I can't pronounce cysts. I just end up saying "sis" or something along the lines of that.
This is somewhat related. I instinctively pronounce the C in scissors like a K. When I was younger I had trouble spelling it since I always forgot the C, so to remember I just pronounced it that way.
What's some words you can't pronounce?
Abominable, like abominable snowman. He becomes the abdominal snowman
4
jarchackMar 27, 2026
+5
I think that's a dialect thing, not necessarily a mispronunciation. For example, some people actually use a hard "t" in the word often and many do not. I've heard quite a few people use the "sh" sound for words that begin with s, e.g. shtreaming instead of streaming.
5
wht_8Mar 27, 2026
+3
worcestershire
3
YunagiMar 27, 2026
+1
Wooster-sher/Wurster-sher. Or just say wooster sauce.
Words from the UK like Leicestershire, Worcestershire, you don't say the "ce" syllable. Leicester is "Lester-sher" not, "le-ces-ter-sher".
1
ailishMar 27, 2026
+1
No one can say that word. It's designed to be impossible.
1
Alone-Tart4762Mar 27, 2026
+2
I have a stutter, especially when stressed. I won’t be able to get the word out and it becomes a circular thing. I developed the strategy of “talk around it” that were words related to what I was trying to say and it made things a lot easier.
As a kid, I used to say “clumb” as the past tense of climb. I had a rhyme about it - trees are clumb, fish are swum, singers have swung - and it helped me be less frustrated.
I do still say skizzers when I mean scissors and also can’t pronounce parliament without calling it pard-lament.
2
-ChristianTruth-Mar 27, 2026
+2
I found it hard to pronounce a lot of names from the Bible.
As for my wife, she loves them, just can't name them: spistachios.
2
Direct-Obligation533Mar 27, 2026
+2
for me it’s definitely "quinoa" lol, always butcher it. and don’t even get me started on "rural," that one trips me up every time.
2
Icy_Vanilla_4317Mar 27, 2026
+1
I actually don't even now how to pronaunce that correctly lol i've only read it, and the videos I've seen about it where muted, because I had other peopke around me 😅
I struggle with:
- Pizza, it always come out as Pitza.
- Squirrel, who made that word? lol
1
OperationKey3399Mar 27, 2026
+2
Pillow, and temple/tempo
2
lavendar-bumblebeeMar 27, 2026
+2
Cyanocobalamin.
2
Zealousideal_Pen_596Mar 28, 2026
+1
What even is that?
1
lavendar-bumblebeeMar 28, 2026
+1
Vitamin B lol
1
Actual-Bid-6044Mar 27, 2026
+2
CanNOT for the life of me say words that have 2 rs separated by a vowel. Rural. Rory. Nope. Rory would have been a great name for a kid but I thought it was better if I named her something I could say :)
2
tnabrams64Mar 27, 2026
+1
Kind of a side note but I feel like rural would be a nightmare to pronounce if you're learning English.
1
Actual-Bid-6044Mar 28, 2026
+1
Thanks for the validation. It's my first language, but that kind of word - nope!
1
avemflammaMar 27, 2026
+2
rural
2
The_wanderer96Mar 27, 2026
+1
Authoritarian
1
Zealousideal_Pen_596Mar 27, 2026
+2
That stumped me too for a sec
2
moesickleMar 27, 2026
+1
My PWN "accent" makes it difficult for me to articulate Dawn and Don.
1
AffectionateMonk5710Mar 27, 2026
+1
Every once in a while, "cinnamon" comes out correctly and clear, but more often than not, it gets twisted around and come out more like synonym or cinnimon or something weird.
1
NatureLady10Mar 27, 2026
+1
Prevalent, absurd, poke (the Hawaiian dish).
With the last, I’m just not sure how to pronounce it, like it rhymes with woke or OK?
1
GlacineaMar 27, 2026
+1
Anything with the 'r' sound :(
1
SandpaperPeopleMar 27, 2026
+1
millenium and aspartame
1
pastelchannlMar 27, 2026
+1
aluminium - I've conditioned myself to say alulumilium
'th' sounds in english. we don't really have those in dutch, so it's the sound I struggle with the most.
1
TetizerazMar 27, 2026
+1
Word like "girl" are waaaay too hard to us Brazilians.
1
FourSesMar 27, 2026
+1
I have a slight lisp that my retainer makes worse, so words with lots of the letter "S" make me sound like an idiot. Sisters.
1
JoyDVeeveMar 27, 2026
+1
Hullabaloo. It usually comes out hubbalaboo
1
TheGrumpyreMar 27, 2026
+1
Always had trouble with the word "girlfriend". The "rlfr" combo is awful. Fortunately she's my wife now, much easier to introduce
1
Livid_Number_Mar 27, 2026
+1
Proprietary, I get stuck after the second syllable every time.
1
moopetMar 27, 2026
+1
"google glass" or "okay google" are tongue-twisters as far as I'm concerned.
1
Narrow_Theory85311Mar 28, 2026
+1
I used to have trouble pronouncing “preliminary” and “priority”. Now I can. However, pronouncing hippopotamus…
1
LG_PsychologistMar 28, 2026
+1
Realtor. It isn’t real-a-tor people!
1
MukadeYadaMar 27, 2026
Mnemonic. People tell me "Just say nuh-maw-nick." But that sounds stupid to me, like I'm a little kid who can't make the "mn" sound. Like I'm saying "pasketti" instead of "spaghetti."
So I try to make the "mn" sound. And then I fail.
0
YunagiMar 27, 2026
+3
But the way they're telling you to pronounce it is the way it's pronounced. You don't make an "mn" sound. It's pronounced "ne-maw-nick".
3
Zealousideal_Pen_596Mar 27, 2026
+1
What even is that? Mnemonic. I understand why it may be hard damn.
1
MukadeYadaMar 27, 2026
+1
A mnemonic is any mental trick that helps you remember something. Like, it's kinda hard to remember Kingdom/Phylum/Class/Order/Family/Genus/Species, but it's a lot easier if you just remember the sentence "King Phillip Came Over For Good Sex."
37 Comments