The Top 10: pronunciations designed to trick the unwary

From ‘albeit’ to ‘segue’, those words that cause problems when seen in print for the first time

One does not require bottle to eat chipotle (Getty)

We did unexpected pronunciations of British place names last month: Ian Rapley suggested a companion list of ordinary words whose pronunciation is, er, disputed. These are often words that people see written down and fail to associate with a familiar word they have heard.

1. Albeit. Should really be three words, all be it, meaning “although it be”, but has been crushed into one that looks as if it should sound like Al Bate. Nominated by Mary Elwin.

2. Antipodes. From the Greek. Often a problem (see also numbers six and eight). From Ian Rapley.

3. Awry. Often pronounced “orry”, rather than the original “a-wry”, which is how it was formed, from wry meaning “contorted” (coming to mean dry, mocking humour from a “wry” or crooked smile). Another from Mary Elwin.

4. Biopic. I will insist until they come to take me away that it is “bio-pic” because that it what it is, a biographical picture, not a bi-OP-ic.

5. Chipotle. Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl, says the Oxford dictionary, so you’re supposed to pronounce the “e”. From Henry Peacock, who also mentioned interstices.

6. Epitome. “Took me a while to realise that it looks a bit like ‘epitaph’ but doesn’t sound at all like it,” said Jeremy Benson. Also nominated by Mary Collins.

7. Furore. The office is divided over whether you pronounce the “e”, as in the Italian, or not, as in the American (and in the original Latin).

8. Hyperbole. Thanks to Claire Ellicott.

9. Misled. “Am sure I used to think of it as rhyming with ‘fizzled’,” said Jonathan Isaby.

10. Segue. Heard it on the radio; couldn’t believe it when I saw it in print. One of Ian Rapley’s nominations.

Someone nominated litotes, but nobody uses that.

We could also do a list of names, such as Hermione. “In one of the Potter books, J K Rowling inserts a passage of dialogue about the correct pronunciation, for the benefit of Americans thinking it was ‘Hermy one’,” said Chris Smith. And Penelope: Mick O’Hare thought it was Penny Loap. “And I though Zoe was Zo, but sometimes it’s written with an umlaut, which is what gave it away in the end.”

In the “there’s always one” category, Graham Fildes recalls a British newspaper (and associated billboard in London) with the headline: “Pope Pronounced Dead.”

Next week: pseudonyms for more than one person, such as David Agnew, used as a screenwriting credit by the BBC in the 1970s when it had been rewritten so much the original writer didn’t want their name on it.

Coming soon: unlikeliest cover versions, such as Deep Purple’s version of “River Deep, Mountain High”.

Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk