Tricky words to say in British and American English

We’re back with some more words that are difficult to pronounce in British English.

And in American English. Are you ready to try them?

Let’s get going. Hello everyone! I’m Vicki and I’m British.

And I’m Jay and I’m American. We want to say thank you to everyone who has suggested

words that are hard to pronounce. You made some great suggestions and we’ve

asked some English learners to try saying them for us.

Yeah, here’s the first one. Let’s see how they did.

Mishap. Mishap.

Mishap. Mishap.

Oh dear, they’re all wrong. This word is confusing.

Yeah. Mishap? Mishap. Mishap? What's this word?

She got it right the first time. It’s mishap. It’s an s sound, sss. Not sh.

And it means a small accident or mistake. Yes, a mishap isn’t serious. It’s when

something goes wrong, but it’s just a small thing.

Mishap. He got it right.

Yes, he did well. He didn’t have a mishap with mishap.

Say it with us. Mishap.

Mishap. OK, what’s next?

Let’s see. Depth.

Depth. Oh dear, no no no no.

That was hard. Yes. It’s a short word and you’ve got

to say a lot of sounds very quickly. Depth.Yeah. Thank you.

Depth. They did well.

Yeah. So what does depth mean?

It’s how deep something is, so the distance from the top of something to its bottom.

The depth of a swimming pool. The depths of the ocean.

Depth. Depth.

So you’ve got a p sound: p. And then you’ve got to move your tongue forward very quickly

for the th sound. Try saying it with us.

Depth. Depth.

You know, I have hidden depths. Really?

Yes, there are lots of interesting and unknown things about my character. I’m very deep.

Let’s see what’s next. OK.

Oh. Posthumously. Hmm. Posthumously.

Posthumously. Posthumously. Posthumously.

Oh nearly, but they’ve all got the word stress wrong.

Posthumously? I don't think I got that one. Posthumously.

Posthumously. So what does it mean?

OK. If something happens after someone’s death, it’s posthumous. Like someone might

write a book and then die, and then they publish the book posthumously, so after their death.

Or heroes who died in battle might receive a posthumous medal.

Yes, and the stress is on the first syllable. Say it with us

Posthumously. Posthumously.

Can we have a happier word now? Yes, here’s a nice one.

Choir. Choir. Choir?

Choir. Oh this is another hard one.

Yes. Choir.

Hey, she got it right! Yeah. It doesn’t start with ch or sh sound.

It starts with a kw. Choir.

Choir. So what does it mean?

A choir is a group of people who sing together. Like a church choir or a school choir.

Let’s show everyone. [choir singing]

Wow, we’re good! Yeah, let’s do that again!

[choir singing] OK, say the word choir with us.

Choir. Choir.

OK, what’s next? Let’s see.

Asked. Asked.

Ah, that’s not right! It should just be one syllable, right?

Yes, and it ends with a t sound... t. So we write E-D but we say T?

That’s right. It happens in the past tense when verbs end with an unvoiced sound.

We should make another video about that. It’s on my list. We will.

Good. So subscribe to our channel everyone so you don’t miss it.

And we say the word 'asked' a little differently in American and British English.

See if you can hear the difference. Asked.

Asked. So in British English we say 'ah'.

And in American English we say 'a'. This happens with quite a few words, like

bath. Bath.

Banana. Banana.

So you can choose. You can say asked or asked. Say it with our learners.

Asked. Asked.

Asked. Asked.

Asked. What’s next?

We’ve got a long word now. Errr. Ono...Onomatopoeia. I don't know.

Onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia. I don't know. Onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia.

They nearly got it. Yes, what does this word mean?

It’s when you use words that sound like their meanings. Like the word hiss sounds

like a hiss. SSSss Or the beep sound your cell phone makes. Beep

beep. Or how buzz sounds like buzzing.

Onomatopoeia. Great.

Onomatopoe... Onomatopoeia. Fantastic!

They did a great job! Yes. It’s all about getting the rhythm right.

ONomatoPOEIa. Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia. So how many syllables does it have?

ON-oh-mat-oh-PEE-a – six! And the main stress is on PEE.

Yes, and there’s a secondary stress on ON. Here’s how we say it.

Onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia.

What’s that trick you use for pronouncing long words?

It’s called backchaining. You start at the back and then work forward. Try it with me.

-a. PEE-a.

to-PEE-a. ma- to-PEE-a.

o- ma- to-PEE-a. ON-o- ma- to-PEE-a.

Did it help you say it? OK, let’s do one more word.

Another hard one? Yes!

Sword. Sword.

Sword. Sword.

Nice tries but the W should be silent. Sword.

Sword. Now they got it right.

Sword. Sword.

So what’s a sword? It’s a weapon with a long metal blade and

a handle. There’s a famous saying. The pen is mightier

than the sword. Yes, it means words are more powerful than

physical force, because you can change people’s opinions with words.

Yes, and it’s easier to write with a pen than with a sword.

We want to say a big thank you to all the learners who helped us make this video. You

were very generous and such fun to work with. And you were very good sports.

Yes. We should explain what being a good sport means?

If someone is a good sport then they are pleasant and cheerful, even in a difficult situation.

And we gave them some difficult words to say. If you have any suggestions for more difficult

words, write and tell us in the comments. Maybe we can make another video about them.

And if you’ve enjoyed this video, please share it with a friend.

And don’t forget to subscribe to this channel. Bye everyone!

Bye-bye.