English language has been developing for centuries and due to historical circumstances, a lot of new words came to English from other languages. These words are called loanwords and the pronunciation of some of them is so tricky that not only English learners, but also native speakers have difficulties with them. Still, most of these words are common, they are important and require correct pronunciation, especially if you want to avoid ambiguity and sound like a serious and educated person.
Here we present you 15 “tricky” loan English words from French, German and Italian, which you may pronounce incorrectly. We supplement them with the audio guide to their pronunciation and example of their use in a sentence, so you could understand and learn them better.
First of all, let’s start with loanwords of French origin:
Mayonnaise /meɪəˈneɪz/
Tableau /ˈtabləʊ/
Courgette /kʊəˈʒɛt/
Hors d’oeuvre /ɔː ˈdəːvr(ə)/
Debris /ˈdɛbriː/
Next in our list go loanwords of German origin:
Kindergarten /ˈkɪndəˌɡɑːt(ə)n/
Kohlrabi /kəʊlˈrɑːbi/
Poltergeist /ˈpɒltəɡʌɪst/
Wunderkind /ˈvʊndəkɪnd/
Haversack /ˈhavəsak/
Finally, have a look at loanwords from Italian language:
Dilettante – /ˌdɪlɪˈtanti/
Miniature /ˈmɪnɪtʃə/
Porcelain /ˈpɔːs(ə)lɪn/
Grotesque /ɡrə(ʊ)ˈtɛsk/
Orchestra /ˈɔːkɪstrə/
Let’s be honest, could you pronounce some of the words correct from the first attempt? If yes – it’s a good sign: you’ve passed half a way. To achieve a perfect pronunciation, you need just listen and repeat. Do some practice and you’ll never sound like a “dilettante eating hors d’oeuvre” in a fancy French restaurant! Good luck!
