The words you have mispronounced all year - and how to actually say them

Our pronunciations of some of 2025's most popular words has been put under scrutiny, revealing what we're most commonly saying wrong.

Language-learning platform Babbel curated the list with the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters and, handily, included the correct pronunciation for the words that have shaped viral moments and defined global milestones.

Here's a look at the words many of us seem to be botching.

Denzel Washington - pronounced Den-ZELLE

70-year-old actor Denzel Washington has been a Hollywood staple for decades, but it turns out you may well have been saying his name wrong.

If you've been saying "DEN-zul," you are part of the reason this has made the list.

However, this one isn't necessarily your fault, because the name Denzel is usually pronounced that way.

But on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Washington revealed that because both he and his father were named Denzel, his mother started to pronounce his name with the ZELLE to distinguish between the pair.

Michelle Agyemang - pronounced Ah-jeh-man

England and Arsenal winger Michelle Agyemang became a national sensation thanks to her incredible run in the Euros this year, where she scored crucial goals in the Lioness's knockout victories over Sweden and Italy and was crowned the young player of the tournament.

The 19-year-old Brighton loanee became a household name - but according to Babbel, many of those households were saying the name all wrong, not realising that the "G" was silent.

Louvre - pronounced LOOV-ruh

The Louvre, based in a former royal palace in Paris, is the world's most-visited museum, home to an unrivalled collection of art and artefacts, from the Mona Lisa to the Venus de Milo.

It's been a particularly big talking point for the past few months, as the museum was rocked by a daylight heist in which thieves escaped with eight pieces of France's historic crown jewels in under eight minutes - worth £76m - in October.

With more people talking about it, there's been no shortage of incorrect pronunciations. Babbel says English speakers often over-enunciate the near-silent "re", when in reality it should be pronounced "LOOV-ruh" with a very soft "ruh" sound - almost like "LOOV" with a faint ending.

Storm Éowyn - pronounced Ay-OH-win

The UK's first major storm of 2025 proved a challenge both on land and in TV studios, where the Tolkien-derived name was regularly read by broadcasters as "Ee-ow-win," or "Ee-oh-win."

Glyndŵr National Park - pronounced Glyn-DOOR

The proposed name for a new national park in north-east Wales has been met with all kinds of botched pronunciations, including "Glin-dower," "Glin-doer" and "Glin-door-uh," which ignore the Welsh "ŵ" - a long "oo" sound - and the clean two-syllable structure.

Havaianas - pronounced Ah-vah-YAH-nas

Havaianas is a Brazilian footwear brand, which is ironically known for producing arguably the most simply pronounced footwear type of all time - flip-flops.

The brand has been around since 1962, but it has had a major resurgence in 2025 thanks to Vogue featuring them in its "city flip-flop" comeback and celebrities styling them far beyond the beach - paired with tailored trousers, maxi skirts, slip dresses, and even evening looks.

It means there are perhaps more people than ever trying - and failing - to pronounce the company name, with English speakers often going for "hav-EYE-anas," pronouncing the "h" or shifting stress to the final syllable.

Knafeh - pronounced Cah-NEFF-eh

This is the official name of the Dubai chocolate bar that went viral on social media, inspired by the Arab dessert Knafeh.

It's a pricey treat, with each bar costing around £15, but that hasn't put people off of buying it in droves. Demand is so high that its sales are capped to a two-hour daily window.

You don't have to be able to pronounce it to enjoy the milk chocolate treat, which is filled with pistachio cream, tahini, and thin filo pastry.

Mounjaro - pronounced Mown-JAHR-OH

Online weight-loss journeys have never been more prominent thanks to jabs like Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic becoming more accessible through the NHS in June.

The correct pronunciation stresses the second two syllables "mown-JAHR-OH," with "mown" pronounced like the beginning of "mountain."

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Rayquaza - pronounced Ray-KWAY-zuh

This legendary dragon Pokémon from the Emerald era became a major talking point in 2025 when the Pokémon World Championships clarified its correct pronunciation: Ray-KWAY-zuh.

Common mispronunciations have included "RAY-kwah-zuh" or "ray-KWAH-zuh".

Alexander Skarsgård - pronounced Skarz‑GORD

Another Hollywood actor makes the list, and this time it's Swedish star Alexander Skarsgård, known for True Blood, The Northman, Big Little Lies and in 2025, his role as a mysterious biker at the centre of a BDSM romance, Pillion.

Despite the "gård" ending looking like "gard," the correct pronunciation is "Skarz‑GORD," according to Babbel, which says the Swedish umlaut "å" produces the "gourd" sound.

Honourable mentions

Labubu / Lafufu - pronounced Luh‑BOO‑boo and Luh-foo-foo

The troll-like plush dolls are part of a series by Pop Mart called The Monsters, created by Hong Kong artist and author Kasing Lung.

They've been selling out all year long after becoming a worldwide sensation on TikTok, yet people can't quite seem to nail the pronunciation down, incorrectly emphasising the "a" sound to call them "LA-boo-boo" or "LA-foo-foo".

Nonmonogamummy - pronounced non-muh-NOG-uh-mum-ee

This tongue twister is the name of a song by British singer Lily Allen on her 2025 hit album West End Girl.

She fused the terms "non-monogamy" and "mummy" together to highlight her struggle to be both an open-relationship partner and a steady, caring mother.

(c) Sky News 2025: The words you have mispronounced all year - and how to actually say them