These are the foreign foods that people still can't pronounce, ranked

Trying to read a menu in a foreign language can be daunting, and attempting to pronounce the words can be downright embarrassing. You may have been eating a particular dish for years but still find yourself tripping over the correct pronunciation.

Take the classic paella, for example. You’ve eaten it hundreds of times but you still can’t seem to get over the fact that the proper way to say it is ‘pie-AY-uh’, not ‘pie-ELL-uh’ as you’ve probably always said though.

And then there’s the French croissant, which you’re likely to still be saying ‘croi-sant’ instead of ‘kwah-sahn’.

And it turns out that a lot of people are worried at the thought of butchering foreign foods, with there being millions of searches each day about how to properly pronounce international dishes.

That’s why we decided to find out which foreign foods people trip up on the pronunciation the most, analysing search data for phrases such as ‘how to say’, ‘pronunciation of’ and ‘how to pronounce’. 

Check out the results below.

1. Charcuterie

Well, it turns out that the foreign food most people still struggle to mispronounce is charcuterie. A French method of preparing and assembling cured meats, such as sausages, pâtés, and terrines, the dish dates back as far as the 15th century. Today, it is now popular around the world and can be enjoyed in many different places including classy wine bars.

On average, charcuterie sees over 91,000 searches each month for people trying to learn how to say it correctly. And they’ll learn that the proper pronunciation is actually ‘shaa-koo-tuh-ree’, not ‘char-cute-erie’ as most people say. An easy mistake to make, but a simple way to remember is that charcuterie isn’t cute.

2. Açaí

In second place is the Brazilian açaí – a small, dark purple berry that is native to the Amazon rainforest. Despite being used by the Indigenous People for centuries, the popularity of açaí has grown rapidly in recent years due to its high levels of antioxidants, fibre, and healthy fats. It is now used in a variety of products, from smoothies and juices to granola bars and cereal.

And it turns out that searches for how to say açaí reach around 87,000 each month, which is perhaps understandable when you know how to pronounce it correctly – ‘ah-sah-ee’. Yep, that ç is pronounced like the ‘s’ in ‘simple’. Most people still butcher it with ‘ah-kye’ though, unfortunately.

3. Croissant

Rounding up the top three foreign foods that people still struggle to pronounce is the beloved French croissant. This popular pastry has been around since the late 19th century when it was believed to have originated in Austria before being brought to France, where the shape was changed to resemble a crescent to represent the symbol of the French monarchy.

Despite being found in pretty much every cafe, bakery and coffee shop, people are still likely to be saying ‘croi-sant’ instead of ‘kwah-sahn’. This correct pronunciation is clearly still tripping people up with searches for how to say the flaky pastry being over 86,000 each month.

4. Gnocchi

In fourth position is gnocchi, which is thought to be derived from the Latin word for “knot” or “dumpling”. The dish is believed to have been created in the Middle Ages in Italy by Roman soldiers using leftover flour, water, and cheese. Today it is typically made from potatoes and is often found on the menu at Italian restaurants.

On average, the potato-dumpling dish sees just over 45,000 searches each month from people wanting to know how to pronounce it. ‘Naw-kee’ is the correct way, not ‘guh-no-kee’ as many pronounce it, with the ‘g’ at the beginning actually being silent.

5. Quinoa

Completing the top five most difficult foreign foods to pronounce is quinoa, a grain that is native to the Andean region of South America. It has been cultivated for over 5,000 years, being a staple of the Incan diet as a result of its high nutritional content and ability to grow in challenging climates. Today, quinoa is gaining popularity and is increasingly being used as a substitute for traditional grains in a variety of dishes.

But it appears that pronouncing the grain is quite challenging for many people. Quinoa is commonly mispronounced as ‘keen-oh-ah‘ or ‘kwee-noh-ah’ but it is actually pronounced as ‘keen-wah‘.

6. Phở

In sixth place is phở, a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup that consists of broth, linguine-shaped rice noodles, a few herbs, and meat. It is said to have been first created by a Hanoi street vendor who served it to French colonialists and the soup then spread throughout the country, becoming a beloved national dish. Phở is now popular across the entire world and has taken on many variations, including vegetarian and vegan options.

