The toughest English words to pronounce

I am particularly fond of English phonology. Why ? Well, maybe because I love when things get messy and in the English language pronouncing can get really muddy sometimes. My students say English phonetics have no logic and although that is far from the truth, I sometimes believe they are somehow right. Pronouncing these words will make you sweat given that they defy all kinds of logic. So, I propose you a little game. You go through every word of this post and then you listen to the pronunciation in this wonderful webpage : http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal. It is quite an interesting page for you to continue improving English pronunciation. Let's get started : 

1. Mayor [meə] : A mayor is the person in charge of a city or town. It is not pronounced [‘meɪʤə]. In fact, it only has one syllable, exactly like this [meə]. This word is a homophone with 'mare', the female horse. Surprising, isn't it ? In addition, it is a paronym with major (important), pronounced [‘meɪʤə].

From : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Quimby

2. Bury ['beri] :When you put someone or something under the ground. It is pronounced ['beri]. So be careful when you say the English word 'very', because it is quite similar ! 

From : http://freakoutnation.com/2010/10/resolving-the-bury-button-quagmire/

3. Busy[‘bɪzi] :It's an adjective that refers to someone who has a lot of things to do, or to a really frequented place. From busy, we have the word 'business' [‘bɪznəs].

From : http://www.redhot.co.nz/a-rant-about-asking-people-if-they-are-busy/

4. Woman : [‘wʊmən]  vs. Women [‘wɪmɪn]. Do you see how it changes from singular to plural ?

From : http://www.clipartkid.com/women-helping-women-cliparts/

5. Minute [‘mɪnɪt] : Who would have said that 'sixty seconds' have two identical vowels ?

From : https://clipartfest.com/categories/view/648f618983be2f6bb06d466822bdd41a412575b2/1-minute-clipart.html

6. Colonel ['k3:nl] : This rank from the army is surprisingly pronounced in two syllables and the vowel 'o' is nowhere present. 

From : https://clipartfest.com/categories/view/b3ca9ae580a4af8b98f42aa22fdc6ad62ae86023/army-colonel-clipart.html

7. Halfpenny [‘heɪpni] : Although it is half a penny, it is pronounced [‘heɪpni].

From : http://www.mossgreen.com.au/m/lot-details/index/catalog/154/lot/66149/HALF-PENNY-1923-Half-Penny-key-date-couple-of-scratches-aVF

8. Hiccough [’hɪk˄p] : The sound you make when your throat produces a spasm. Amazing though it may sound, it is pronounced with a final [p].

From : http://www.e-home-remedies.com/hiccough.html

9. Clerk [kla:k] : A person similar to a secretary that works in an office keeping records, typing,... In British English this word is pronounced with the vowel [a:].

From : http://www.clipartkid.com/office-clerk-cliparts/

10. Gaol [ʤeɪl] : In British English, this is the word used for prison. In American English, they use 'jail'. Both 'gaol' and 'jail' are pronounced exactly in the same way ! 

From : https://adelaidegaol.org.au/booking/

11. Choir [kwaɪə] : Yes, a group of people singing is a particularly strange word in English he he. It has a homophone 'quire' (stacks of paper). 

From : http://www.theprospect.net/the-life-of-a-choir-kid-7822

12. Gauge [geɪʤ] : An instrument for measure. In American English, this word is pronounced in the same way but it is written 'gage'. Much more logical, isn't it ?

From : https://www.targetdashboard.com/blog/56/Ways-to-effectively-implement-Gauges-in-your-Dashboard.aspx

13. Yacht [jɒt] : Yes, the letters <ch> are not pronounced...

From : http://www.clipartguide.com/_pages/0511-0905-2402-3525.html

14. Vase [va:z] : A vase of flowers for the upcoming St. Valentine's Day. What a good idea ! It depends on where you are. If you are in the UK, you will have problems to be understood. However, in American English, the pronunciation of this word is [veɪz], so you won't have any problems. 

From : https://clipartfest.com/categories/view/7ea26b141c8a9701db57967b3973123bfbab2587/vase-clipart-images.html

15. Bass [beɪs] : This instrument is pronounced in the same way as 'base', so be careful and remember this ! You can also remember the song : It's all about that bass...no trouble...

From : http://cliparts.co/jumping-bass-clip-art

Well, enough for today. You have a lot of words whose pronunciation you need to memorise. From now on, try to pay attention and do not mispronounce these words. English is a challenging language and you need to overcome that challenge. Go for it ! 

 P.S. Next week I will continue with some tough geographical words to pronounce, In the meantime, if you want to keep learning about English pronunciation, do not hesitate to have a look at my tips for pronunciation. Stay tuned !