Similarly to some of the previous chapters, we start with a word that gets its pronunciation from French:
genre – a very French word indeed. It is even pronounced with a nasal vowel in some varieties of British English, i.e. with squeezing of the back of one's throat instead of saying [n].
debt – a word that has become abundant in media after the financial crisis. There is not a trace of “b” in its pronunciation. If you pronounce the “b”, people will likely understand it as “dipped”.
soccer – an American term for what is called “football” almost anywhere else (what Americans call just “football”, is, in turn, usually called “American football” in the rest of the world). If you decide to use it, don't pronounce it as saucer (a small plate).
sew – “to sew” means “to join (usually two pieces of textile) by stitches”. Notice how the pronunciation is different from sewer (a pipe used to remove liquid human waste).
Linux – one of the most popular operating systems on devices other than personal computers, created by Linus Torvalds. Although the name Linus is usually pronounced as lie-nus in English, Linus Torvalds comes from a Swedish minority in Finland, and in his case it's pronounced lee-nus.
purchase – it is true that many people literally “chase discounts” when purchasing goods, but there is no “chase” in the pronunciation of “purchase”.
worthy – pronounced with [ð], although worth is pronounced with [θ].
schema – especially German speakers should pay attention here; “sch” is not pronounced as “sh”, but as “sk”. The same is true for scheme.
correct – whether it is an adjective or a verb, this word is pronounced with the second syllable stressed. Adding the prefix “in-” does not change the respective stress position, so incorrect is pronounced [ˌɪnkəˈrɛkt].
sequence – it is easier to seek a number in a sequence than in random order.
subsequent – when something is “subsequent”, it comes next in a sequence, so you don't have to seek it any more. There is therefore no “seek” sound in “subsequent”, and the stress is on the first syllable.
boar – a boar could bore a significant hole in your hand if you tried to pet one on a hiking trip. It's not how it got its name, but it is a way to remember it.
hockey – hockey matches are some of the key events in the US, so pronounce it with “kee”, not “kay”.
jockey – the same situation as in the word above; the “key” part is pronounced as “kee”.
Let's finish this chapter with 5 more words:
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shovel – using a shovel you shove material, not show it.
Jakub Marian