mispronunciation

noun

mis·pro·nun·ci·a·tion ˌmis-prə-ˌnən(t)-sē-ˈā-shən

also -ˌnau̇n(t)-

: the act or an instance of mispronouncing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web He was known as Dico by his family, but the neighborhood kids called him Pelé, mimicking his mispronunciation of the name of his favorite player, a Brazilian goalkeeper known as Bile. —

Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2022 An official transcript of the event confirms the remark was a mispronunciation and provides more context around his statement. —

Molly Stellino, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2022 Turns out the mispronunciation wasn’t the only thing to come out of the Q&A either. —

Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2022 Audiences also rolled their eyes at the bakers' mispronunciation of words like pico de gallo, while others decried the way one contestant peeled an avocado. —

Jessica Wang, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2022 People change their names for many reasons, including divorce, religion, or to avoid mispronunciation of an unfamiliar name. —

WIRED, 3 Sep. 2022 One of my earliest memories of our new life in America is of a mispronunciation. —

Leah Bhabha, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2021 South Asians around the world facepalmed on Inauguration Day when Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, ironically herself no stranger to mispronunciation, employed Ka-MA-La when swearing in the new VP. —

Rajiv Satyal, Washington Post, 15 July 2021 That's not enough to prevent a common mispronunciation, though. —

Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune, 28 May 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mispronunciation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of mispronunciation was in 1530

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near mispronunciation

mispronounce

mispronunciation

misproud

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mispronunciation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mispronunciation. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

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