And when it comes to pronouncing the noodle broth, you likely assumed the way to say it was ‘po’, which is actually incorrect. The correct pronunciation for phở is, in fact, ‘fuh’. Yep, it’s pronounced absolutely nothing like it is spelt so it’s understandable that it sees over 34,000 monthly searches for how to say it.

7. Chipotle

Chipotle takes the seventh position for the foreign foods most difficult to pronounce. Originally from the state of Mexico, chipotle is a type of smoked jalapeno chilli pepper that has been around for centuries and is smoked and dried to achieve a unique smoky flavour. The peppers are used to make a variety of dishes, including sauces, stews, and salsas, and are popular in other countries for adding an earthy flavour to food.

On average, chipotle has just over 28,000 monthly searches for how to pronounce it, with the probably-assumed pronunciation of ‘chi-pot-ul’ being incorrect. Chipotle is actually pronounced ‘chi-poat-lay’, so remember this the next time you visit a Mexican restaurant.

8. Bruschetta

In eighth place is the popular Italian appetiser, Bruschetta. The dish is made of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt before a variety of other ingredients such as tomatoes, olives, basil, garlic, and cheese. Whilst the toppings might change, the main components of bruschetta remain the same and it is a popular appetiser served in Italian restaurants around the world.

Although it looks like a seemingly easy word to say, you do not pronounce this dish as ‘broo-sh-ettah’ – that’s wrong. In Italian, the ‘ch’ always produces a ‘k’ sound so the correct pronunciation of bruschetta is actually ‘broo-skett-ah’ and there are just over 21,000 searches for this pronunciation each month.

9. Quesadilla

Another food starting with a ‘q’ is tripping people up when it comes to pronunciation, with quesadilla taking the ninth position. Originating in Mexico, quesadillas are made with a corn tortilla, cheese, and other ingredients such as onions and chillis before being either fried or grilled, and then served with salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream. The dish is now popular throughout Latin America, the United States, and around the world.

A difficult word to say it seems, with quesadilla seeing just under 20,000 searches a month for its pronunciation. You might assume that the dish is pronounced ‘kweh-sah-dee-luh’ but, actually, the ‘q’ is pronounced as a ‘k’, and both the ‘u’ and ‘l’ are not pronounced, making the pronunciation ‘kay-suh-dee-uh’.

10. Crêpe

Rounding up the top 10 most difficult foreign foods to pronounce is crêpe, which is believed to have first been created in Brittany in France during the Middle Ages. The dish is made from a thin batter of flour, eggs, milk, salt, and butter, and cooked on a hot griddle or pan before being filled with a variety of sweet or savoury ingredients. Crêpes are now found in almost every corner of the world and many households cook a variety of the dish each year on pancake day.

Although its popularity means it could be considered a household dish, crêpes are still commonly mispronounced with searches of how to say them being just over 19,000 each month. Typically, ‘kr-ape’ is how most people pronounce the dish, which is incorrect, but the right pronunciation is actually ‘kr-ehp’.

Interesting findings:

• Overall, it’s French food that people seem to have the most difficulty pronouncing with the popular charcuterie, croissant, and crêpe all making the top 10. Following this was Italian and Mexican food, both with two dishes in the top 10.
• For Brits, it appears that there is a tie between Italian and French food causing the most confusion, with focaccia and njuda making it onto the UK list.
• When it comes to the USA, it is Italian food that trips Americans up the most with gnocchi, caprese, and bruschetta all in the top ten most mispronounced foreign foods.
• Although not on the study as it’s not a foreign food as such, an interesting finding for Canada is there are actually around 1,040 searches each month for how to pronounce ‘poutine’. The dish hails from Canada itself, meaning that whilst also tripping up on foreign foods, many don’t even know how to pronounce their own delicacies!
• Down in Australia, it is açaí that gets Aussies’ tongues in a twist, with the confusing-to-pronounce berry being an increasingly popular superfood and on many brunch menus in the country.

Methodology

First, we collated a list of 100 foreign foods that people often struggle to pronounce, looking at credible sources.

We then find the search volume relating to the pronunciation of each food using key phrases such as ‘how to pronounce [food name]’, ‘[food name] pronunciation’, or ‘how do you say [food name]’.

Data was found for global, UK, US, Australian and Canadian searches.

A full data set is available upon request.

Data is correct as of February 2023.