PARADOXICAL
The faith chroniclesMonday, May 18, 2026
Most Common Mispronunciations among Filipinos
Most Common Mispronunciations among Filipinos
Let's face it -- English is really "a queer language," as that poem from high school class puts it. The "queerness" apparently comes from the existence of many rules on usage that come with exceptions. That's because English is a most liberal borrower of foreign words, so it ends up dealing with clashing rules, in the process violating many of its own rules.
However, with American English remaining to be the world's number one lingua franca, we Filipinos have no choice but to correctly use the English language, if we wish to have seamless communication with a global audience.
Let us take a look at some of the rules of enunciation in American English that many of us Filipinos are not aware of.
Assessor: ah-SES-sor, not AH-ses-sor
Associate: ah-SOS-see-yeyt, not AAH-so-syeyt
Association: ah-SOS-see-yey-shən, not AAH-so-syey-shən; Ǝ/ə is the schwa sound
Beloved: bi-LUHV-ed, not bip-LAVD
Beneficiary: be-ne-FEE-sha-ri, not be-en-fi-SHAAA-ri
Breakfast: BREK-fast, not BREYK-fast
Bronze: bronz, not browns
Burial: BEH-rēəl, not BYU-riyal or BƎH-ryal
Bury: BEH-ri, not BUH-ri or BƎH-ri
Captain: KAP-tn, not KAP-teyn
Cemetery: SEH-muh-teh-ree, not seh-MEH-te-ree or seh-MEN-te-ree
Ceremony: SEH-ruh-mow-nee, not seh-REH-mo-nee
Characterize: KER-ik-tə-raiz, not ka-RAAK-tə-rais
Comfortable: COM-for-ta-bl, not com-FOR-ta-bl
Committee: kahm-MIT-[t]ee, not KOM-mit-tee - NOTE: most common error
Condolence: con-DOWL-ence, not CON-dohl-ence
Confirm: con-FƎRM, not con-FEERM
Contribute: con-TREEB-yute, not CON-trib-yute
Country: KAN-tri, not KAWN-tree
Curtain: KƎR-tn, not COOR-teyn
Debut: DEY-byu, not de-BOO
Delicacy: DEH-leh-ka-see, not de-LEE-ka-si
Digress: dai-GRES, not di-GRES
Discretion: dis-KRE-shun, not dis-KREE-shun
Distribute: dis-TREEB-yute, not DIS-trib-yute
Economic: eh-kuh-NAA-muhk, not eee-kuh-NAA-muhk
Ecology: ee-KAA-luh-jee, not eh-KAA-luh-jee
Education: EH-ju-key-shən, not EEE-ju-key-shən or EH-doo-key-shən
Endeavor - ehn-DEH-vor, not EN-de-vor
Engineering: EHN-ji-ni-ring, not IN-ji-ni-ring
Establish: es-TAAB-lish, not es-tab-LEESH
Evacuation: eh-VAK-kyu-wey-shən, not EH-vak-wey-shən
Evaluate: eh-VAHL-yu-weyt, not EH-val-weyt
February: FEB-broo-eh-ree, not feb-RAH-ree
Heir: eyr, not heyr
Honorable: Ô-no-ra-bəl, not o-NOO-ra-bəl or HO-NOO-ra-bəl
Indigent: IN-di-jent, not in-DAY-jent; NOTE: most common error
Innovative: INN-o-vey-tiv, not in-NOV-ah-tiv
Law: lô, not low
Local: LOW-kal, not LOH-kal
Northern: NOR-dhərn, not NOR-tərn
Obedience: o-BEE-dee-ence (4 syllables), not o-BEE-jence (3 syllables)
Ounce - owns, not awns
Parent: PEH-ruhnt, not PEY-rent
Parenting: PEH-ren-ting, not pa-REN-ting
Produce (noun) vs Produce (verb): PROW-dyus vs pro-DYUS
Pronunciation: pro-NUN-see-yey-shən (5 syllables), not pro-NAWN-shey-shon (4 syllables)
Saw: sô, not sow
School: SKUL (one syllable), not is-kul
Sew, Sewing: SOW, SOW-ing, not SU or SU-wing; compare with saw (past tense of see), saw (to cut using a saw), so, and sow
Southern: SO-dhern, not SAW-tern or SAW-thern
Special: SPE-shuhl, not is-PEY-shal
Stir: STƎR (one syllable), not is-TEER
The: DHUH when it comes before a consonant sound, but DHEE when it comes before a vowel sound; example: DHUH bird versus DHEE ant
Thirty: THƎR-tee, not TAR-tee
Tomb: to͞om, not tomb,
Total: TOW-tal, not TOH-tal
Voucher: VAU-chr, not VUT-chər
W (as in DSWD): DOUBLE yu, not DAH-bal-yu. NOTE: Most common error
Woman: WOO-man, not WOH-man
Womb: wo͞om, not womb
Women: WEE-men, not woh-men
Worship: WƎR-shəp, not WOR-ship
Worthy: WƎR-dhee, not WƎR-thi
Zero: ZEE-row, not SEH-roh
***
Less common words
Adversary: AD-ver-sah-ree (stress on 1st syllable; secondary stress on the 3rd), not ad-VER-sa-ree (stress on the 2nd)
Array: ar-RAY, not AH-ray
Attaché: ah-TAH-SHEY, not AH-ta-shey
Attribute: AH-trib-yoot, not ah-TRIB-yoot
Comparable: COM-pa-ra-bəl, not com-PAR-a-bəl
Cupboard: KƎ-bərd, not KAP-bord
Intermittent: in-ter-MEET-ent, not in-TƎR-mit-tent
Iteration: EE-te-rey-shun, not AY-te-rey-shun
Lingerie: LAN-zher-ey, not LING-gər-ee
Motif: mo-TEEF, not MOW-tif
Omnipresent: om-ni-PRE-zent (stress on the 3rd syllable), not om-NEE-pre-zent (stress on the 2nd)
Renege: re-NEGG, not re-NEJ
Shepherd: SHEP-ərd, not SHE-fərd
Steward: STOO-ward, not STEE-ward
Vineyard: VIN-yard, not VAYN-yard
Vintage: VIN-tij, not VIN-teyj
***
If unsure with how a word should be pronounced, try to check on Google or use an English dictionary.
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