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Pronounciation Vs Pronunciation, Which One Should You Use?

Pronounciation Vs Pronunciation, Which One Should You Use?

English grammar sometimes can be confusing or overwhelming due to its unpredictable spelling and complicated rules. One of the common mistakes even native speakers make is writing “pronunciation” as “pronounciation.” However, which one of these is correct to use?

Pronunciation is the correct way if you want to refer to how a word is pronounced. On the contrary, “Pronounciation” does not exist in the dictionary, but interestingly enough, it is a common misspelling of the term because of its resemblance in spelling and phonetics.

Nevertheless, they are often mistaken by one another due to their similarity in spelling and structure, but from a grammatical standpoint, how can we differentiate and choose which of the terms is best to use? This article will explain how to tell them apart, examples of sentences, correct usage, along with a brief explanation of its origin.

Definition of the Terms

Before we begin with the explanation and usage of the words “pronounciation” and “pronunciation,” it is essential first to analyze their definition in order to understand how they are different from one another.

pronunciation word in the dictionary

Pronunciation

Regarding the term “pronunciation,” it can be defined as the act or result of producing sounds in order to pronounce a word with its accurate articulation, stress, and intonation. It is also used as a reference for standard correctness or accepted way of saying a phrase, vocable, or syllable.

Here is a brief list of some alternative definitions to the word:

  • (Countable): a standard and the typical way in which a word is said or pronounced.
  • (Uncountable): how a word is spoken in a particular language along with its traditional patterns of producing sound.
  • A graphic demonstration of the phonetic transcription or symbol of a specific word, sound, phrase, etc.

There may be occasions in which the term can be used with another context but is more obsolete.

Here are some examples:

  • A peculiar way of expressing the act of declaring something publicly.
  • Obsolete form of the definition: elocution, oratory, elegant speech, the act of speaking, and delivery of a message.

Usage of “Pronunciation”

It can be concluded that pronunciation is simply how we say or pronounce words in a language. Also, it is commonly used to describe the correct and standard sound created by the combinations of vowels and consonants. For instance, most people speak standard English but with an accent associated with another part of the country, such as the differences in pronunciation of certain words from American English to British English and its variations.

Pronounciation

On the contrary, the term “pronounciation” does not exist and is technically not considered a word.

However, “pronounce” has several definitions that are highly related to “pronunciation.”

Transitive verb:

  • declaring or stating something officially or with authority.
  • Saying a word or phrase in a particular way that is considered correct.
  • To produce a sound while saying words from a spoken language.

As you may notice, the verb “pronounce” is highly similar to the noun “pronunciation,” which is the main reason why it can be mistaken and misspelled as “pronounciation.” It comes into question, how is this phenomenon possible?

Word Vs Word Posts

Explanation of the Words and Common Misconception

According to Merriam-Webster, both noun and verb forms come from the Latin verb “pronuntiare.” However, when it was adapted to Anglo-French and then from Middle English, the second vowel was often shown as “-ou-.” In fact, there is evidence that around the 1500s, both “pronounciation” and “pronunciation” but it was later standardized to just “pronunciation.” This is why the other form is technically not considered standard English, and this will result in questioning if used in formal English.

Another explanation regarding this confusion is that this is a Late Middle English enunciation called “trisyllabic laxing or shortening.” In other words, this refers to the three procedures in which long vowels become shorter if two or more syllables follow them. This change occurred before the Great Vowel Shift, along with some changes to their nature.

This is why it is often misunderstood since “pronounciation” is more instinctively logical since it derives from the verb “pronounce.” However, this is an incorrect misspelling, and it is advised to use “pronunciation” instead, which is the correct form.

Examples of the words used in a sentence

After briefly explaining the differences between the two and which one is best to use, we can now see a couple of examples of the terms used in a sentence.

Sentences with the term “pronunciation”:

  1. Her German pronunciation is exceptionally accurate, and she sounds like a fluent or native speaker.
  2. The teacher noticed that the students were improving their Spanish pronunciation rapidly.
  3. Some word’s pronunciation can be confusing since, depending on where you come from, the standard sound is different.
  4. In the United Kingdom, the word “tomato” has a different pronunciation in comparison to American English.
  5. The student asked the grammar teacher what the correct pronunciation of the word “route” is.
  6. Loyal consumers of luxury labels tend to stay true to the pronunciation of the brand based on the country it originated from.
  7. My French pronunciation was incredibly harsh, and I used to sound more like a foreigner, but with practice, I got better rapidly.
  8. American and Australian English has a distinct difference in the pronunciation of the words.
  9. It is pretty frequent for non-native speakers to get confused with the pronunciation of certain words in English since it does not remain faithful to the spelling.
  10. His pronunciation in Portuguese is peculiar. It is visible that he may not be a native speaker.

Since “pronounciation” is incorrect, you can use “pronunciation” or “pronounce” if you are referring to the act of saying words. Here are some sentences with the term “pronounce”:

  1. Could you please pronounce this word again? I just want to make sure you are saying it correctly.
  2. It is hard for non-native speakers to pronounce French last names.
  3. Tonal languages like Chinese and Vietnamese are the most challenging to pronounce for Westerners.
  4. Before saying a new word from a different language, attempt to pronounce each syllable clearly and then say it all together.
  5. The president’s name is hard to pronounce, so people just refer to him by his last name.
  6. When public speaking, try to pronounce every word as clearly as possible so people can understand everything you are saying.
  7. Before assuming how someone’s name is pronounced, ask them first to say it for you to confirm.
  8. Some German words are hard to pronounce for foreigners.
  9. You can search “how to pronounce this word” on google, and you will find a standard way of saying the term.
  10. Tongue twisters help you to pronounce and articulate words better.

voice coach teaches pronunciation to a student

The Etymology of the Terms

The word “pronunciation” originates in the early fifteenth century as a “way or form in which a word is pronounced.” It comes from Old French “prononciacion” around the thirteenth century, and it is also defined as “public declaration.” This noun also stems from the past participle of the Latin term “pronuntiare,” which means “announce.”

Regarding the term “pronounciation” as stated earlier in the article, it does not exist but is confused as the misspelling of “pronunciation” due to its similarity to the verb “pronounce.”

This word originated back in the mid-fourteenth century and is defined as “to declare or announce.” However, in the late fourteenth century, another definition arose, and it refers to “to speak, utter words in a language or articulating with the organs of speech.” Also, it is derived from Old French “prononcier” which meant “to speak out,” and directly from Latin “pronuntiare” as well.

It is also attested that by 1610, the term pronunciation is referred to as any language’s sounding words, similar to the related sense that dates back to the early fifteenth century.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that “pronunciation” is the correct and best form of describing the sound produced when saying words or sentences in a language. On the contrary, “pronounciation” is an incorrect and common misspelling of the term since they are very similar to each other and closer to the verb “pronounce,” which is the act of saying or utter words in a particular way.