 I favor GIF, but I can see why people say GIF.
46:10 I wonder what you think is right.
46:11 And here are two more similar words I often hear mispronounced.
46:18 It's not meme, mim or mem.
46:22 It's meme.
46:25 And it's not earl, but URL.
46:29 Make sure you get those right, too.
46:31 Okay, number nine.
46:32 How do you pronounce this delicious green plant that's often used in pasta dishes?
46:41 Okay, most Brits would call this basil.
46:45 Basil.
46:47 We've got the short a vowel sound there,
46:50 but basil is more common in many North American accents.
46:55 Which do you use?
46:56 Basil or basil?
46:58 Okay, it's time for our final word of the lesson, number 10.
47:02 How do you pronounce the word for a person who is applying for a
47:07 job?
47:10 Well, I say candidate, candidate with a schwa at the end.
47:16 It.
47:17 Candidate.
47:19 We often use a schwa in unstressed syllables, but interestingly,
47:24 this word can also be pronounced with a strong a vowel sound.
47:33 Candidate.
47:33 Candidate.
47:33 And approximately 25% of North Americans do not pronounce the first d.
47:40 It feels so strange in my British accent to say candidat or candidate,
47:46 but it does sound better in an American accent.
47:49 Candidate.
47:51 My American accent needs work.
47:52 >> >> Mhm.
