Most Mispronounced Names and Words of 2024

Every year, a few names and words capture the spotlight—and leave many of us tongue-tied. From breakout stars and political leaders to scientific discoveries and cultural phenomena, the most mispronounced names of 2024 reveal not only linguistic challenges but also the year’s biggest headlines. Thanks to a list released by Babbel and The Captioning Group, we now have a guide to the names and terms that sparked conversations—and stumbles—over the past year.

1. Vice President Kamala Harris
   • Pronounced: COM-a-la
   • Mispronounced during her presidential campaign, prompting her great-nieces to clarify it at the Democratic National Convention.
2. Chappell Roan
   • Pronounced: CHAP-uhl ROHN
   • Breakout pop star and six-time Grammy nominee. Her name is often mispronounced as SHA-pel ROW-an.
3. Pete Buttigieg
   • Pronounced: Boot-Edge-Edge
   • U.S. Transportation Secretary, whose name continued to confuse people despite pronunciation aids from his 2020 presidential campaign.
4. Dutch Kooikerhondje
   • Pronounced: COY-ker-HUND-che
   • A dog breed popularized this year by Shohei Ohtani’s Kooikerhondje named Decoy, who gained fame delivering a ceremonial first pitch.
5. Zendaya
   • Pronounced: zen-DAY-a
   • Actress and star of Challengers, frequently mispronounced as zen-DIE-uh.
6. Shein
   • Pronounced: SHE-in
   • The online fast-fashion giant, often mispronounced as SHEEN.
7. Speculoos-3b
   • Pronounced: SPEK-yuh-lohss three bee
   • A newly discovered exoplanet.
8. Phryge
   • Pronounced: FREE-je
   • The Paris Olympics mascot, inspired by the Phrygian cap, a French Revolutionary symbol.
9. Semaglutide
   • Pronounced: sem-ah-GLOO-tide
   • The active ingredient in weight-loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy, often mispronounced as SEE-mah-gloo-tide.
10. Barry Keoghan
    • Pronounced: key-OH-gin
    • Irish actor who starred in Saltburn.