Pronunciation is one of those things that can lead to hour-long debates and result in the end of decades-long friendships. Sad, but sometimes true. And although pronunciation sometimes doesn’t matter — I say tom-ay-toe, you say tom-ah-toe — there are some instances where pronunciation is actually a bit more rigid (we’re obvs not counting accents). The following fruits, for example, have been mispronounced for too long. It’s time for us to spread the gospel and finally set the pronunciation record straight.
In regard to fruits, it’s pretty hard to mispronounce the basics. There’s really only one way to say “apple” or “pear.” However, more exotic and tropical fruits can trouble our American tongues and start pronunciation wars between you and the other foodies in your life. So, hopefully, we can put an end to the battle. And hey, if you’ve never heard of these fruits before, you can use your newfound knowledge to impress your buddies when the opportunity arises.
Check out the list of tricky-to-say fruits and practice sounding them out correctly. It may take a while to retrain your brain, but if we can learn how to correctly pronounce Chrissy Teigen’s last name (it’s not Tee-gan but Tie-gan — surprise!), we can do the same for these funky-sounding fruits.
1. Lychee
You probably say: “LIE-chee”
You should say: “LEE-chee”
Although both are technically correct, the first pronunciation is less common.
2. Maraschino Cherries
You probably say: “ma-ra-shee-no”
You should say: “ma-re-SKI-no”
3. Acai
You probably say: “ak-cay” or “ah-ee.”
You should say: “ah-SIGH-ee.”
4. Rambutan
You probably say: “ram-boo-TAN”
You should say: “ram-BOO-tin”
5. Agave
You probably say: “ah-GA-vee”
You should say: “ah-GA-vey”
6. Mangosteen
You probably say: “mang-O-steen”
You should say: “MANG-uh-steen”
7. Durian
You probably say: “DUH-ree-an”
You should say: “DOO-ree-an”
Now that you know how to properly say the names of these fruits, spread the word and inform everyone you know.
