130+ Commonly Mispronounced Words by Nigerians (With Correct Pronunciation Guide)

English is Nigeria’s official language, but over time, a distinct Nigerian English accent has evolved. While our accent is unique and culturally rich, some words are frequently mispronounced due to:

• Pronouncing silent letters
• Wrong syllable stress
• Anglicizing French loanwords
• Spelling-based pronunciation
• Mother tongue interference

This guide lists 130+ commonly mispronounced words by Nigerians, grouped alphabetically, with simple pronunciation corrections.

Note: Pronunciations are simplified for easy reading, not strict phonetic symbols.

A – D: Commonly Mispronounced Words

1. Abalone – ab-uh-loh-nee (not ah-boh-lohn)
2. Accessory – uhk-seh-suh-ree (not ah-seh-suh-ree)
3. Acai – ah-sigh-ee (not ack-ai)
4. Albeit – awl-bee-it (not al-bae-it)
5. Almond – ah-muhnd (L is silent)
6. Athlete – ath-leet (not ath-a-leet)
7. Attaché – uh-tash-ey (not ah-tat-chee)
8. Boutique – boo-teek (not boh-teek)
9. Business – biz-nes (not bis-ee-ness)
10. Cache – kash (not kash-ay)
11. Candidate – kan-duh-duht (not kan-dee-date)
12. Chaos – key-os (not cha-os)
13. Chassis – sha-see (not cha-sis)
14. Chalet – sha-lay (T is silent)
15. Colonel – ker-nel (not ko-lo-nel)
16. Comfortable – kumf-tuh-buhl (not com-for-ta-ble)
17. Coup – koo (P is silent)
18. Coupon – koo-pon (not kyu-pon)
19. Cupboard – kuh-buhd (not cup-board)
20. Debt – det (B is silent)
21. Debris – deb-ree (not day-brees)
22. Debut – dey-byoo (not di-boo)
23. Definitely – deh-fi-nit-lee
24. Divorce – dih-vawrs (not die-vorce)
25. Dilate – dai-late
26. Depot – dep-oh (T silent in British usage)
27. Domain – doh-mayn
28. Drought – drout (not droght)
29. Duvet – doo-vay (not du-vet)
30. Genre – zhahn-ruh (not jen-re)

E – H: Common Errors Nigerians Make

1. Epitome – ih-pit-uh-mee (not epi-tome)
2. Espresso – e-spres-oh (not ex-presso)
3. Et cetera – et-set-er-uh (not ex-set-er-uh)
4. Faux pas – foh-pah (not fox-pas)
5. Film – film (not fill-um)
6. Flour – flou-er
7. Gauge – geyj (not gowj)
8. Heinous – hey-nuhs
9. Hierarchy – hai-uh-rah-kee
10. Hyperbole – hai-per-buh-lee (not hyper-bowl)
11. Honest – on-ist (H silent)
12. Honor – on-or
13. Hour – ow-er (H silent)
14. Hoarse – same as horse
15. Hotel suite – sweet (not soot)
16. Hasten – hay-sen (T silent)
17. Height – hait (not heit)
18. Heir – air
19. Herb – erb (H silent in American usage)
20. Horizon – huh-rai-zuhn

I – L: Frequently Mispronounced Words

1. Ingenuity – in-juh-noo-i-tee
2. Itinerary – eye-tin-uh-rer-ee
3. Jewellery – joo-uhl-ree
4. Library – lai-brer-ee (not lai-bri)
5. Lingerie – lan-zhuh-ray
6. Liaison – lee-ey-zon
7. Listen – li-sen (T silent)
8. Leopard – lep-erd
9. Litotes – lie-toh-teez
10. Luxury – lug-zhuh-ree (not lug-zury)
11. Legitimate – li-jit-uh-mit
12. Leukemia – loo-kee-mee-uh
13. Loathe – lohth
14. Lyrics – lee-riks
15. Loin – loyn
16. Label – lay-buhl
17. Ladder – la-der
18. Lament – luh-ment
19. Launch – lawnch
20. Leisure – lezh-er

