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, , 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