These Are 2022's Most Mispronounced Words

'Tagovailoa,' 'Zaporizhzhia' make the cut
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 25, 2022 4:45 PM CST
Updated Dec 25, 2022 9:01 PM CST
These Are 2022's Most Mispronounced Words
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) looks to pass during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, California, on Dec. 4.   (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

"Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa explained the significance of the Chicxulub impact crater to actor Domhnall Gleeson over a drink of negroni sbagliato in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia," is the kind of sentence that just might tie your tongue up in knots. It contains five examples from this year's list of the most mispronounced words released earlier this month by the Captioning Group, which since 1991 has captioned and subtitled real-time events on television in the US and Canada.

The Captioning Group has compiled the list since 2016 by surveying the words and names most often mangled on live television by newsreaders, politicians, public figures, and others. It's commissioned by the online language-learning company Babbel. The AP acknowledges that while the list is a little humorous, it's also educational and "really gives a good grasp of what's going on in the world and how we connect with people abroad," according to Esteban Touma, a senior content producer and language teacher at Babbel. On this year's list:

  1. Adele (uh-DALE): The Grammy-winning singer informed the world in October that her fans have for years been mispronouncing her name. It's not "ah-DELL."
  2. Chicxulub (CHICK-choo-loob): The crater in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the asteroid that scientists say likely caused the extinction of the dinosaurs was in the news recently.
  3. Domhnall Gleeson (DOH-null GLEE-sun): The Irish actor called out talk show host Stephen Colbert for mispronouncing his first name.
  4. Edinburgh (ed-in-BRUH): American news anchors faced criticism for mispronouncing the Scottish capital during coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's memorial in September.
  5. Negroni sbagliato (ne-GRO-nee spah-lee-AH-toh): The alcoholic beverage was introduced to the world by actor Emma D'Arcy, whose social media mention of the drink received more than 14 million views.
  6. Novak Djokovic (NO-vak JO-kuh-vich): The Serbian tennis star was in the news in January when he was barred from competing in the Australian Open and deported for failing to comply with the nation's COVID-19 vaccination rules.
  7. Ohtani rule (oh-TAHN-ee): Major League Baseball's rule named after 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani allows a starting pitcher to remain in a game as the designated hitter even after leaving the mound.
  8. Rishi Sunak (REE-shee SOO-nahk): President Biden infamously referred to the new British prime minister as "Rasheed Sanook."
  9. Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa (TOO-uh-ning-uh-mah-noo-oh-LEH-po-luh TUNG-o-vai-LOH-uh): The Miami Dolphins quarterback became the center of discussion about NFL concussion protocols after suffering injuries in consecutive games.
  10. Zaporizhzhia (zah-POH-reezha): The Ukrainian city is the location of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which was shut down in September as the nation's war with Russia raged in the area.
(More best of 2022 stories.)

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