Zendaya is on the List for the Most Mispronounced Words in America

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The arrival of December not only marks the start of the Christmas season but also brings a flood of year-end lists recapping the events of 2024.

Among those lists, you'll find American artist Zendaya, who has already begun collecting awards for her work this year. However, one list where her name stands out is both intriguing and unexpected. Alongside articles covering celebrity deaths and the most searched topics on Wikipedia this year, ENSTARZ ¡Latino! is now highlighting Babbel and The Captioning Group's list of the most mispronounced words by Americans.

This list features public figures, animals, and product names that locals found most challenging to pronounce.

Notably, the article even includes audio clips demonstrating the correct pronunciation of the terms.

Figures like model and actress Zendaya, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and Phryge, the mascot for the Paris 2024 Olympics, are some of the notable names Americans struggled to pronounce correctly.

Pronouncing names in English

Kamala Harris, the former Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. Vice President, faced significant issues with the pronunciation of her name during her campaign. Many pronounced it with three heavily accented A's, but her grandnieces clarified during the Democratic National Convention that the correct pronunciation is "COMMA-LA."

Similarly, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg remains on the list four years after his 2020 presidential campaign due to the ongoing difficulty people have with his surname, which should be pronounced "Boot-Edge-Edge."

Zendaya, the star of Euphoria, has also dealt with this issue. Many mistakenly say "Zen-DIE-uh," when the correct pronunciation is "Zen-DAY-a."

Years ago, as her fame in television and film grew, Zendaya herself took to Allure magazine's Snapchat to set the record straight on the pronunciation of her name.

Phryge, the Paris 2024 Olympics mascot inspired by the Phrygian cap, is another tricky name. Its proper pronunciation is "FREE-je," but its French roots often caused confusion.

The breed of Shohei Ohtani's dog, a Kooikerhondje, also baffled fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers star. While many simply called the dog "Decoy" (an Americanized version of the Japanese "Dekopin"), the correct Dutch pronunciation of the breed name is "COY-ker-HUND-che."

Popular brand names weren't spared either. The fashion retailer SHEIN is often pronounced "CHEEN" instead of its correct pronunciation, "SHE-in." Similarly, actor Barry Keoghan, star of Saltburn, has had his name mispronounced as "key-OH-gin" when it should be "key-OH-gun."

One of 2024's breakout musical artists, Chappell Roan, who recently released a Christmas song with Sabrina Carpenter, faced a similar issue. Fans frequently mispronounced her name as "SHA-pel ROW-an," but it's correctly said as "CHAP-uhl ROHN."

The Babbel and The Captioning Group article also features common mispronunciations in the UK for 2024 and includes terms like Nvidia, the world's most valuable brand, and Adidas' popular Samba shoes, shedding light on how these names should be properly articulated.