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mispronunciation

mispronunciation

2 4.7
Saying a word in the wrong way
  • noun
  • /ˌmɪsprəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/
translation icon : mala pronunciación
  • mispronunciations and omissions
  • mispronunciation and substitution
  • mispronunciations and insertions

Examples

  • Sorry for the mispronunciations, but please stand so we can thank you for your efforts.

  • Sorry for the mispronunciation.

  • "While shaving the next day, I laughed briefly, remembering my friend's mispronunciation of King Kong."

    Academic text (2010)
  • They went together on the bus, laughing like children at their mispronunciations and at the stories Signora told them.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I rarely have the impulse to correct someone's mistake, misspelling, mispronunciation, or misuse.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Her frequent mispronunciation of the word 'quokka' made her friends giggle.

  • The teacher gently corrected his mispronunciation of the difficult word during the lesson.

  • Many people struggle with mispronunciation when learning a new language.

Synonyms

misarticulation
vsmispronunciation
  • Specialized
8.6

Saying speech sounds the wrong way, often in children

refers broadly to pronouncing a word incorrectly in any context

How Clear

enunciation
3 5.5
pronunciation
48 2.5
mispronunciation
2 4.7
mumbling
6 3.6
garbled
15 7.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

mispronunciation = pronunciation (transparent) = mis + pronunciation

A straightforward prefixation of 'mis-' (wrongly) to 'pronunciation', so learners who know both parts can derive the meaning.

Etymology

The word mispronunciation comes from mis- meaning 'wrong' and pronounce meaning 'to say a word', the same root you see in announce. So a mispronunciation is simply a 'wrong way to say' a word.