In the world of business, the clarity and effectiveness of your communication can make or break your professional image. For non-native English speakers in particular, knowing the sensitive words and how to avoid saying them unintentionally is important to coming across the way you intend. Making embarrassing pronunciation mistakes can negatively affect your personal confidence which is necessary for successful negotiations, presentations, and professional relationships. This blog post will highlight some of the common errors and how to avoid them.

1. Referencing the Excel “Sheets”

You’re answering a colleague’s question during a presentation and referencing some data from the excel “sheets” except instead of “sheet” it comes out “shit.” Not what you intended to reference!

This classic mispronunciation involves confusing the short ‘i’ sound with a long ‘ee,’ leading to unintentionally humorous or offensive swaps between words like “sheets” and “shits,” “beach” and “bitch,” and “piece” with “piss.” The short ‘i’ sound, as in “sit,” often trips speakers up, resulting in an unintended offensive word.

To navigate this, position your tongue high in your mouth, keeping your jaw raised, your tongue tense, and lips stretched into a smile. Think of elongating the ‘ee’ sound in “see” without dropping your jaw or relaxing your tongue, which can inadvertently turn the sound into a short “ih.”

2. We Need to “Focus”

Let’s say you’re leading a team meeting, and you remind the team about the importance of meeting the upcoming deadline, then end with, “we really need to focus” Except instead of “focus” it sounds like “f*ck us.” That will definitely cause the group to lose focus!

This common blunder comes from shortening the “OH” sound too much. Achieving the correct long “OH” sound requires moving your mouth from an open and rounded lip shape to a closed and narrow circle as you say the sound. Emphasize the trailing “oo” in “focus” to ensure clarity, thinking about it as “foh-oo-cus” to pronounce it correctly.

3. Currently, We’re “Third”

You’re talking to your team about the team’s performance rankings and you let slip that “currently we’re third” except the word “third” comes out as “turd” (a vulgar word for excrement.) Substituting the “th” sound with a “t” is a common error.

The key to the “th” sound lies in placing your tongue between your teeth and gently blowing air through, allowing for a smooth airflow from the back of your throat. Unlike the sharp burst of air for a “t” sound, the “th” should feel like a steady stream of air flowing over your tongue.

4. Get me a “Fork”

If you’re at a work dinner, you definitely don’t want to ask the waiter to get you a “f*ck.” Mistakingly softening the ‘r’ in “fork” can result in unintentionally dropping the “f” bomb.

To avoid this, accentuate the ‘r’ sound by retracting your tongue towards the back of your mouth, ensuring the sides touch the insides of your top molars. The ‘r’ sound is notoriously tricky and may require persistent practice to master.

Will people really misunderstand me?

You may read these examples and think “I may mispronounce this word, but won’t everyone still know what I meant?” In isolation, the intended word is not hard to guess. However, when the surprise of hearing what sounds like a curse word is combined with an unfamiliar sentence stress pattern or phrasing and other accent features, it may be difficult for someone to grasp the intended meaning in every situation.

For example, if you drop your fork at the restaurant and need another fork, a waiter who is thinking about your needs and considerations in a restaurant environment is likely to understand your request for another “fork.” However, this may not be the case at a work luncheon. If you ask “where are the forks?” but neglect to pronounce the ‘r’ in “where” and “fork” as well as omit the final ‘s’ of the /ks/ blend, this sentence could easily sound like “what the f*ck?” to a  coworker who is not oriented to the context of your question. If you do face confusion, rephrase the sentence or provide additional background information for your need.

Awareness of these common missteps provides a foundation for improving your pronunciation, enabling you to communicate more confidently and effectively in professional settings. Pronouncing key words clearly can enhance your speaking skills, ensuring your message is both understood and respected, and reinforcing your professional credibility.

If you would like to explore accent modification further, you can book a free consultation with me here.

If you aren’t ready for a consultation but you still answered yes to any of the questions above, you may be excited to know that you can get started today for free by using ChatGPT! I have written a free e-book about the topic and encourage you to download it!

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