You’re out to brunch with your gal pals on a Sunday and you’re a couple Bloody Marys into the early afternoon. You thumb through the menu and land on something that looks appealing — but, how does one say that? It would be embarrassing to be that person who pronounces their breakfast order all wrong, right? So, we’re here to help.
Whether it’s a treat from a foreign country or something that just tickles your tongue a weird way, some breakfast items are infamously hard to pronounce — so you’re definitely not alone in your stuttering and stumbling.
Of course, only food snobs and those who like to poke your buttons (ahem…those brunch gal pals of yours) will call you out on your bad pronunciation. For the most part, the server will understand what you’re talking about. Don’t let your insecurities about saying the item correctly stop you from ordering. The crêpes are never something to pass up on.
Make a few notes, practice saying your favorite hard-to-pronounce breakfast foods, and get ready to take your next brunch outing by storm. Hey, maybe you’ll even teach your friends a thing or two. Just remember that no one likes a food snob!
1. Crêpe
You probably say: “cray-p”
You should say: “creh-p”
2. Congee
You probably say: “con-gee” (with a hard G)
You should say: “con-jee” (with a soft G)
3. Acai
You probably say: “ah-kay-ee”
You should say: “ah-sigh-ee”
4. Huevos Rancheros
You probably say: “h-way-vos ran-cheh-ros”
You should say: “way-vos ran-cheh-ros”
5. Croissant
You probably say: “cro-sahnt”
You should say: “cua-saw” or “cua-sunt”
6. Omelette
You probably say: “om-let”
You should say (the French pronunciation): “ome-let”
7. Goetta
(A Cincinatti favorite)
You probably say: “go-etta”
You should say: “get-ta”
8. Espresso
You probably say: “ex-press-o”
You should say: “es-press-o”
9. Chorizo
You probably say: “chuh-ree-zoh”
You should say: “chorr-ee-zoh” or “chorr-ee-thoh” if you’re pronouncing it like some do in Central and South America.
10. Sriracha
You probably say: “seer-ah-chah”
You should say: “shree-ra-chah”
11. Beignet
You probably say: “beg-net” or “beg-nay”
You should say: “ben-yay”
12. Kouign Amann
You probably say: “kow-een ah-mahn”
You should say: “kween ah-mahn”
13. Pain au chocolat
You probably say: “pan au choc-o-lat” or “payn au choc-o-lat”
You should say: “pauh au sho-co-lah”
14. Mimosa
You probably say: “mah-moe-sah”
You should say: “mih-moe-sah” (We all do it.)
15. Béarnaise sauce
You probably say: “Bee-air-nehs”
You should say: “Bare-nehs”
We hope you learned a thing or two about pronouncing the above breakfast foods. Now, please excuse us — we’re starving.
