There’s nothing worse than stumbling on a word that everyone else knows how to say – especially when it is a popular food.
Everyone has likely experienced that moment of panic when ordering a hard-to-pronounce dish at a restaurant, but the good news is, you’re not alone.
Commonly mispronounced foods often stem from foreign languages, which can lead to errors when trying to say them in English.
Last year, Preply, a language website, shared a study that revealed the international foods that Americans mispronounce the most.
It found that the five most frequently mispronounced words are quinoa, gnocchi, Worcestershire sauce, açai and gyro, with people often emphasizing the wrong letters.
Below, take a look at the most mispronounced menu items – and learn how to correctly say them.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a staple in many health-nuts’ lives but its pronunciation sometimes baffles people.
The dried seed, which is often used similarly to rice, is primarily used as a base of a meal or in a salad.
While it looks as though it’s said ‘kwin-oh-ah,’ it is actually pronounced ‘KEEN-wah’.
Quinoa is a staple in many health-nuts’ lives but its pronunciation sometimes baffles people
Gnocchi
The Italian dish is pronounced ‘NYAW-kee’ or ‘NAW-kee,’ not ‘gih-nok-chee’ or ‘knock-ee’.
Gnocchi are soft, Italian dumplings typically made from cooked potatoes, flour and sometimes egg, though variations use ricotta, semolina or other ingredients.
They are served like pasta, boiled and tossed in sauces like tomato, pesto, or even butter with spices.
Gnocchi are soft, Italian dumplings typically made from cooked potatoes, flour and sometimes egg, though variations use ricotta, semolina or other ingredients
Worcestershire sauce
The tricky-to-pronounce sauce is pronounced ‘WOOS-ter-sher’ rather than ‘wor-ces-ter-shire’.
The name of the savory condiment, which contains a whopping 14 letters, comes from the English county of Worcestershire, where it was created.
The sauce, known for its umami flavor, is so tricky to say that on average it’s searched 34,000 times on Google every month.
The name of the savory condiment, which contains a whopping 14 letters, comes from the English county of Worcestershire, where it was created
Açai
The small blackish-purple berries are found in the Amazon and are often used in smoothies, power bowls and energy bars.
While it is thought to be one of the most powerful superfoods, it has also proven super hard to say for some.
The açai berry is used to make açai bowls and has earned a spot in many healthy cafes but, despite its popularity, a few stumbles have been taken over the name.
Many people say ‘ah-kai,’ when actually, it’s said ‘ah-sah-EE’.
The small blackish-purple berries are found in the Amazon and are often used in smoothies, power bowls, and energy bars
Gyro
Gyros are a popular Greek street food that contains thinly shaved meat, layered onto grilled pita bread.
While the delicious dish looks straightforward to pronounce, it is actually ‘YEE-roh.’
Many people pronounce the Greek sandwich ‘JYE-roh’ with a hard ‘G’, which is incorrect.
Gyros are a popular Greek street food that contains thinly shaved meat layered onto grilled pita bread
