![fries](https://veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fries.jpg)
40 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You’re Probably Getting Wrong
By Olivia Valdes ThoughtCo
We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we’ve mispronounced a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the “correct” pronunciation sounds downright strange.
Don’t feel bad if you’ve been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it is spoken every day. Some choose to adhere to rigid rules (known as linguistic prescription) of grammar and pronunciation and take pleasure the precision of English grammar and vocabulary. Others prefer the descriptive linguistics approach, which doesn’t apply judgments like correct or incorrect, but instead looks at how language is actually used.
In other words, as long as people can understand you, you are successfully using language for its primary purpose: communication.
![](https://veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/03/carol-duff.jpg)
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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