From Barry Keoghan’s surname to the title of a track by his (possibly ex-)girlfriend Sabrina Carpenter, a number of words have proven tricky for us Brits to pronounce this year.
Language learning app Babbel has pulled together a full list of the pronunciations people in the UK have struggled with most, by partnering with TV captioning groups to analyse which words we’ve had the most trouble with.
And it’s not just celebrities (and their song titles) that have caused issues. The list also includes plenty of scientific terms – cryptosporidium, anyone? – and a Chinese retailer used by millions of people every year.
See the full list, including the correct pronunciations, below.
Barry Keoghan [BARR-ee key-OH-gin]
The Irish actor’s career has gone stratospheric this year, following his leading role in last year’s surprise Christmas hit Saltburn.
Unlike many Irish names, in which the second ‘g’ would be silent, Barry’s surname is pronounced with the letter included.
Snus [SNOOZ]
The smoking and vaping alternative has gained popularity across the UK – but plenty of us have been pronouncing it wrongly.
Rather than having a ‘us’ or ‘uz’ sound, the Swedish tobacco product’s name should be said with “an extended ‘o’ and a slightly ‘z sounding ‘s’,” Babbel advises.
Flygskam [FLEEG-skam]
Another Swedish word, Flygskam means ‘flight shame’ and refers to a growing movement discouraging people from flying, due to its environmental impact.
Joško Gvardiol [YOSH-ko GVAR-dee-ol]
Defender Gvardiol signed for Manchester City last August, and his name has proven tricky for sports presenters and commentators to get right.
Espresso [es-PRESS-oh]
You’d think the fact Sabrina Carpenter’s hit track is one of the most-played songs of 2024, according to Spotify, would mean we’d have worked out how to pronounce it by now.
However, in a move that has surely infuriated the Italians among us, plenty of people have continued referring to it as EX-press-oh.
Speculoos-3b [SPEK-yuh-lohss three bee]
The May discovery of an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf proved to be a headache for news presenters.
Cryptosporidium [krip-toe-spuh-RID-ee-um]
The microscopic parasite cryptosporidium hit headlines after a breakout in Devon that affected both humans and animals.
Phryge [FREE-je]
If you think you have no idea what this is, you’re probably wrong. Remember the little red mascots with googly eyes at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics? This is what they were called.
The Phyrges sparked countless memes but plenty of us struggled to say their names and Babbel has now cleared things up.
Ncuti Gatwa [n-SHOO-ti GAT-wah]
Gatwa made his debut in Sex Education back in 2019, but five years later, his name is still one people are struggling with.
And it’s not just the public who have had trouble. Gatwa himself has admitted he didn’t work out how to pronounce his own name until he was 26, and he’s now 32.
Shein [SHE-in]
Online shopping giant Shein counts millions of people as customers, but has puzzled many shoppers with its name.
Luckily, this one is pretty straightforward to master, as it's short for She Inside (that's what the old name for Shein was).
