mispronunciation
Saying it wrong
A mispronunciation is saying a word incorrectly—using the wrong sounds, stress, or syllable breaks.
Some mispronunciations are common enough to become accepted variants; others mark a speaker as unfamiliar with a word: Her mispronunciation of "nuclear" as "nucular" drove him crazy.
Clumsy error
- gaffeClumsy social error
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- slipMinor error or misstep
- stumbleLose footing momentarily
fumble · botch · mangle · garble · butcher · distortion · misarticulation · malapropism
Clear vocal expression
- dictionChoice of words
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
- phoneticsStudy of speech sounds
- phonemeMinimal distinctive sound unit
syllable · consonant · vowel · stress · intonation · prosody · vocalization · utterance
Regional language variety
- regionalRelating to an area
- foreignFrom another nation
- twangSharp vibrating sound
- drawlUnhurried, elongated speech pattern
brogue · lilt · native speaker · non-native · vernacular · patois · immigrant · ESL
Act of obtaining something
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- drillHole-boring device
- repetitionAct of redoing
correction · feedback · phonics · speech therapy · remediation · IPA · transcription · language learner
To make something right
- amendModify or correct
- adjustChange to fit better
- rearticulateExpress again in words
- respeakTo say again
coach · model · demonstrate · drill · feedback · self-correct · awareness · recording
flub
Clumsy error
stumble · fumble · botch · mangle · garble · butcher · distortion · misarticulation · malapropism · slur
articulation
Clear vocal expression
phoneme · syllable · consonant · vowel · stress · intonation · prosody · vocalization · utterance · inflection
dialect
Regional language variety
drawl · brogue · lilt · native speaker · non-native · vernacular · patois · immigrant · ESL · thick accent
acquisition
Act of obtaining something
repetition · correction · feedback · phonics · speech therapy · remediation · IPA · transcription · language learner · second language
rectify
To make something right
- amendModify or correct
- adjustChange to fit better
- rearticulateExpress again in words
respeak · coach · model · demonstrate · drill · feedback · self-correct · awareness · recording · playback
- speech errorsslip of the tongue, malapropism, malapropisms, spoonerism, spoonerisms
- reading errorsdyslexia, substitution, omission, insertion, transposition
- everyday mistakesslip, typos, trip, spelling errors, fall
- speech habitsmumbling, stuttering, stammering, rambling, interrupting
- recitation mistakesstumble, stammer, stutter, flub, blank
- speech issueslisp, stutter, stammer, slurring, mumbling