mispronounce

Mispronounce is a verb meaning to pronounce a word incorrectly or in a way that is not standard for a given language. The related noun mispronunciation refers to the act or instance of such incorrect pronunciation. The word is built from the prefix mis- meaning wrongly and the verb pronounce, and it has been in use in English since the early modern period.

Causes of mispronunciation include unfamiliar or complex phoneme inventories, influence from another language, regional or social dialect differences, rapid speech, or insufficient exposure to the standard pronunciation of a word. Patterns of mispronunciation often involve substituting unfamiliar sounds with more familiar ones, misplacing syllable stress, or altering vowel quality and consonant clusters. Some words have multiple accepted pronunciations depending on dialect, which can also lead to perceived mispronunciation in different communities.

Common examples cited in language discussion include pronouncing espresso as expresso, or treating the word niche as neesh rather than nitch in some dialects. While occasional mispronunciations are common and often understood, persistent or systemic mispronunciation can hinder clear communication in formal settings.

In education and linguistic research, there is a distinction between prescriptive norms (how words should be pronounced in a standard form) and descriptive norms (how speakers actually pronounce words across dialects). Pronunciation guidance often involves listening practice, phonetic transcription, and awareness of stress patterns and phoneme inventories. See also mispronunciation, pronunciation, phonetics, and phonology.

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