Why does English pronunciation play tricks on us?

In Algeria, whether you are a university student, a freelancer on Upwork, or a young professional, mastering English has become an essential asset. However, with the influence of French and Arabic, our accent sometimes leads us to make subtle yet common mistakes. To learn English in Algiers or anywhere else, it is not enough to just memorize vocabulary: you also need to know how to pronounce it correctly to make yourself understood internationally.

Whether your goal is to land a contract with a foreign client or to [INSERT A LINK HERE] to perfect your skills, here are 15 words you are probably mispronouncing without even realizing it.

Top 15 Mispronounced English Words

• 1. Recipe: We tend to say "recip". The correct pronunciation is /ˈres.ə.pi/ (re-si-pee).
• 2. Determine: Careful not to say "de-ter-mine". In English, we say /dɪˈtɜː.mɪn/ (di-tur-min).
• 3. Subtle: The "b" is completely silent! Pronounce it /ˈsʌt.əl/ (suh-tuhl). This is essential for mastering business English without blushing in front of your partners.
• 4. Chaos: Forget the French-style "ch" sound. We pronounce it /ˈkeɪ.ɒs/ (kay-os).
• 5. Wednesday: The first "d" is never pronounced. Say /ˈwenz.deɪ/ (wenz-day).
• 6. Vegetable: Don't say "vege-table". We contract the word into /ˈvedʒ.tə.bəl/ (vej-tuh-buhl).
• 7. Comfortable: Just like with vegetable, we drop a syllable: /ˈkʌm.ftə.bəl/ (kumf-tuh-buhl).
• 8. Debt: The "b" is silent here too. Simply say /det/ (det).
• 9. Architecture: The "ch" turns into a "k" sound. Say /ˈɑː.kɪ.tek.tʃər/ (ar-ki-tek-cher). A crucial detail if you want to pass your IELTS and study abroad!
• 10. Pronunciation: Ironically, this word is often mispronounced. We don't say "pronoun-ciation" but /prəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ (pro-nun-see-ay-shun).
• 11. Receipt: The "p" is completely silent. Say /rɪˈsiːt/ (ri-seet).
• 12. Island: The "s" is silent. The exact pronunciation is /ˈaɪ.lənd/ (eye-land).
• 13. Suite: We don't say "suite" the French way, but "sweet" /swiːt/.
• 14. Colleague: Stress the first syllable and ignore the final "ue": /ˈkɒl.iːɡ/ (ko-leeg).
• 15. Asked: The past tense verb trap! We don't pronounce the "e". We say /ɑːskt/ (askt).

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