What's happened
A list by Babbel highlights the most mispronounced words of 2025, including names of public figures and landmarks like New York's incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Louvre Museum. The list reflects common pronunciation errors across languages and cultures, often amplified by social media and viral moments.
What's behind the headline?
The list of mispronounced words reveals how language evolves in the digital age, often driven by social media and popular culture. The mispronunciation of names like Zohran Mamdani and Denzel Washington illustrates how even well-known figures are subject to linguistic errors, which can be amplified by viral debates and social media clips. The prominence of landmarks like the Louvre highlights how international words become part of everyday speech, often mispronounced due to unfamiliar phonetics. This trend underscores the importance of linguistic awareness, especially as global communication increases. The list also exposes how language learning platforms like Babbel are shaping public understanding of pronunciation, emphasizing the need for cultural and linguistic sensitivity in a connected world. As these errors become more visible, they may influence language education and media practices, encouraging more accurate pronunciation to preserve cultural integrity and clarity in communication. Overall, the story demonstrates that language is a living, evolving entity, shaped by cultural exchange and technological influence, and that awareness of correct pronunciation is increasingly vital in a globalized society.
What the papers say
The articles from NY Post, Sky News, and The Independent all highlight the same core points: Babbel's curated list of mispronounced words reflects a broader cultural phenomenon. The NY Post emphasizes the viral nature of mispronunciations, especially of Zohran Mamdani's name and the Louvre, with Mamdani himself insisting on correct pronunciation during debates. Sky News adds that Babbel collaborated with linguistic experts to provide correct pronunciations, noting the influence of social media in spreading these errors. The Independent underscores the cultural and linguistic challenges posed by words borrowed from other languages, illustrating how viral moments and media coverage amplify these mispronunciations. While all sources agree on the significance of the list, The Independent offers a deeper context about the impact of globalization and digital communication on language, suggesting that these mispronunciations are part of a larger trend of linguistic adaptation and cultural exchange.
How we got here
Throughout 2025, various words and names gained prominence due to their frequent mispronunciations in media and public discourse. Babbel, in collaboration with the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters, compiled a list of these words, which include names of celebrities, political figures, landmarks, and products. The list underscores the challenges of adapting to words from different languages and the influence of viral moments on language use.
Go deeper
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The Louvre, or the Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre [myze dy luvʁ] ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and the most visited museum in the world. It is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district) and
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Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer. He has received two Golden Globe awards, one Tony Award, and two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for the historical war drama film Glory and Best Actor for his role as corrupt
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Zohran Kwame Mamdani is a Ugandan-American politician. He is the assembly member for the 36th district of the New York State Assembly. Mamdani was elected after defeating incumbent Democrat Aravella Simotas in the 2020 primary.