These are the most mispronounced words of 2024

CNN — Messing up pronunciations can be a source of both annoyance and amusement, but language learning platform Babbel has put together a handy guide to stop you putting your foot in it. The company published a list of the most mispronounced words of the year in the United States and the United Kingdom on Wednesday, including foreign words that have entered the English lexicon for one reason or another, as well as the names of various politicians and public figures. Other notable entrants include semaglutide, an active ingredient in weight loss drug Ozempic, pronounced ; rising music star Chappell Roan ; and US actress Zendaya. The Swedish language also contributes two words on the UK list: smokeless tobacco Snus, pronounced, and flygskam, the name of a movement that aims to discourage people from flying that should be pronounced. While many British people commonly mispronounce it when ordering a small black coffee, crimes against the Italian language spiked this summer when Sabrina Carpenter’s single “Espresso” topped the UK charts.