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We’ve all been there—standing in line at a restaurant, ready to order, only to hesitate at a word that seems to trip up your tongue. It’s a moment of silent panic, especially when that tricky term happens to be the name of a popular dish.
Rest assured, this is a shared experience. Many people face the challenge of pronouncing certain food names correctly, particularly those borrowed from other languages. The nuances of foreign phonetics often lead to English speakers making mistakes.
In a study unveiled last year by Preply, a language learning platform, a list was compiled highlighting international foods that tend to stump Americans the most in pronunciation.
The study pinpointed five culprits that frequently lead to mispronunciation: quinoa, gnocchi, Worcestershire sauce, açai, and gyro. The common error lies in placing emphasis on the incorrect syllables or sounds.
It found that the five most frequently mispronounced words are quinoa, gnocchi, Worcestershire sauce, açai and gyro, with people often emphasizing the wrong letters.
Below, take a look at the most mispronounced menu items – and learn how to correctly say them.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a staple in many health-nuts’ lives but its pronunciation sometimes baffles people.
The dried seed, which is often used similarly to rice, is primarily used as a base of a meal or in a salad.
While it looks as though it’s said ‘kwin-oh-ah,’ it is actually pronounced ‘KEEN-wah’.
Quinoa is a staple in many health-nuts’ lives but its pronunciation sometimes baffles people
Gnocchi
The Italian dish is pronounced ‘NYAW-kee’ or ‘NAW-kee,’ not ‘gih-nok-chee’ or ‘knock-ee’.
Gnocchi are soft, Italian dumplings typically made from cooked potatoes, flour and sometimes egg, though variations use ricotta, semolina or other ingredients.
They are served like pasta, boiled and tossed in sauces like tomato, pesto, or even butter with spices.
Gnocchi are soft, Italian dumplings typically made from cooked potatoes, flour and sometimes egg, though variations use ricotta, semolina or other ingredients
Worcestershire sauce
The tricky-to-pronounce sauce is pronounced ‘WOOS-ter-sher’ rather than ‘wor-ces-ter-shire’.
The name of the savory condiment, which contains a whopping 14 letters, comes from the English county of Worcestershire, where it was created.
The sauce, known for its umami flavor, is so tricky to say that on average it’s searched 34,000 times on Google every month.
The name of the savory condiment, which contains a whopping 14 letters, comes from the English county of Worcestershire, where it was created
Açai
The small blackish-purple berries are found in the Amazon and are often used in smoothies, power bowls and energy bars.
While it is thought to be one of the most powerful superfoods, it has also proven super hard to say for some.
The açai berry is used to make açai bowls and has earned a spot in many healthy cafes but, despite its popularity, a few stumbles have been taken over the name.
Many people say ‘ah-kai,’ when actually, it’s said ‘ah-sah-EE’.
The small blackish-purple berries are found in the Amazon and are often used in smoothies, power bowls, and energy bars
Gyro
Gyros are a popular Greek street food that contains thinly shaved meat, layered onto grilled pita bread.
While the delicious dish looks straightforward to pronounce, it is actually ‘YEE-roh.’
Many people pronounce the Greek sandwich ‘JYE-roh’ with a hard ‘G’, which is incorrect.
Gyros are a popular Greek street food that contains thinly shaved meat layered onto grilled pita bread