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  • Hey guys, it's Hadar and this is the Accent's Way speaking to you from my very

  • new work studio - AccentSpace! And if you want to find out more

  • follow me on Instagram @accentswaybyhadar. Now, let's quit all the chitter

  • chatter and talk about the thing that you all came here for which is the five

  • words you're probably pronouncing wrong.

  • Five words. Let's get started.

  • Choir. Choir. If I were to read it phonetically I would probably say

  • something like "shaw-yer" but English is not a phonetic language, thank God, which

  • means that the CH stands for a 'k' sound. Untraditional spelling pattern, but it

  • happens, 'k'. And then the "O-I" actually represents 'Y'. Why? I don't know that's

  • just how it is: 'kwai' 'kwai'. As in "quiet" - 'kwai'.

  • The ending is a 'ye' sound as in "yes", a schwa "uh", and an 'R' - 'yur' 'yur'. Choir.

  • The next word is 'croissant'. Oh, no. Wait. Sorry, that was French. Hadar, I told you not

  • French! English! Okay. The next word is "croissant". "Croissant". So yes,

  • I know that for you French speaker is this word may sound like we just

  • butchered it! And yes, that's what happens when you take a word from French and you

  • turn it into English. You have to turn the French sounds into American sounds.

  • So the French 'R' turns into 'er' and then the 'T' that is not existent in French

  • will be pronounced in American English. So, you start with a 'k' sound, and 'r' - 'kr'. Round

  • your lips a little bit. And then a schwa: 'kruh' 'kruh' 'kruh'. The second

  • syllable is an 'S' sound, the 'ah' as in "father" - 'saw' 'saw'. As in "I saw you last

  • night." 'Saw'. And then you end it with an 'N' and a 'T' - 'sahnt' 'sahnt'. "Croissant" Croissant - the

  • first syllable is really short and the second syllable is long. Croissant.

  • Some people may pronounce the first syllable with a 'W' instead of an 'R' and

  • another 'ah' sound 'qua'. Croissant. Croissant. I think it sounds more like French.

  • Croissant. So you have 'kruh-sahnt' or 'kwa-sant'. Both

  • are okay. You can use both. Now go get yourself a piece of croissant.

  • Squirrel. Squirrel. One of the most difficult words in English and that's

  • because you have three consonants together - an 'R' and an 'L'. It's like almost

  • impossible. And everything within the same syllable. Squirrel. But if you break

  • it down it might get easier. So let's begin with the middle of the word - 'wer'

  • 'wer'. Now practice just that. It's just like the word "were" as in "we were", or the

  • beginning of the word "work". "W" - 'wuh'. The tongue is down. The lips are

  • rounded. And then you bring the tongue up immediately with no break in the middle,

  • 'wer', for the 'R' - 'wer' 'wer'. Now practice that for a little bit: 'wer' 'wer' 'wer' 'wer'

  • 'wer' 'wer' 'wer'. Okay. So let's put this on the shelf and then start with the beginning

  • which is three consonants in a row. An 'S' which is produced in the front part

  • of the mouth and then a 'k' sound in the back, 'sk', and then a 'W' sound. 'Skwuh'. Which is

  • the beginning of 'wer'. 'Skwuh'. 'Skwuh'. Now practice just that, 'skwuh'. So now I'm

  • adding the word that we just practiced a second ago, 'skwer'. That's the beginning

  • of the word - 'skwer' 'skwer'. The second part is an 'R' sound and a dark 'L' - 'rul'

  • 'rul'. So you round your lips for the 'R' and we

  • can connect it to the previous 'R' - 'skwer-rul'. For the 'L' you bring the tongue up,

  • but you're also engaging the muscles of the back of the tongue here,

  • to create that dark deep sound of the dark L - 'rul'. Imagine like you have

  • an 'aw' sound between the 'R' and the 'L' - 'rul' 'rul'. And then put it all together: squirrel.

  • Squirrel.

  • Iron. Iron. Although the 'R' here is before the vowel

  • that is not "eye-ron" but "eye-urn" as if "I earned it". 'I' as in "my". And then you have a little

  • 'ye' sound and then 'er' 'er', as an "urn", "earth" and "early". 'Eye-yurn' - Iron. Iron.

  • Now, it's the same pronunciation for "iron", "Iron man", "Iron Maiden" and "iron throne",

  • but also for "I ironed my clothes yesterday." Now that's a lie because I never ironed

  • my clothes. Iron. The final word for today is "Lincoln" as in "Abraham Lincoln" or

  • "Lincoln Center". It is not 'lin-koln' or 'lin-koh-len'.

  • Alright there is no 'L' and not because it's the dark 'L' you barely hear it.

  • Just because there is no 'L'. No 'L' whatsoever at the end

  • "Lincoln". You start with an 'L' - 'lin' - with a relaxed 'ih' sound and then it's a 'k'

  • sound, a schwa and an 'N' - 'ken'. Lincoln. That's it this was the five words you're

  • probably pronouncing wrong. Was I right? Let me know in the comments below.

  • Were you pronouncing them wrong? Now if you like this one, you may like the "50

  • most commonly mispronounced words" practice sheet I have on my website. So

  • you can just click on the link below and get it. It's really cute. It's interactive.

  • You click on the word and then you hear my voice. Technology. Amazing technology.

  • So go to my website and get it and please share it with your friends if you

  • liked it and you feel that you want them to pronounce these words correctly. Thank

  • you for watching. Have a great great week and I will see you next week in the next

  • video

Hey guys, it's Hadar and this is the Accent's Way speaking to you from my very

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