PronunciationHub Data Study
The Most Mispronounced Foods in America (2026)
Açaí, gnocchi, pho, quinoa — ranked by monthly U.S. searches for help.
You've ordered it. You've maybe even cooked it. But could you say it out loud at a dinner party without a flicker of doubt? These are the foods Americans most often search how to pronounce — menus' worth of loanwords from Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, and beyond, ranked by how many people look them up each month.
| # | Word | Often said as | Actually | Monthly U.S. searchesfor help saying it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Açaí | “uh-SIGH” | ah-sah-EE | 33,100 |
| 2 | Gnocchi | “Guh-NO-chee” | NYAW-kee | 22,200 |
| 3 | Pho | “foh” | FUH | 18,100 |
| 4 | Quinoa | “kwin-OH-ah” | KEE-wah | 12,100 |
| 5 | Focaccia | “fo-KAY-sha” | fuh-KAH-chuh | 9,900 |
| 6 | Charcuterie | “shar-COO-ter-ee” | shar-kyoo-tuh-ree | 9,900 |
| 7 | Tzatziki | “tuh-ZAH-tsee-kee” | TSAHT-see-kee | 8,100 |
| 8 | Bruschetta | “broo-SHET-uh” | broo-SHET-uh | 6,600 |
| 9 | Cacio E Pepe | “KAY-see-oh ee PEP-per” | KAH-cho-ay-PEH-peh | 6,600 |
| 10 | Crêpe | “CREEP” | KRAYP | 6,600 |
| 11 | Crepes | “kreeps” | KRAYP | 6,600 |
| 12 | Croissant | “kruh-SAHNT” | kruh-SAHNT | 5,400 |
| 13 | Gyoza | “GUH-oh-zuh” | GYOH-suh | 5,400 |
| 14 | Edamame | “eh-DAH-mam” | eh-DAH-mah-may | 5,400 |
| 15 | Ciabatta | “see-uh-BAH-tuh” | chah-BAH-tuh | 4,400 |
| 16 | Prosciutto | “pruh-SKOO-toh” | proh-SHOO-toh | 4,400 |
| 17 | Tiramisu | “ti-ra-MIS-oo” | TEER-uh-MEE-soo | 4,400 |
| 18 | Chipotle | “chip-OT-el” | chi-POH-tlay | 4,400 |
| 19 | Brioche | “BREE-och” | bree-OHSH | 4,400 |
| 20 | Coq Au Vin | “KOK oh VEEN” | KOK oh VAN | 2,900 |
| 21 | Gochujang | “GO-choo-JUNG” | GO-choo-JAHNG | 2,900 |
| 22 | Jalapeño | “juh-LAY-pee-oh” | HAH-luh-PAY-nyoh | 2,900 |
| 23 | Tagliatelle | “tag-lee-uh-tell” | tal-yuh-TEL-ee | 2,400 |
| 24 | Foie Gras | “FOY GRASS” | FWAH GRAH | 2,400 |
| 25 | Baklava | “back-LAV-uh” | bah-KLAH-vuh | 2,400 |
| 26 | Arancini | “uh-RAN-see-nee” | AH-run-CHEE-nee | 2,400 |
| 27 | Ramen | “RAY-mun” | RAH-mun | 2,400 |
| 28 | Mochi | “MOE-kee” | MOH-chee | 2,400 |
| 29 | Bibimbap | “bih-bim-bap” | BEE-bim-bahp | 2,400 |
| 30 | Bulgogi | “BULL-go-gee” | BOOL-goh-gee | 2,400 |
| 31 | Ceviche | “seh-VEE-chee” | seh-BEE-chay | 2,400 |
| 32 | Macchiato | “mak-ee-AH-toh” | mah-KYAH-toh | 1,900 |
| 33 | Bouillabaisse | “BOO-uh-base” | boo-yuh-BAYS | 1,900 |
| 34 | Spätzle | “SPAT-zul” | SHPET-sluh | 1,900 |
| 35 | Matcha | “muh-TCHAH” | MAH-chuh | 1,900 |
| 36 | Sake | “SAKE” | SAH-kay | 1,900 |
| 37 | Shawarma | “SHAW-ur-muh” | shuh-WAR-muh | 1,900 |
| 38 | Horchata | “HOHR-chah-tah” | OR-CHAH-tuh | 1,900 |
| 39 | Spaetzle | “SPAT-zel” | SPETS-luh | 1,900 |
| 40 | Fettuccine | “fet-too-SEE-nee” | fet-too-CHEE-neh | 1,600 |
| 41 | Pain Au Chocolat | “pain-ow-chock-oh-lat” | PAN-oh-shoh-kuh-LAH | 1,600 |
| 42 | Quiche | “KWISH” | KEESH | 1,600 |
| 43 | Banh Mi | “BAN-my” | BAHN MEE | 1,600 |
| 44 | Hummus | “HYOO-mus” | HUM-us | 1,600 |
| 45 | Naan | “NAN” | NAHN | 1,600 |
| 46 | Vichyssoise | “VITCH-ee-soyz” | VISH-ee-SWAHZ | 1,300 |
| 47 | Pierogi | “pee-ROH-jee” | pih-ROH-ghee | 1,300 |
| 48 | Biryani | “bur-ee-AH-nee” | bih-RAH-nee | 1,300 |
| 49 | Pozole | “POH-zohl” | po-SOH-lay | 1,300 |
| 50 | Falafel | “fuh-LAY-fuhl” | fuh-LAH-fuhl | 1,300 |
How we ranked this
We took every entry in our food pronunciation guide and pulled its U.S. monthly search volume for the query “how to pronounce [word]” from Google's keyword-planner data (exact-match, United States). The more people search for help saying a word, the more reliably it trips people up — so search volume is our proxy for “most mispronounced.” Each word links to a page with native audio, IPA, and the specific sounds English speakers miss.
Search volume reflects demand for help, not a judgment about any “correct” regional pronunciation. Where a word has competing accepted pronunciations, we note that on its page.
Citing this study
Free to cite with a link. Suggested credit: “The Most Mispronounced Foods in America (2026)” — PronunciationHub (2026), pronunciationhub.com/study/most-mispronounced-foods/.
Working on a related piece? We can pull custom pronunciation data for journalists on request — [email protected].