Chappell Roan pronounciation: 2024’s most mis-spoken

DALLAS, Texas –

Vice President Kamala Harris and rising pop sensation Chappell Roan were two of the most talked-about individuals of the year. However, their names were frequently mispronounced by news anchors, politicians, and other public figures.

Babbel, a language-learning company, and The Captioning Group, a closed-captioning company, recently unveiled a list of the most mispronounced words in 2024. This list not only highlights the linguistic challenges faced by individuals but also reflects on the year’s noteworthy topics and personalities, spanning from entertainment to politics.

Esteban Touma, a linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel, expressed that this list serves as a retrospective of the events that transpired throughout the year.

Chappell Roan, known for hits like “Good Luck, Babe!”, gained immense popularity and received six Grammy nominations this year. According to the list, her name is pronounced CHAP-uhl ROHN, contrary to the common mispronunciation of SHA-pel ROW-an.

During her presidential campaign, Kamala Harris’ great-nieces clarified the correct pronunciation of her first name, COM-a-la. Additionally, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s last name continues to stump many individuals. To aid in the correct pronunciation, his 2020 campaign merchandise featured “Boot-Edge-Edge” as a phonetic guide.

Other notable words on the list include:

• Dutch Kooikerhondje, pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che, gained recognition due to Los Angeles Dodgers’ player Shohei Ohtani’s dog, Decoy.
• Actress Zendaya’s name, often mispronounced as zen-DIE-uh, should be pronounced zen-DAY-a.
• Online fashion retailer Shein is correctly pronounced as SHE-in, not SHEEN.
• The newly discovered exoplanet Speculoos-3b is pronounced SPEK-yuh-lohss three bee.
• Paris Olympics mascot Phryge is pronounced FREE-je, inspired by the Phrygian cap.
• The drug Semaglutide, found in weight-loss medications, is pronounced sem-ah-GLOO-tide.
• Irish actor Barry Keoghan’s last name is pronounced key-OH-gin.

Nancy Niedzielski, chair of the linguistics department at Rice University, noted that many words on the list are non-English, leading to their mispronunciation in the U.S. She emphasized that hearing these words spoken correctly is crucial for accurate pronunciation.

Touma, a native Spanish speaker, highlighted the importance of persistence in mastering unfamiliar pronunciations. He acknowledged his own struggles with pronouncing certain words, like Harris’ first name, attributing it to the challenge of adapting to new sounds.

The process of learning to pronounce unfamiliar words, such as Chappell Roan’s name, represents a cultural learning experience that fosters understanding and communication, according to Touma.