(WS News) – The years may come and go, but one thing that never changes is people mispronouncing names and words – and 2024 was no different.
In fact, there was quite a lot of mispronouncing going on, and in the worlds of politics, pop culture and beyond, nothing was safe.
“It’s a nice way to kind of look back into the year and see everything that has happened,” said Esteban Touma, a linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel, said [as reported by AP].
Here’s a rundown of the most mispronounced names and words in the US this year:
Kamala Harris [Comma-la]
Vice President Kamala Harris gained worldwide attention when she became the Democratic nominee for the US presidential election after President Joe Biden dropped out, and after campaigning she ultimately lost the election to Donald Trump.
It was during this election campaign that she had to combat with people mispronouncing her name – to which Harris’s nieces, Amara and Leela gave the public a lesson on how to say their aunt’s name during the DNC back in August.
“First you say ‘Kama,’ like a comma in a sentence,” Amara said. “Then you say ‘La,’ like ‘la-la-la-la-la,’” Leela then added.
Shein [She-in]
It may be a popular fast fashion brand, but it seems a lot of us struggle with how to say Shein – the common way it is mistakenly said “Sheen”.
Chappell Roan [Cha-puhl-rown]
Chappell Roan was one of this year’s breakout artists, and although she was nominated for six Grammy awards it appears some still can’t say her name correctly.
Semaglutide [sem-ah-gloo-tide]
Ozempic, the treatment for type 2 diabetes which has also been used by celebrities for weight loss was widely talked about this year, but the active ingredient semaglutide is something we can’t say right.
Zendaya [Zen-day-a]
Zendaya had some big movies out this year such as Challengers and Dune: Part II, but there are still people out there who say “Zen-DIE-a” instead of “Zen-DAY-a”.
Dutch Kooikerhondje [Coy-ker-hund-che]
They make adorable pets, but not everyone gets the name of the Dutch Kooikerhondje right.
Barry Keoghan [Barr-ee Key-oh-gin]
The Irish actor has had breakout roles in The Banshees of Inisherin and Saltburn, as well as his publicised relationship with pop star Sabrina Carpenter, but his surname has tripped people up.
Phryge [Free-je]
The mascot of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics are anthropomorphic Phrygian caps, a French symbol of liberty, though those who are not French may have had some trouble pronouncing the name of the mascot.
Pete Buttigieg [Peet Boo-tuh-juhj]
During the election year, you may recognise US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg who made the TV rounds during the campaign – but you may not know who to say his surname.
SPECULOOS-3b [Spek-yuh-lohss three bee]
Perhaps understandably, plenty of people got the name of this exoplanet wrong, too.
