17 Words Even Smart People Mispronounce

If you pronounce these words differently, don’t worry—many people do. But here’s how they were originally meant to be pronounced 50, 100, or 200 years ago—and, according to the dictionary, still should be.

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How to pronounce Transient
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce TRANSIENT

It has two syllables not three, so it’s “transhent,” not “tran-zee-ent.” (Mind blown? Ours too.)

2 / 17
How to pronounce Status
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce STATUS

It should be “stay-tus.”

3 / 17
How to pronounce Prelude
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce PRELUDE

“Pray-lood” is incorrect; the proper pronunciation is “prel-yood.”

4 / 17
How to pronounce Valet
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce VALET

Downton Abbey got it right. It’s not a French word, so pronouncing the last syllable as “ay” is incorrect. It should be sounded as “val-it.” (Another fake French word: foyer, which is pronounced “foy-ur,” not “foy-ay.”)

5 / 17
How to pronounce Forte
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce FORTE

If you’re discussing someone’s “forte,” as in a strength, the “e” is silent. “Fortay” is correct only if you’re using it as a musical term.

6 / 17
How to pronounce Err
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce ERR

Rhymes with “hair?” No, it rhymes with “her.”

7 / 17
Many people make pronunciation mistakes with "gala"
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce GALA

Should be: “gay-luh.”

8 / 17
How to pronounce applicable
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce APPLICABLE

The first syllable is the one that should be emphasized, as in app-lic-able, rather than app-lic-able.

9 / 17
How to pronounce spherical
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce SPHERICAL

It’s “sferr-i-kal,” not “sfeer-i-kal.”

10 / 17
How to pronounce decrease
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce DECREASE

If you’re using it as a noun, it’s de-crease. If you’re using it as a verb, it’s de-crease.

11 / 17
How to pronounce caramel
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce CARAMEL

Kah-ruh-mull” is the original way and still the preferred way, although “kar-mull,” which was once a Midwestern regional pronunciation, is also acceptable.

12 / 17
How to pronounce muave
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce MAUVE

It once rhymed with “stove,” but now the “au” is sounded as “aw.”

13 / 17
How to pronounce regime
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce REGIME

The first syllable is sounded as “ray.”

14 / 17
How to pronounce joust
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce JOUST

In the 13th century, it was pronounced (and spelled) like the word “just.”

15 / 17
How to pronounce either
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How to pronounce EITHER

“Eee-thur” or “aye-thur”? “Eee-thur” is the preferred way. (And so is “nee-thur.”)

16 / 17
How to pronounce quasi
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce QUASI

Today it’s often pronounced “kwah-zee,” but it’s more correct to say “kway–zi.”

17 / 17
How to pronounce Long-lived
Photo: Emma Kapotes

How to pronounce LONG-LIVED

Today we say the “lived” as “livd,” but until the 20th century, it was pronounced “lyved.”

Reader's Digest
Originally Published on Reader's Digest