15 Household Brand Names That We’ve Been Saying Wrong All This Time

Sriracha, Uniqlo, Dr. Oetker, and Huawei — many of our favorite labels might seem easy to pronounce. But because most of these companies were established in non-English speaking countries, sometimes they can sound nothing like they’re spelled.

Bright Side assembled a list of 15 popular brand names that are commonly mispronounced. Let’s learn together how to say them correctly.

1. Nutella

The delicious hazelnut spread managed to become a common breakfast treat for many families. And just like that, many of us are used to pronouncing it “nut-ell-uh.” However, it was revealed that the product is supposed to be said as “new-tell-uh.”

2. IKEA

IKEA’s name hides a sentimental story behind it: It’s a combination of the first letter of the founder’s initials, a farm, and the town he grew up in. Surprisingly, it’s a challenge for many people to pronounce this short word correctly. The right way to say it is “ee-kay-uh,” instead of the more common “eye-key-ah.”

3. Sriracha

Some chili lovers just can’t resist adding this spicy sauce to almost all of their dishes. Even though this product is rather popular, its title keeps getting mispronounced as “sri-rach-cha.” Instead, we should say it as “see-rotch-ah.”

4. Zara

The retail giant’s name seems short and easy to pronounce, however, it appears to hide a little trick. It turns out that instead of saying “zah-rah” or “za-ra,” we should be pronouncing it in an Italian manner, as “tsah-dah” or “dzah-dah.”

5. Reese’s

The story behind this candy is very simple: the peanut butter cups and chocolate confections are named after the man who created the brand. The common mistake is to call it “rees-ees,” when we’re actually supposed to say, simply, “rees-is.”

6. Huawei

This title has a very patriotic meaning behind it. “Hua” means “China,” while “wei” can be interpreted as “making, acting, planting, building, managing, and treating.” Usually, non-Chinese speakers refer to it as “hu-ah-wei,” but the correct way would be to say, “wah-way.”

7. Glossier

These cosmetic products have managed to become one of the most popular brands on the market in just several years! And still, many people constantly mispronounce it by calling it “Gloss-ee-r.” However, the right way to say it is “gloss-ee-ay.”

8. Uniqlo

The correct pronunciation of this Japanese clothing brand can be a serious tongue twister for some. You might think that you’re supposed to simply say, “you-nee-klo,” but in Japanese, it is pronounced as “yu-ni-ku-ro.”

9. Dr. Oetker

From frozen pizzas to puddings and cake mixes, products of this manufacturer can be found in different stores all around the world. But its name might seem a little confusing. One of the common ways to say it is “Dr. Oot-ker,” but in German, it’s actually pronounced “Dr. Urtker.”

10. Evian

This water might be a bit more expensive than other labels on the market. One of the reasons is that it’s bottled in PET bottles, which costs more to produce. The word literally means “aqua” in Latin and should be expressed as “eh-vee-on.”

11. Samsung

The Korean tech brand also has a little twist to the way it’s supposed to be pronounced. It turns out that the correct way of saying it is just “sam-song,” not “sam-sung.”

12. Miu Miu

The sweet name of this high-end fashion label comes from the creator, Miuccia Prada’s family nickname. And its right pronunciation is very easy to say — it’s “mew-mew” instead of the popular “mee-oo mee-oo.”

13. Laneige

The title of this Korean cosmetics brand comes from the French word, “la neige” which can be translated as “the snow.” Many beauty enthusiasts simply say it as “la-naige” but the original pronunciation would be “la-ne-jeu.”

14. Bayer

The German pharmaceutical and science company has a rather simple title yet not everyone manages to say it the right way. Next time you get some aspirin for yourself, you will know that it’s pronounced as “buy-er.”

15. Lidl

English speakers from the UK are used to calling this store “lih-dil.” However, in Germany, the country where the discount supermarket chain was established, people pronounce it as “lee-dil.”

How many of these label names have you said incorrectly? What other words do people constantly pronounce wrong?