Pronunciation · Word list
Everyday words people get wrong
In short
High-frequency words that learners get wrong far more often than rare ones, which makes this the highest-impact list here. Several are consonant-cluster problems rather than vowel problems: the sounds are known individually and collapse when stacked.
The pattern
Frequency decides impact. A mispronounced everyday word costs far more clarity than a mispronounced rare one.
All 16 words
Tap the speaker to hear it, or open a word for the full breakdown, both accents and a recording drill.
- clothesKLOHDHZkləʊðz · 1 syllableOften said as KLOH-thez — adding a second syllable, or saying it identically to “close”
- monthsMUNTHSmʌnθs · 1 syllableOften said as MUN-thes — inserting a vowel, or reducing it to “muns”
- sixthSIKSTHsɪksθ · 1 syllableOften said as SIK-sith — adding a vowel, or stopping at “six”
- askedAHSKTɑːskt · 1 syllableOften said as AS-ked or AS-kid — turning the -ed into a syllable
- FebruaryFEB-roo-uh-reeˈfebruəri · 4 syllablesOften said as feb-RU-a-ry — stressing the second syllable
- libraryLY-bruh-reeˈlaɪbrəri · 3 syllablesOften said as LY-buh-ree — dropping the first r
- probablyPROB-uh-bleeˈprɒbəbli · 3 syllablesOften said as pro-BAB-lee — stressing the second syllable
- worldWURLDwɜːld · 1 syllableOften said as WOR-uld or WULD — adding a syllable, or dropping the l or r
- womenWIM-inˈwɪmɪn · 2 syllablesOften said as WOO-men — using the vowel from the singular “woman”
- ironEYE-unˈaɪən · 2 syllablesOften said as I-RON — sounding it as written, with a clear “ron”
- choirKWY-uhˈkwaɪə · 2 syllablesOften said as CHOIR as written, with a /tʃ/ start — “choy-er”
- oftenOF-unˈɒfən · 2 syllablesOften said as Neither form is wrong — but stressing the second syllable is
- scheduleSHED-yoolˈʃedjuːl · 2 syllablesOften said as Mixing the two accents mid-word, or stressing the second syllable
- garageGA-rahzhˈɡærɑːʒ · 2 syllablesOften said as guh-RAJ with a hard /dʒ/ ending, or stressing the wrong syllable for your chosen accent
- vehicleVEE-uh-kulˈviːəkl · 3 syllablesOften said as vee-HIK-ul — sounding the h and moving the stress
- thoroughTHU-ruhˈθʌrə · 2 syllablesOften said as THROO — reading it as “through”
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common everyday words people get wrong in English?
This list covers 16: clothes, months, sixth, asked, February, library, probably, world, and more. Each has its own page with IPA, a syllable breakdown, audio in both accents, and a recording drill.
Is there a rule behind everyday words people get wrong?
Frequency decides impact. A mispronounced everyday word costs far more clarity than a mispronounced rare one.
Do I need to fix all of these for IELTS?
No. IELTS scores intelligibility, not word-perfect accuracy, and it accepts every standard accent. Fix the words you actually use, starting with the frequent ones: a mispronounced everyday word costs far more than a mispronounced rare one.
Other word lists
Next step
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