Most Mispronounced Words of 2025: From Zohran Mamdani to the Louvre:

Every year, certain names and places dominate the news — and many of them leave Americans struggling with pronunciation. In 2025, this challenge became especially clear. The language-learning company Babbel, along with The Captioning Group, released their annual list of the year’s most mispronounced words. The list gives a snapshot of the people, events, and trends that captured public attention, and the words that Americans repeatedly stumbled over. Zohran Mamdani’s Rise — and a Name Many Got Wrong One of the most frequently mispronounced names in 2025 was Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s incoming mayor. Mamdani made history in several ways: he will be the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first mayor born in Africa, and the first of South Asian heritage. However, as his political profile grew, so did confusion about how to say his name. According to Babbel, the correct pronunciation is: zoh-RAHN mam-DAH-nee The most common mistake? People often switched the “M” and “N” in his last name. Mamdani has said he does not mind when people try to pronounce his name correctly but make an honest mistake. What bothers him is when people mispronounce it intentionally. During a mayoral debate, he even corrected former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, saying plainly, “The name is Mamdani.” The Louvre Heist: A Famous Museum With a Tricky Name Another term that caused trouble in American newsrooms was the name of the world-famous Paris museum, the Louvre. After the shocking theft of France’s crown jewels from the museum in October, the name appeared often in headlines — and was often mispronounced. Babbel explains the correct pronunciation as: LOOV-ruh (with a very soft “ruh” at the end) For many English speakers, that gentle final sound is hard to master, which led to many creative — and incorrect — attempts. Why These Words Are So Hard? Linguistic expert Esteban Touma from Babbel says the pattern is simple: many of these words come from other languages. English speakers must learn sounds they don’t use every day, which naturally leads to mistakes. Other Tricky Words of 2025 Several familiar names and terms also appeared on the list: Acetaminophen The common painkiller ingredient, found in Tylenol, is pronounced: uh-SEE-tuh-MIH-nuh-fen The word became especially popular — and mispronounced — after former President Donald Trump struggled with it in a public speech while warning pregnant women about possible risks of the medicine. Scientists say the evidence about its link to autism is still inconclusive, but the moment went viral. Alex Murdaugh The high-profile South Carolina attorney convicted of killing his wife and son in 2021 also made the list. His case gained renewed attention in 2025 due to a Hulu drama series. His name is pronounced: AL-ick MUR-dock Mounjaro The diabetes and weight-loss medication Mounjaro continued to rise in popularity, especially because of its effect on weight loss. Its pronunciation is: mown-JAHR-oh Mispronunciations Across the Atlantic Interestingly, some words appeared on both the U.S. and U.K. lists, including Louvre and Mounjaro. In the U.K., one standout entry was Storm Éowyn, which brought heavy weather to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland earlier in the year. Babbel says the correct pronunciation is: ay-OH-win (with a clear three-part rhythm) A Surprise From Denzel Washington One of the year’s biggest pronunciation surprises came from actor Denzel Washington. While speaking on a late-night show, he revealed that he was actually named after his father — and originally, both of their names were pronounced: DEN-zul His mother eventually changed the pronunciation to Den-ZELLE to avoid confusion, but the revelation still shocked many fans.

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