M – P: Nigerian Pronunciation Challenges

1. Machete – ma-sheh-tee
2. Maniac – may-nee-ak
3. Mauve – mov
4. Meme – meem
5. Mischievous – mis-chuh-vuhs
6. Niche – neesh or nich
7. Nuclear – noo-klee-er (not noo-kyu-lar)
8. Often – of-en (T silent)
9. Oil – oyl (not oyel)
10. Omnipotent – om-nip-uh-tent
11. Paradigm – par-uh-daim
12. Plagiarism – play-juh-riz-um
13. Plumber – plum-er (B silent)
14. Poignant – poyn-yuhnt
15. Pronunciation – pruh-nun-see-ey-shun (not pro-noun-ciation)
16. Pseudonym – soo-duh-nim
17. Pizza – peet-suh
18. Police – puh-lees
19. Prejudice – prej-uh-dis
20. Privilege – priv-uh-lij

Q – T: Words Nigerians Often Get Wrong

1. Quay – key
2. Quinoa – keen-wah
3. Quote – kwoht
4. Queue – kyoo
5. Regime – ruh-zheem
6. Rendezvous – ron-day-voo
7. Reservoir – rez-uh-vwahr
8. Ritual – rich-oo-uhl
9. Rural – roor-uhl
10. Salmon – sam-uhn (L silent)
11. Salon – sa-lon
12. Sachet – sa-shay
13. Subtle – sut-l (B silent)
14. Suite – sweet
15. Supposedly – suh-poh-zid-lee
16. Sword – sord (W silent)
17. Statute – sta-choot
18. Stipend – stai-pend
19. Stomach – stu-muk
20. Tortoise – tor-tis
21. Towel – tau-wuhl
22. Tuition – tyoo-ish-un
23. Turquoise – tur-kwoiz
24. Tomato – tuh-may-toh (British)
25. Theatre – thee-uh-tuh
26. Thesis – thee-sis
27. Thorough – thur-oh
28. Though – thoh
29. Through – throo
30. Tough – tuf

U – Z: Final List

1. Vehicle – vee-uh-kuhl
2. Verbatim – ver-bay-tim
3. Victuals – vit-lz
4. Village – vil-ij
5. Virtue – vur-choo
6. Vitamin – vai-tuh-min (British) / vee-tuh-min (American)
7. Vulnerable – vul-nuh-ruh-buhl
8. Wednesday – wenz-day (D silent)
9. Whistle – wis-ul (T silent)
10. Whole – hohl (W silent)
11. Women – wi-min
12. Womb – woom (B silent)
13. Yolk – yohk (L silent)
14. Yacht – yot (CH silent)
15. Zealot – zel-uht

Common Pronunciation Patterns in Nigeria

1. Silent letters are often pronounced (debt, plumber, subtle).
2. French words are anglicized (buffet, bouquet, beret, sachet).
3. Wrong syllable stress (advertisement, controversy).
4. Extra vowel insertion (film becomes fill-um).

Improving pronunciation requires listening practice and awareness.

Conclusion

Pronunciation is not about losing your Nigerian identity. It is about clarity and confidence.

You do not need a foreign accent. You need accurate pronunciation.

Mastering these 130+ commonly mispronounced words will improve your speech, boost your confidence, and enhance professional communication.

FAQs

How is Nigeria actually pronounced?

Nigeria is pronounced nai-jee-ree-uh, with stress on the second syllable.

What are the most commonly mispronounced words in Nigeria?

Common examples include:

• Wednesday
• Plumber
• Subtle
• Colonel
• Chassis
• Debt
• Suite
• Machete
• Hyperbole
• Epitome

Why do Nigerians mispronounce some English words?

Reasons include:

• Influence of local languages
• Spelling-based reading habits
• Colonial British influence
• Over-articulation of silent letters

Is Nigerian English wrong?

No. Nigerian English is a recognized variety of English. However, in formal settings such as IELTS, public speaking, broadcasting, or international communication, standard pronunciation improves clarity.

What Nigerian words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary?

In recent updates, the Oxford English Dictionary added Nigerian words like:

• Japa
• Agbero
• Area boy
• Naija
• Kobo
• Suya
• Yahoo boy
• 419

This shows the global influence of Nigerian culture.