Last updated on February 20, 2024
Wrong pronunciation can lead to incorrect spelling
The way words are pronounced doesn’t always correlate to the way they’re written. What I mean by that is, just because you hear a word pronounced one way, doesn’t mean you should spell it the way you hear it. That’s called phonetic spelling.
In the English language where the main rule is words break rules, this isn’t going to help you with your editing later. It also won’t help you make a good impression with your editor if you can’t spell.
Since incorrect pronunciation leads to incorrect spelling, it’s important to get these words right when you speak. It will save you time editing your spelling. If you’ve had difficulty spelling these words in the past and have been guilty of pronouncing these words incorrectly yourself, this list may help you out.
From another of my “lists”, 15 words often pronounced incorrectly:
Expecially – is spelled: especially. You should pronounce it: e-spe-shu-lee
Parlament – is spelled: parliament. This one is pronounced: par-ly-e-ment
Masonary – is spelled: masonry. Spoken correctly, it’s: mey-sun-ree
Expresso – is spelled: espresso. You should pronounce it: e-spre-sow
Sangwich – is spelled: sandwich. (Named after the Earl of Sandwich who ate them). It’s pronounced: san(d)-wich
Interpretate – is spelled: interpret. It’s pronounced: in-tur-prit
Perscription – is spelled prescription. Said the correct way, it’s: pri-skrip-shun
Libary – is spelled: library. It’s pronounced: li-bu-ree
Artic – is spelled: arctic (there’s another “c” in there). It’s pronounced: ark-tik
Miniture – is spelled: miniature. It’s pronounced: mi-ni-a-chur (there’s another syllable in there)
Cannidate – is spelled: candidate. And this one should be spoken outloud as: kan-di-deyt
Aks – is spelled: ask. It’s pronounced: ask (just like it’s spelled)
Febyuary – is spelled: February. It’s pronounced: fe-broo-e-ree
Fedral – is spelled: federal. It’s pronounced: fe-du-rul
And one of my all-time personal pet peeves left over from many years of working retail department stores:
Jewlery – is spelled: jewelry or jewellery (depending on where you live). It’s pronounced: joo(u)-l-ree