Have you been butchering the names of the year's biggest stars, viral trends, and global landmarks? A new linguistic analysis has put our collective pronunciation under the microscope, revealing a list of 2025's most frequently mis-said words.
Celebrity Names We're Getting Wrong
Even Hollywood legends aren't immune to common mispronunciation. Denzel Washington, the 70-year-old acting icon, has revealed that the widespread pronunciation "DEN-zul" is incorrect for him. On the Jimmy Kimmel Show, he explained that to distinguish him from his father, who shared the name, his mother began pronouncing his name as Den-ZELLE.
Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård also makes the list. Despite the "gård" ending looking like "gard," the correct pronunciation is Skarz-GORD. The Swedish umlaut "å" creates the "gourd" sound, a nuance often missed by English speakers.
Viral Sensations and Global Milestones
England and Arsenal footballer Michelle Agyemang became a national hero during the Euros, but many fans stumbled over her surname. The correct pronunciation is Ah-jeh-man, with a silent "G".
The world's most-visited museum, the Louvre in Paris, has been a major talking point since a multi-million pound heist in October. English speakers often over-enunciate the final syllable, but it should be a soft LOOV-ruh, almost fading out.
The proposed Glyndŵr National Park in north-east Wales has confounded many. Mispronunciations like "Glin-dower" ignore the Welsh "ŵ" (a long "oo" sound). It's correctly said as Glyn-DOOR.
Brands, Trends, and Treats
Brazilian flip-flop brand Havaianas has seen a major fashion resurgence in 2025, but its name hasn't been as smooth. The common "hav-EYE-anas" is wrong; it's Ah-vah-YAH-nas, with a silent initial 'h' in the Portuguese style.
The viral Dubai chocolate bar Knafeh, inspired by the Arab dessert, is a pricey treat at around £15. Its correct pronunciation is Cah-NEFF-eh.
Weight-loss jab Mounjaro became more accessible through the NHS in June 2025. The stress falls on the second syllable: mown-JAHR-OH (with "mown" like the start of "mountain").
Even Pokémon got a pronunciation check. The legendary dragon Rayquaza was officially clarified as Ray-KWAY-zuh during the 2025 Pokémon World Championships.
Honourable Mentions and Tongue Twisters
The list also highlights pop culture phenomena. The viral plush dolls Labubu and Lafufu are pronounced Luh-BOO-boo and Luh-foo-foo, not with emphasis on the "la."
From the world of music, Lily Allen's 2025 song title Nonmonogamummy is a tongue-twister, correctly said as non-muh-NOG-uh-mum-ee.
The UK's first major storm of the year, Storm Éowyn, named from Tolkien, proved challenging for broadcasters who often said "Ee-ow-win." The correct pronunciation is Ay-OH-win.
The study was curated by language-learning platform Babbel with the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters, offering a fascinating snapshot of how viral moments and global events shape—and sometimes trip up—our everyday language.
