Full list of this year's most mispronounced words - and some may surprise you
Britain’s most mispronounced words of 2023 have been revealed.
Language-learning platform Babbel has commissioned the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters - the UK's leading organisation for subtitling professionals - to find the top words of 2023.
These are the words that newsreaders, public figures, politicians and others have continuously found difficult to pronounce. This annual analysis is now in its eighth year and has been hitting the news headlines since 2016.
The UK’s 10 most mispronounced words of 2023 come from many subject areas and sources. Entertainment has been popular, with the finale of Succession leaving us tripping over the names of characters. Then there was Kylie Minogue's summer anthem 'Padam Padam' and Barbenheimer hitting the cinema.
In the realm of politics, the cabinet reshuffle in November saw Suella Braverman's stint as Home Secretary come to an end, and the London ULEZ experienced driving discussions, with multiple people falling over the pronunciations. The British Institute of Verbatim Reporters (BIVR) has the responsibility of captioning and subtitling events in real-time, on television and in courtrooms, with its members professionally attuned to the way words are spoken.
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The BIVR surveyed its members to identify the following words and names as the most commonly mispronounced of 2023. Phonetic pronunciations have been supplied by the language experts at Babbel:
Nepo baby [Neh-po Bay-bee]
In October, Gwyneth Paltrow hit back at critics who used the term ‘nepo baby’ to describe the success of her daughter, Apple Martin, as she made her runway debut. The term refers to children of celebrities who are famous and have succeeded because of their parents.
Stone of Scone [Stown uhv skoon]
A stone used during coronation ceremonies of the British monarch, also known as the ‘Stone of Destiny’, which was present during King Charles III’s Coronation in May of this year. Although it looks like the same word as the baked good ‘scone’ (the pronunciation of which is also debated), it is pronounced ‘skoon’.
Padam [Pad-dahm]
Made famous by Kylie Minogue in her summer hit song “Padam Padam”, this word originates from mimicking the sound of a heartbeat. The term has now entered queer vernacular with many uses as a question, greeting, exclamation, or insult.
Barbenheimer [Baa-buhn-hai-muh]
Barbenheimer, a cultural sensation, emerged around the joint release of two movies, Barbie and Oppenheimer, in July and August 2023, coined from a blend of the film titles. As fans headed to cinemas in either pink or black depending on which film they were seeing, many memes were created around the theme. Many fans and viewers slip up in pronouncing this word merge, opting for Barbieheimer instead. Other varieties included Oppenbarbie and Boppenheimer.
Tom Wambsgans [Woms-gans]
One of the main characters in the HBO drama series “Succession” which came to a finale in May 2023.
Ozempic [Oh-zem-pick]
A diabetes medication popularly used as a weight loss drug amongst celebrities. Has given rise to the term ‘Ozempic face’, to refer to an alleged side effect of using the drug.
ULEZ [Yu-lez]
The abbreviation for the ultra-low emission zone around London, where charges are applied to certain vehicles that do not meet emissions standards.
Bharat [Buh-ruht]
At the G20 meeting in September 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent for the first time - Bharat”.
Decels [Dee-Sell]
Short for “decelerationists”, meaning people who want to slow down technological progress, particularly with regard to conversations around artificial intelligence.
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Suella Braverman [Su-ell-uh Brah-vuh-mun]
A divisive British politician who served as Home Secretary for a second time until November 2023. She was fired in a cabinet reshuffle that made headlines.
Honorary mentions (falling just outside of the top 10):
Fred Siriex [Suh-ree-iks]
French TV personality and chef, best known for appearing as the maître d’ on Channel 4 ’s First Dates and most recently as a contestant on this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
Loewe [Lo-weh-veh]
A luxury Spanish fashion brand is known for its high-quality leather goods, clothing, accessories and fragrances. Actress Maggie Smith became the face of their new campaign in October 2023.
Dominik Szoboszlai [So-boss-lai]
Midfielder for Liverpool F.C., Hungarian football player Szoboszlai revealed that everyone had been mispronouncing his last name.
Noël Wolf, Babbel Live Teacher at Babbel comments: “Babbel is delighted to once more reveal the list of emerging words which, over the last year, have proved a pronunciation challenge for news presenters, politicians, and the rest of us. There’s no shame in struggling with the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word, and those whose job it is on TV or radio to verbalise these tongue-twisters should be commended - even if they mess it up!
"Like them, we should never fear being taken outside of our linguistic comfort zones: our world grows more global with each passing year and these new words in our vernacular reflect this. British English is always evolving, and 2023 has seen new words like ‘Barbenheimer’ enter our everyday conversation, as well as the re-emergence of older words and terms such as the ‘Stone of Scone’ during the Coronation.
"Our message to all who encounter these new or unfamiliar words is that the important thing is not to shy away from them, but to have a go at mastering new pronunciations.”
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