Pemmy Majodina, we feel you! Five English words many people can't pronounce

A video of South Africa's new Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, struggling to pronounce the English word "conscientiously" has gone viral, and we are laughing along with her.

Why? Because some English words are so hard to pronounce that even native speakers have a problem saying them.

The minister was tripped up by the word "conscientiously" while she was being sworn into office on Wednesday. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who was overseeing the swearing-in, gave a disclaimer before Majodina's oath. 

He explained that she had initially wanted to take the oath in isiXhosa but had to do it in English because the former could not be signed then. 

“Idrama le,” Majodina said in isiXhosa—which means "this is drama"—while picking up the English version of the oath. Sure enough, she came across a word that she was unfamiliar with.

She laughed off the mishap and eventually got it right with the help of Zondo. 

Majodina's reaction to pronouncing the word wrong had President Cyril Ramaphosa and the rest of South Africa in stitches.

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A shorter version of the clip has gone viral on TikTok. It has been viewed more than 600,000 times. 

"I love how she handled it🤣" one TikTok user wrote.

Another user added: "We all struggle with words😂 it happens and as long as we can all laugh who cares, no one is without mistakes ❤️."

Majodina is not the first person to pronounce an English word incorrectly, and she certainly won't be the last. 

In fact, another minister stumbled on the first word on our list of English words that many people can't pronounce. 

Epitome

The year was 2016. The official was Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga. Like many people, she struggled to say the word "epitome". 

In Motshekga's defence, English is not her first language, and an eNCA news anchor who mocked her pronunciation later apologised for making fun of her.  

The word is pronounced, "e-pit-oh-mee", and don't feel bad if you don't know how to say it because scores of English-speaking people don't know how to either!

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Antidisestablishmentarianism

Just looking at this long English word will give anyone a headache. According to Dictionary.com, it means "opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, especially the Anglican Church in 19th-century England". 

It's pronounced: "an-tee-dis-uh-stab-lish-muhn-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm, an-tahy-"

Colonel

While many people pronounce colonel as "co-lo-nel", it is actually pronounced "ker-nuhl". The word is used when addressing senior military officers of a certain rank. 

Worcestershire

Ah, there she is. The word that we are sure 89% of the earth's population cannot pronounce. We have all come across or used Worcestershire sauce at some point, but what is the correct way to say it?

From "who's your sister shire sauce" to "woo-chester-shire sauce", we have heard it all. It's meant to be "woo-ster-sher"!

Still confused. Watch the video below so you can show off your pronunciation at your next braai. 

Onomatopoeia

According to Merriam-Webster.com, onomatopoeia is "the naming of a thing or action by imitation of natural sounds (as "buzz" or "hiss")"

You pronounce it "on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh". 

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And finally...

Jalapeño is technically not an English word but we thought we would throw it in for good measure. It's the Spanish word for the tiny green peppers that are found in some of our favourite fast foods, like Jalapeño chilli cheese fries. Instead of saying "jula-peen-o" the next time you are at McDonald's, try "ha-luh-peyn-yo". 

Listen carefully...

However, be warned, South Africans are so used to mispronouncing the word that the person serving you might be confused by what you are trying to say.

ALSO READ: KZN chronicles: Do you mispronounce certain place names?

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Main image credit:  iStock/Moon Safari, Newzroom Afrika, TikTok/@newsnexussa