The Most Common Alternate Pronunciations in English

Speech and Vocal Delivery, VO Performance Skills

Differences are primarily sub-regional within the U.S. The first pronunciation of each is most common/most correct/most used in voiceover:

  1. Almond: ALL-mund -or- AH-mund -or- AW-mund.
  2. Apricot: APP-ri-caht -or- “APE”-ri-caht. The first syllable rhymes with “cape”.
  3. Aunt: ant -or- ahnt.
  4. Broom: The “oo” sounds like the vowel in “food” or like the vowel in “foot”.
  5. Caramel: CAR-mel -or- CARE-uh-mel.
  6. Cauliflower: COLL-ih-flower -or- COLL-ee-flower -or- cran.
  7. Cot/Caught: Either the words sound different, as in the “o” in “cot” sounds like the “a” in father and the “au” in “caught” sounds like “aw” in “awesome”. -or- the words sound the same—the “o” in “cot” and “au” in “caught” both sound like the “a” in father.
  8. Coupon: KOO-pon -or- KYOO-pon.
  9. Crayon: CRAY-on as 2 syllables -or- one syllable CRAYawn.
  10. Data: day-tuh -or- da-tuh.
  11. Dawn: Either the words sound different, as in the “o” in “don” sounds like the “a” in father; the “a” in “dawn” sounds like “aw” in “awesome” -or- the words sound the same— the vowels sounds like “a” in father.
  12. Either: EE-ther -or- AYE-ther.
  13. Horrible: HOR-uh-bul -or- HAR-uh-bul.
  14. Lawyer: LOY-er -or- LAW-yer.
  15. Marry/Mary/Merry: Either they all sound different, or all the same. When all the same, rhyming with “very”. When all sound different – “a” in “marry” is like the “a” in cat, “Mary” rhymes with “fairy”, and “merry” rhymes with “very” -or- “Mary” and “marry” the same (first syllable rhymes with “fair” but “merry” rhymes with “berry”.
  16. Neither: NEE-ther -or- NAI-ther.
  17. Pajamas: “jam” rhymes with “Tom” -or- “jam” sounds like the fruit spread “jam”.
  18. Pecan: pee-KAHN -or- pick-AHN -or- Sounds like “pea can”.
  19. Poem: po-em, 2 syllables -or- pome.
  20. Quarter: kwor-ter -or- kor-ter.
  21. Roof: ruf -or- r-“ooh” f.
  22. Room: rum -or- r-“ooh” m.
  23. Root: The “oo” sounds like the vowel in “food” or the vowel in “foot”..
  24. Route: The vowel sounds like the vowel in “food” -or- “ou” sounds like the vowel in “house” -or- Some say r-“ooh”-t when discussing a highway and r-“ow”-t for computer network.
  25. Syrup: SIR-up -or- SIHR-up -or- SEAR-up.
  26. Thanksgiving: thanks-GIV-ing -or- THANKS-giv-ing.

See the big list of mis-pronounced words here.