Encountering a word that everyone else seems to pronounce effortlessly can be frustrating, especially when it comes to ordering popular foods.
Many of us have faced that moment of anxiety while trying to order a dish with a tricky name at a restaurant. Rest assured, you’re not alone in this experience.
Often, foods with challenging names have origins in foreign languages, which can lead to mispronunciations when translated into English.
Last year, the language learning platform Preply conducted a study to identify which international food names Americans struggle with the most.
According to their findings, the top five culprits are quinoa, gnocchi, Worcestershire sauce, açai, and gyro, all of which are frequently pronounced with incorrect emphasis.
Below, we offer a guide to these commonly mispronounced menu items, along with tips on how to articulate them correctly.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a staple in many health-nuts’ lives but its pronunciation sometimes baffles people.
The dried seed, which is often used similarly to rice, is primarily used as a base of a meal or in a salad.
While it looks as though it’s said ‘kwin-oh-ah,’ it is actually pronounced ‘KEEN-wah’.
Quinoa is a staple in many health-nuts’ lives but its pronunciation sometimes baffles people
Gnocchi
The Italian dish is pronounced ‘NYAW-kee’ or ‘NAW-kee,’ not ‘gih-nok-chee’ or ‘knock-ee’.
Gnocchi are soft, Italian dumplings typically made from cooked potatoes, flour and sometimes egg, though variations use ricotta, semolina or other ingredients.
They are served like pasta, boiled and tossed in sauces like tomato, pesto, or even butter with spices.
Gnocchi are soft, Italian dumplings typically made from cooked potatoes, flour and sometimes egg, though variations use ricotta, semolina or other ingredients
Worcestershire sauce
The tricky-to-pronounce sauce is pronounced ‘WOOS-ter-sher’ rather than ‘wor-ces-ter-shire’.
The name of the savory condiment, which contains a whopping 14 letters, comes from the English county of Worcestershire, where it was created.
The sauce, known for its umami flavor, is so tricky to say that on average it’s searched 34,000 times on Google every month.
The name of the savory condiment, which contains a whopping 14 letters, comes from the English county of Worcestershire, where it was created
Açai
The small blackish-purple berries are found in the Amazon and are often used in smoothies, power bowls and energy bars.
While it is thought to be one of the most powerful superfoods, it has also proven super hard to say for some.
The açai berry is used to make açai bowls and has earned a spot in many healthy cafes but, despite its popularity, a few stumbles have been taken over the name.
Many people say ‘ah-kai,’ when actually, it’s said ‘ah-sah-EE’.
The small blackish-purple berries are found in the Amazon and are often used in smoothies, power bowls, and energy bars
Gyro
Gyros are a popular Greek street food that contains thinly shaved meat, layered onto grilled pita bread.
While the delicious dish looks straightforward to pronounce, it is actually ‘YEE-roh.’
Many people pronounce the Greek sandwich ‘JYE-roh’ with a hard ‘G’, which is incorrect.
Gyros are a popular Greek street food that contains thinly shaved meat layered onto grilled pita bread
