This chapter consists of words that are commonly mispronounced by non-native speakers. Some of these pairs of words are spelled the same but pronounced differently. Others are spelled differently but pronounced the same. Sometimes the same word exists in other languages but it has a different pronunciation. There is also a list of the most common words with silent consonants and another one with disappearing syllables. Finally, there is list of words that are universally hard to pronounce, even by some native speakers. But the goal of an educated speaker of English is to always use language well and to pronounce words clearly and correctly.

As you will see in this chapter, English is full of illogical spelling rules and exceptions. Fortunately, if you make it a point to memorize the correct pronunciation of the commonly used words that are in this chapter, you will certainly feel more confident about your accent.