Standard Lemma guide

mispronounce

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: M IH0 S P R AH0 N AW1 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To pronounce (a word, phrase, etc.) incorrectly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

pronounce a word incorrectly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She mispronounces many Latinate words

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misspeak

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pronounce, articulate, enounce, sound out, enunciate, say

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth2-der. Proto-Germanic *missaz Proto-Germanic *missa- Proto-West Germanic *missa- Old English mis- Middle English mys- English mis- English pronounce English mispronounce From mis- + pronounce.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: mal prononcer — to pronounce incorrectly
  • French: écorcher — to pronounce incorrectly
  • Galician: pronunciar mal — to pronounce incorrectly
  • German: falsch aussprechen — to pronounce incorrectly
  • Ido: mispronuncar — to pronounce incorrectly
  • Portuguese: mascavar — to pronounce incorrectly
  • Romanian: pronunța greșit — to pronounce incorrectly
  • Romanian: stâlci — to pronounce incorrectly
  • Spanish: pronunciar mal — to pronounce incorrectly