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Definition of mispronounce

mispronounce

/ˌmɪs.pɹəˈnaʊns/
mis · pro · nounce
Adjective:mispronounced
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Past Simple:mispronounced
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Past Participle:mispronounced
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Present Participle:mispronouncing
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mispronounce Lexical Profile

mispronounce Game Scores & Validity

• verb

1

To pronounce (a word, name, or sound) incorrectly or inaccurately.

Example

"Foreign visitors often mispronounce the names of local towns along the coast."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for mispronounce
Antonyms
View all antonyms for mispronounce

Word Nuance & Usage

'Mispronounce' (along with its noun form 'mispronunciation') is frequently misspoken and misspelled as 'mispronounciate' or 'mispronounciation' by false analogy with the noun 'pronoun'.

• Rhymes for mispronounce

• Nearby Words

misplay
misprice
misprint
mispronounce
mispronouncement
mispronunciation
misproportioned

Word Origin & Etymology

Formed in the mid-16th century from the English prefix 'mis-' (meaning 'wrongly') and the verb 'pronounce', which derives via Old French from Latin 'pronuntiare' ('to proclaim or utter').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Mispronounce. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/mispronounce
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