Majority of Brits have been pronouncing Dubai wrong all this time
Here's how to say it the right way
Considering it's one of the most visited cities in the world, you'd think most people know how to pronounce Dubai, right?... WRONG.
Apparently a majority of Brits have been mispronouncing it this whole time, and the same goes for a whole host of well-known words.
Today we're here to look at some of the people, places and things that are commonly said wrong so that you can correct yourself.
And, of course, you can use your new-found knowledge to get one over on your mates. Let's get into it...
Dr Jekyll
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We're kicking off with one half of the famous fictional gothic duo Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Although you might pronounce 'Jekyll' as 'Jeckle', it turns out the proper pronunciation is 'Jeek-ul' - rhymes with treacle.
As for how this happened, Orkney Library explained: "It has been suggested that it was commonly pronounced 'Jeek-ul' right up until 1941 when MGM Studios released a film of the story starring Spencer Tracy as Dr Jekyll.
"Throughout the film they pronounced his name 'Jeckle' rhyming with heckle. It has stuck ever since."
Gnocchi
Bit of a subject change here, but we're now jumping to Italian cuisine as we look at how you say gnocchi, a varied family of dumplings.
Though they might taste great, saying the word properly can be a bit of a mouthful as it contains a consonant not used in the English language.
The consonant in question is the combination of the first two letters - g and n - which come together to make a 'ny' sound.
So rather than 'naw-kee' or 'no-kee', it's pronounced 'nyaw-kee'.
Ibiza
Brits love to head on down to Ibiza during the summer months.
However, one thing that must annoy the locals – and a few other people, it turns out – is the way English speakers pronounce the name of the island.
If you've been going for 'eye-beeth-ah' or 'eye-beets-ah', you’re totally wrong.
In Spanish, it’s not pronounced like 'eye' but like 'ee', meaning the proper way to say Ibiza is 'ee-beet-tha'.
Dr Seuss
He's a household name as a children's book author, but how many of us really know how to say his name?
Many people pronounce the 'Seuss' part in the same way we would 'Zeus'.
But the real deal is 'Soice', as in rhymes with 'voice'.
For someone whose whole world is storytelling, the least we could do is say his name properly.
Casio
Most of you will have owned a Casio watch, calculator or keyboard (or all of the above) at some point in your life, which is what makes this one all the more surprising.
We'll give you a clue - the company founder is named Tadao Kashio.
Yes, rather than 'Kass-ee-oh', Casio is pronounced 'Kash-ee-oh'.
Hyundai
The car company got so sick of people saying Hyundai wrong, they even launched an advertising campaign to correct us.
In the multimedia ad, potential buyers ask their phones to find the nearest Hyundai showroom, saying it as 'Hi-un-die'.
But their voice assistants direct them to the fictional High 'N' Dye Hair Salon and Highland Eye Opticians before they're told: "It's 'Hiyun-day', by the way."
Adobe
This one isn't a case of the west anglicising the word, as Adobe is an American company. It's just a case of us being wallies.
Turns out, you don't say it 'A-dobe-ee'. The correct way is 'Uh-doh-bee' - a subtle but significant difference.
Dubai
As opposed to Adobe, the United Arab Emirates city is definitely a case of Brits anglicising the name.
Although we've all been saying it 'Doo-bye', you might be surprised to know that in Arabic, it's said 'Doo-bae'.
Keep that bit of trivia in your back pocket for the next time you're down the pub with your mates.
Ikea
When you ask yourself, your significant other or your friend if they want to jump in the car and go to the Swedish furniture store, you better be saying it right.
English-speaking people all around the world probably say 'Eye-key-ah' - however, apparently that is wrong.
A couple of years back, YouTuber MacDoesIt shocked the world when he tweeted to his followers that the correct pronunciation is actually 'Ee-key-ah'.
It might be a shock, but it's a damn sight easier than trying to pronounce the company's furniture names.
Nike
It's the ultimate US vs UK debate - does Nike rhyme with 'spike' or 'spiky'? If you're from the UK, you're likely to go with the former option.
But as much as it pains us to admit, the correct pronunciation is the latter, as the shoe giant's chairman Philip Knight confirmed the news.
Maybe we'll just forget about this one though, eh?
Topics: Viral, World News
Daisy Phillipson