Shutterstock
With the year winding down, we have to acknowledge we were introduced to a bunch of new words in 2021.
If we are being honest, sometimes those words can be a bit difficult to learn and it leads to plenty of embarrassing moments and mispronunciations. Now, the time has come to look back at the most mispronounced words of the year.
From popular fast-food chain Chipotle to NFL star Jason Kelce, from music sensation Billie Eilish to meme stock Dogecoin and the latest COVID-19 variant Omicron, there is plenty that people have a rough time with.
“Newscasters in the U.S. have struggled with 2021′s new words and names while reporting on key sporting events, viral internet trends and emerging celebrities,” said Esteban Touma, a standup comedian and teacher for Babbel Live, via the Associated Press.
“As a language teacher, it’s always interesting to see that some of these terms are usually new colloquialisms, or are rooted or borrowed from another language,” he said. “As a non-native speaker, I must confess it’s fun to see English speakers stumbling a bit for a change.”
And yes, it is fun to watch people mispronounce words, but it’s never fun to be the one being made fun of so let’s make sure you know how to get the pronunciation down right.
A full look at the most mispronounced words of the year can be seen below, along with the definitions or brief description.
— Cheugy (CHOO-gee) – Cheugy is a slang adjective mocking someone or something as “uncool”—they are out of touch with current trends or trying too hard to be trendy. Similar slang terms are basic or normie. The word cheugy is often used ironically.
— Chipotle (chih-POHT-lay) – the popular fast-food chain.
— Dalgona (tal-goh-NAH) – a Korean candy made with melted sugar and baking soda which was made popular in the Netflix sensation Squid Game.
— Dogecoin (DOHJ-coin) – the meme stock popularized by Elon Musk.
— Eilish (EYE-lish) – the last name of Grammy winner Billie Eilish.
— Ethereum (ih-THEE-ree-um) – a cryptocurrency popularized during the surge in NFT popularity.
— Ever Given (EV-er GIV-en) – the name of the ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March.
— Glasgow (GLAHZ-go) – host city of November’s United Nations Climate Conference.
— Kelce (KELs) – the last name of Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
— Omicron (AH-muh-kraan / OH-mee-kraan) – the newest variant of COVID-19.
— Shein (SHEE-in) – Chinese fast fashion company which became a trend with the “Shein Haul.”
— Stefanos Tsitsipas (STEH-fuh-nohs TSEE-tsee-pas) – The No. 4-ranked men’s tennis player in the world from Greece.
— Yassify (YEAH-sih-fai) – To apply several beauty filters to a picture using FaceApp.
