What does mispronounce mean?
Word: Mispronounce
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Mispronounce means to say a word or name in the wrong way.
How do you spell mispronounce?
Syllables: mis - pro - nounce
Tricky part: Pupils who have learnt misspell often copy its double s here. This word does not take it.
Watch out for: misspronounce, mispronownce
Memory tip: Misspell earns two s's because spell brings one of its own. This verb's second half brings none, so there is just the one.
Mispronounce in a sentence
Example 1: Visitors often mispronounce the name of our village.
Example 2: I always mispronounce the word queue when I read aloud.
Example 3: My Spanish teacher smiled kindly each time I mispronounced a new word.
Fun Fact
The noun is the real catch. It is spelt mispronunciation, and many people add an extra o to it, as if it came straight from the verb.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The quizmaster smiled and said sorry when he happened to mispronounse the captain's surname in front of the entire visiting school.
a) quizmaster
b) captain
c) mispronounse
d) surname
Show answer
c) mispronounse. The final sound is an s, but it is spelt the way it is at the end of announce and bounce.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence hides a jumbled word. Choose the word:
Newsreaders practise foreign names so that they do not ncoumepsrino them on air.
a) misrepresent
b) misinterpret
c) misjudge
d) mispronounce
Show answer
d) mispronounce. Newsreaders say names aloud, and only one option has two n's.
Word Makeup
Only one of these roots takes the prefix mis to make a real word. Choose it:
mis
a) honest
b) pronounce
c) possible
d) legal
Show answer
b) pronounce. The others take im, dis and il instead.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is misspelt. Choose its meaning.
1. misprenounce 2. dialect 3. accent 4. enunciate
a) a way of speaking that shows where you are from
b) a form of a language used in one area
c) to say each word clearly and with care
d) to speak a word with the wrong sounds or stress
Show answer
d) to speak a word with the wrong sounds or stress. The syllable after mis has the o of the word pro.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is an example of mispronouncing?
a) saying the b in the word comb
b) reading a long poem too quickly
c) forgetting the name of a town
d) writing receive with the i first
Show answer
a) saying the b in the word comb
2. What is the likeliest reason for someone mispronouncing a word?
a) having learnt it at home
b) having seen it only in print
c) having used it every day
d) having heard it many times
Show answer
b) having seen it only in print
