Two Irish names top list of UK’s most mispronounced words

A new study has revealed the UK's most mispronounced words, and two Irish names take the two top spots.

The research was conducted by word unscrambling experts at Unscramblerer.com, who analyzed Google search data for 2025 to reveal the most mispronounced words in the United Kingdom.

A spokesperson for Unscramblerer.com commented on the research: "Our research about the most searched for mispronunciations gives an interesting insight into United Kingdom's culture.

"Exposure to new words through media, music, pop culture and social platforms drives curiosity. People often look up pronunciations if there is a gap between how a word or name is spelled and how it sounds. English language is particularly irregular in this regard ("Colonel" and "Wednesday" defy phonetic expectations). English spelling only matches pronunciation about 75% of the time(University of Oxford research).

"A Cambridge University linguistics survey found that over 60% of English speakers admit they regularly mispronounce at least one common word. Correct pronunciation is closely tied to perceived intelligence and competence. The desire for correct pronunciation is a mix of avoiding social embarrassment and simple curiosity. No wonder people are searching for how to pronounce words."

It seems Irish names were the biggest tongue twisters for most people, with three names making the list. Niamh was the most mispronounced word in the UK, followed by the Irish name Saoirse. Aoife also made the list, ranking 17th as the most mispronounced word.

United Kingdom's most mispronounced words with pronunciations:

1.      Niamh (124 800 searches) - NEEV.

2.      Saoirse (109 200 searches) - SER-sha.

3.      Gyro (92 400 searches) - YEE-roh.

4.      Edinburgh (91 200 searches) - ed-in-bruh.

5.      Schedule (90 000 searches) - shed-yool.

6.      Croissant (88 800 searches) - kwah-son.

7.      Worcestershire sauce (87 600 searches) - wuss-tuh-shuh sauce.

8.      Dachshund (81 600 searches) - daks-und.

9.      Acai (79 200 searches) - assa-ee.

10.   Charcuterie (76 800 searches) - shar-koo-tuh-ree.

11.   Spaghetti (75 600 searches) - spuh-get-ee.

12.   Qatar (69 600 searches) - kuh-tar.

13.   Cacao (67 200 searches) - kuh-kow.

14.   Niche (67 200 searches) - neesh.

15.   Nutella (63 600 searches) - nuh-tell-uh.

16.   Eowyn (56 400 searches) - ay-uh-win.

17.   Aoife (13 5600 searches) - ee-fuh.

United Kingdom's most mispronounced words by region with pronunciations:

·        Wales - Aoife (ee-fuh).

·        Northern Ireland - Niamh (NEEV).

·        Scotland - Edinburgh (ed-in-bruh).

·        England - Gyros (YEE-roh).