This document provides phonetic pronunciations for over 60 words. For each word, the correct pronunciation is given in phonetic spelling, followed by an incorrect pronunciation in parentheses to distinguish it. The words cover a wide range of topics from types of food to place names to occupations.

2. Abalone
 “æb’ uh LOH nee” (not “AH
buh lohn”). A delicious
seafood

3. Accessory
 “æk SES uh ree” (not “æk ses
SOH ree”). Subordinate part.

4. Acknowledge
 “æk NAH lij” (not “æk NOH
lej”). Admit; give credit to

5. Acoustic
“uh KOOS tik” (not “uh KOHS
tik”). Pertaining to hearing.

6. Admirable
“ÆD muhr uh buhl” (not “æd
MIR uh buhl”). Worthy of
admiration.

7. Adolescence
“ad’l ES ens” pronounced minus
the “o” (not “uh DOL luh sens”).
Period between youth and
maturity.

8. Advocacy
“ÆD vuh kuh see” (not “uhd VO
kuh see”). Active support,
especially for a cause.

9. Affidavit
“æf i DEI vit” (not “æf i DÆ vit”).
A sworn statement in writing

10. Allegedly
“uh LEJ id lee” (not “uh LEJD
lee”). Supposedly.

11. Almond
“ÆM uhnd” (not “ÆL muhnd”).
A delicious nut.

12. Alms
“ahmz” (You don’t pronounce
the “l”). Money or goods given in
charity.

13. Alumnae
“uh LAHM nee” (not “uh LAHM
nei”). Feminine of alumnus.

14. Amoebiasis
“æm’ uh BIGH uh sis” (not “uh
mib YAH sis”). Infection caused
by the amoeba Entamoeba
histolytica.

15. Analgesic
“æn uhl JEE zik” (not “æn uhl
JE sik”). Pain reliever.

16. Any
“EN ee” (not “EY nee”). One
chosen at random.

17. Applicable
“ÆP li kuh buhl” (not “ahp LEE
kuh buhl”). Able to be applied;
appropriate.

18. Appreciate
“uh PREE shee eit” (not “AHP
ree sheit”). To recognize the
quality, significance, or
magnitude of something or
someone.

19. Associate
“uh SOH shee eit” (not “AH soh
sheit”). Colleague.

20. Asthma
“AHZ muh” (not “AHST muh”).
A respiratory illness often
arising from allergies.

21. •20. attaché. “ah tuh SHEI” (not
“ah TAT chee”). One assigned
to the staff of a diplomatic
mission to serve in a given
capacity.

22. • 21. attorney. “uh TURN nee”
(not “uh TOR nee”). A legal
agent qualified to act for
persons in legal proceedings.

23. •22. awardee. “uh wor DEE”
(not “uh WAHR dee”). One that
receives an award.

24. • 23. bamboo. “bæm BOO” (not
“BÆM boo”). Any of various
woody mostly tall tropical
grasses including some with
strong hollow stems used for
building, furniture, or utensils.

25. •24. beneficiary. “ben uh FISH
ee er ee” (not “buh ne’ fish
YAHR ee”). Receiver of
benefits.

26. 25. bicuspid. “bigh KAHS pid”
(not “BIGH kuhs pid”). Having
two points or cusps.

27. •26. boutique. “boo TEEK” (not
“boh TEEK”). A kind of
specialty shop, now used to
describe also small hotels.

28. •27. broccoli. “BROK uh lee”
(not “bro KOHL ee”). A
delicious vegetable.

29. • 28. bury/burial. “BER
ee”/”BER ee uhl” (not “BUHR
ee”/”BUHR ee uhl”).
Inter/internment.

30. •29. busy. “BIZ ee” (Pronounced
with a “z”). Filled with activity.

31. •30. category. “KÆT uh go ri”
(not “kuh TE go ri”). Class.

32. •31. cement. “si MENT” (not
“seh MENT”). Bond.

33. •32. cemetery. “SEM i ter ee”
(not “se MEN tuh ree”). Burial
grounds

34. 33. chocolate. “CHOK lit” or
“CHOK uh lit” (not “CHO kuh
leit”). A food prepared from
ground roasted cacao beans.

35. •. 34. cleanliness. “KLEN lee
nis” (not “KLEEN li nes”). State
of being clean.

36. •35. climb. Pronounced with
silent “b.” To ascend using the
hands and feet35. climb.
Pronounced with silent “b.” To
ascend using the hands and
feet

37. •36. comfortable. “KAHM fuhr
tuh bl” or “KAHMF tuh buhl”
(not “kuhm FOR tuh bl”).
Providing comfort or security.

38. •37. condolence. “kuhn DOHL
ens” (not “KON doh lens”). An
expression of sympathy with a
person in grief.

39. •38. confirm. “kuhn FURM” (not
“kuhn FEERM”). To verify.

40. •39. Connecticut. “kuh NET i
kuht” (Silent “c”). A US state .

41. •40. controversy. “KAHN truh
vur’ see” (not “kon TRO vur
see”). A dispute characterized
by the expression of opposing
views.

42. •41. corps. “kor” or “kohr”. A
group of people with special
training, organized for working
together, or associated under a
common direction.

43. •42. coupon. “KOO pahn” or
“KYOO pahn” (not “KOO p0n”).
A detachable slip.

44. •43. debut. “dei BYOO” or “DEI
byoo” (not “di BOO”). A first
public appearance; the formal
presentation of a girl to society.

45. •44. didn’t. Use the inner part of
the tongue for the second “d”
to slide on to the “n” (not
“din’t”). Contraction of ‘did not.’

46. •45. douche. “doosh.” A jet of
fluid (as water) directed against
a part or into a cavity in the
body.

47. •46. education. “ej uh KEI
shuhn” (not “ed yoo KEI
shuhn”). The process of
learning.

48. •47. embryo. “EM bree oh” (not
“em BRIGH yoh”). An organism
in its early developmental
stage, especially before it has
reached a distinctively
recognizable form.

49. •48. entrepreneur. “on’ truh pruh
NUR” (not “en TUR puh noor”).
One who organizes, operates,
and assumes the risk in a
business venture

50. •. 49. exciting. “ik SIGHT ing”
(not “eg SIGHT ing”). Creating
or producing excitement.

51. •. 50. executive. “ig ZEK yuh tiv”
(not “ik SEK yuh tiv”).
Administrator or manager.

52. •51. faux pas. “foh PAH” (not
“FOHX pas”). French word for
“false step,” figuratively
meaning “social blunder.”

53. •.” 52. gargantuan. “gahr GÆN
choo uhn” (not “gahr’ guhn
TOO uhn”). Immense in size or
volume.

54. •53. genre. “ZHAN ruh” (not
“JEN re”). Type or class.

55. •. 54. gourmet. “goor MEI” or
“GOOR mei” (not “gor MEI”). A
connoisseur of good food and
drink.

56. •55. hacienda. This is a Spanish
word so the first letter must be
silent. Country estate.

57. •56.
•56. handsome. “HÆN suhm”
with a silent “d” (not “HÆND
suhm”). Pleasing and dignified

58. •. 57. heinous. “HEI nuhs” (not
“HEE nuhs” or “HIGH nuhs”).
Grossly wicked or deserving
strong condemnation.

59. •58. hippopotamus. “hip’ uh
PAHT uh muhs” (not “hee’ puh
puh TAHM uhs”). A large,
short-legged, chiefly aquatic
African mammal.

60. •59. humongous. “hyuh
MAHNG guhs” (not “hu MONG
gohs”). Extremely large.

61. •60. idiot. “ID ee uht” (not “EE
juht”). Mentally deficient
person.

62. •61. indigent. “IN di juhnt” (not
“in DIGH jent”). Without means
of subsistence; impoverished.

63. •62. ingenuity. “in juh NOO i
tee” (not “in JEN wi ti”).
Cleverness

64. journal
“JUR nuhl” (not “JOR nuhl”).
Diary.

