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Names people get wrong

Personal names follow the rules of their origin language, not English. Irish names use bh for a v sound (Siobhan) and mh similarly (Niamh), while Spanish j is a breathy h (Joaquin). Getting a name right is basic courtesy, so it is worth the two minutes.


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The words

More lists like this

Affect and effect, desert and dessert, accept and except. Similar words, different sounds.
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Light, laugh, ghost, high: GH is silent, F, or hard G. Hear which each word takes.
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Antidisestablishmentarianism and friends. Break the giants into syllables and say them properly.
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Sixths, strengths, twelfths, world: short words that are far harder than they look.
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Words that trip up confident intermediate learners: clothes, sixth, thorough, February.
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Words that separate advanced learners from native speakers: paradigm, epitome, hyperbole.
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Keep practising

Browse every practice list or the word index, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.

To read the rules behind these words, see the pronunciation guides — including silent letters, word stress and American vs British. Or hear each accent on its own page: American, British, Australian.