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to mispronounce

to mispronounce

15 3.7
Say a word or sound in the wrong way
  • verb
  • /ˌmɪsprəˈnaʊns/
translation icon : pronunciar mal
  • A lot of people mispronounce it, but it sounds just the way it's spelled.
  • mispronounce words
  • mispronounce names

You know, certain words can be mispronounced or things can be said the wrong way.

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Examples

  • I've heard this guy mispronounce more words than I care to explain.

  • I often mispronounce difficult words when I'm reading out loud in class.

  • But there is a whole generation out there who mispronounce your name.

  • I had somebody go after me for mispronouncing her name.

  • You know, certain words can be mispronounced or things can be said the wrong way.

  • "My name is --" he finally said, but he was so nervous he mispronounced it.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I'm afraid you are mispronouncing your name, Sir.

  • Some researchers have found that poor readers often mispronounce new words (Miles, 1983).

    Academic text (1993)
  • It is illegal to mispronounce Arkansas.

  • I passed up so many teachable moments with my students because I didn't want to mispronounce their names.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

to misarticulate
vsto mispronounce
  • Specialized
9.3

To say a word or sound incorrectly so people cannot understand it

means saying a word incorrectly rather than merely unclearly

Antonyms

Say words in the correct way so people understand you

How Clear

to enunciate
6 5.8
to pronounce
204 1.0
to mispronounce
15 3.7
to mumble
103 4.9
to garble
8 8.0

Surface Forms

mispronounce infinitive
mispronounced past participle
mispronouncing present participle
mispronounces third person singular

Morphology

mispronounce = pronounce (transparent) = mis + pronounce

The productive English prefix 'mis-' meaning 'incorrectly' is added to the familiar verb 'pronounce', so the meaning 'pronounce incorrectly' is directly inferable.

Etymology

Mispronounce is made of mis- ('wrong') and pronounce ('to say'), and pronounce is like announce ('to tell'). So mispronounce means to say a word the wrong way.