65. Knowledge
“NAHL ij” (not “NOH lej”).
Understanding gained by actual
experience.

66. Kuwait
“kuh WEIT” (not “kweit”). An
Arab country in Western Asia

67. legume
“LEG yoom” (not “LE joom”).
Any of a large family of plants
having fruits that are dry pods
and split when ripe

68. Lettuce
“LET uhs” (not “LET is”).
Vegetable that is best eaten
fresh.

69. lip-synch
“LIP sink” (not “LIP sing”). To
move the lips in synchronization
with recorded sound

70. lychee
“LEE chee” (not “LIGH chee”).
An oval fruit with a hard scaly
outer covering , a small hard
seed, and edible flesh.

71. mahjong/mahjongg
“mah ZHAHNG” or “mah
ZHONG” (not “mah JONG”). A
Chinese game.

72. Maniac
“MEIN yuhk” (not “MAHN
yahk”). Pervert.

73. Mayonnaise
“MEI uh neiz” or “mei uh NEIZ”
(not “MAH yuh neiz”). A
dressing of beaten egg yolk, oil,
lemon juice or vinegar, and
seasonings

74. Nuisance
“NOO suhns” or “NYOO suhns”
(not “NOOY sahns”).
Inconvenient or vexatious; a
bother.

75. Nuptial
“NAHP shuhl” (not “NOOP
shuhl”). Regarding wedding or
marriage.

76. Orange
“AH rinj” (not “OH reinj”). A
citrus fruit.

77. Orator
“OR uh tuhr” (not “oh REI
tuhr”). One who makes an
oration.

78. parachute
“PAHR uh shoot” (not “PAHR uh
kyoot”). An apparatus used to
retard free fall in descending
from an airplby ane or from a
great height.

79. Picture
“PIK chuhr” (not “PICH uhr”). A
representation made by
painting, drawing, or
photography.

80. Porsche
“POR shuh” (not “porsh”). A
brand of an expensive sports
car

81. preface
“PREF is” (not “PRI feis”).
Introductory statement or essay.

82. Pseudonym
“SOOD’n im” (not “SYOO duh
nim”). A fictitious name taken on
by an author; pen name

83. Quaker Oats
“KWEI kuhr ohts'” (not “KWAH
ker ots”). Brand name of a very
popular oat meal.

84. Query
“KWIR ee” (not “KWER ee”).
Request for information.

85. Rendezvous
“RAHN dei voo” (not “REN des
voos”). Meeting place.

86. Salmon
“SÆ muhn” (not “SAHL muhn”).
Pronounced with a silent “l.”
Food fish.

87. sauce
“sos” (not “sohs”). A flavorful
liquid dressing or relish for food.

88. sergeant
“SAHR juhnt” (not “SUR jent”). A
non-commissioned officer.

89. species
“SPEE sheez” (not “SPE sees”).
A fundamental classification
category in biology.

90. suicide
“SOO i sighd” (not “SWI sighd”).
Intentional killing of oneself.

91. tarantula
“tuh RAHN chuh luh” (not “tah’
ruhn TOOL uh”). Any of various
large, hairy tropical spiders
capable of inflicting a painful but
not seriously poisonous bite.

92. thesis/theses
“THEE sis” (for singular) and
“THEE seez” (for plural). A
proposition maintained by
argument.

93. Tortoise
“TOR tuhs” (not “TOR tois”).
Turtle that lives only on land.

94. Tourniquet
“TOOR ni kit” or “TUR ni kit” (not
“TOOR ni kei”). A first aid device to
temporarily stop the flow of blood
through an artery.

95. Tucson
“TOO sahn” (not “TOOK suhn”).
City in Phoenix, Arizona, USA;
brand name of an SUV made in
Korea.

96. turquoise
“TUHR kwoiz” (not “TUHR
kois”). A blue or blue-green
mineral valued in the polished
blue form as a gemstone

97. Typhus
“TIGH fuhs” (not “TEE puhs”).
Any of several forms of an
infectious disease caused by a
rickettsia microorganism carried
by fleas, ticks, mites, or lice.

98. Utensil
“yoo TEN sil” (not “YOO ten
sil”). An implement or tool.

99. Worcestershire
“WOOS tuhr shir” (not “wur
CHES tuhr shighr”). Trademark
of a piquant sauce of soy,
vinegar, and spices.

100. Worry
“WUR ee” (not “WOR ee”). To
feel uneasy.

101. Zucchini
“zoo KEE nee.” A European
vegetable.