‘Cheugy’ and Salt Bae’s ‘Nusr-Et’ among most mispronounced words of 2021
Dogecoin, Keirin and the name of a popular sea shanty also made the list
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Your support makes all the difference.The most mispronounced words of 2021 include the name of fast fashion brand Shein, the term “cheugy” and the name of Salt Bae’s world-famous steakhouse, Nusr-Et.
Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency endorsed by Elon Musk and Dalgona, a Korean sweet treat featured in Netflix’s Squid Game also made the list.
The British Institute of Verbatim Reporters (BIVR), which provides captions and subtitles for television and courtrooms surveyed its members on the words most commonly mispronounced by newsreaders and others on TV.
Todd Ehresmann, a senior linguist at language learning platform Babbel, which commissioned the survey, said most mispronunciations are either of new vernacular words, or those that are borrowed from or originate from another language.
“2021 has seen UK news anchors struggling with new words and names while covering major sporting events, viral internet trends and emerging celebrities,” he said.
“As they come into everyday parlance, it’s great to see people at least having a stab at saying them correctly, because having the confidence to speak new words and phrases is one of the most important aspects when learning a language.
“Though understanding how these words are correctly pronounced is of course even better – and we’re glad to be able to help out here.”
Read on for the full list of words.
Cheugy
The term, which denotes outdating and unfashion trends typically associated with millennials, went viral on TikTok earlier this year. Examples of “cheugy” trends include graphic tees, “live laugh love” signs, skinny jeans and even side-parted hair.
The correct pronunciation of cheugy is “choo-gee”.
Dalgona
Dalgona is a Korean treat made using melted sugar and baking soda. It became popular following the release of Netflix’s Squid Game in September.
The correct pronunciation of Dalgona is “tal-goh-NAH”.
Dogecoin
A popular cryptocurrency which was first endorsed by Elon Musk in December 2020.
The correct pronunciation is “dohj-coin”.
Gina Coladangelo
In June, The Sun published CCTV footage of Coladengelo kissing former health secretary Matt Hancock at a time when social distancing restrictions were in place in England. Following the publication, Hancock resigned from his post.
The correct pronunciation is “jee-nah co-la-dan-gelo“.
Giorgio Chiellini
Chiellini was the caption of Italy’s national football team during the European Football Championship, where Italy beat England on penalties in the final on 11 July.
The correct pronunciation is “jyor-jyo kyi-lee-nee”.
Keirin
Keirin is a popular Japanese sport which took place at the Tokyo Olympics.
The correct pronunciation is “kay-rin”.
Måneskin
Måneskin is the name of the Italian rock band which won Eurovision 2021.
The correct pronunciation is “moh-ne-skin”.
Nusr-Et
The name of the world-famous steakhouse, owned by Nusret Gökçe or “Salt Bae”.
The restaurant’s London location made headlines earlier this year for its high prices.
The correct pronunciation is “nus-ret”.
Shein
Shein is a Chinese fast fashion brand. The correct pronounciation is “shee-in”.
Wellerman
The name of a sea shanty by Nathan Evans that went viral on TikTok at the beginning of the year.
The correct pronunciation is “well-er-man”.
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