Top 20 Most Requested Words to Pronounce in 2025
From the American English Pronunciation Meetup Group
#1 How to Pronounce “chrysanthemum”
“Chrysanthemum” was the most requested word to practice how to pronounce in 2025. It looks like a long word, but it’s only four syllables and no tricky sound combinations: KRIH-san-thuh-muhm. I learned a lot about this type of flower in our conversations in the Pronunciation Meetup group as well as Wikipedia. Since many cultures associate it with funerals, maybe it’s appropriate that it’s from last year and we can finally put last year to rest.
#2 How to Pronounce “entrepreneur”
“Entrepreneur” comes up a lot in the Pronunciation Meetups. Since it comes to English from French, the stress is on the final syllable. That’s unusual for most English words. There are variations of pronunciations that are all correct, but I only listed the two most common ways: ahn-truh-pruh-NER (where “NER” rhymes with “HER”) and ahn-truh-pruh-NU-wer. Since an entrepreneur is someone who is the “organizer of a business venture” (in Merriam-Webster’s definition) and is associated with starting something new, it seems like it’s good timing to start something new, like a new year.
2025 Pronunciation Guide & Video
I organize my pronunciation spreadsheet into columns:
A = How the word is really spelled.
B = How the word could be spelled in regular letters (no IPA symbols) to represent how it sounds. The word is divided into syllables, the stressed syllable is in capital letters.
C = The sound of the vowel in the stressed syllable with a short word to help remember that sound.
D = A group of words, phrase, or sentence with that word in it.
You can download this spreadsheet from Google Drive by opening it, making a copy of it, and saving it to your own computer.
Listen & Practice
My Meetup Groups are free:
American English Pronunciation Q&A - Tuesdays, 1:00PM US Eastern Time
American English Intonation - Wednesdays, 6:00PM US Eastern Time
If you can’t attend the pronunciation or intonation Meetups, you can always watch the videos I make after each one to hear new words and sentences. Visit the whole channel with the link below or click on the video to go directly to the Top 20 list.
Adastra Speech YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@adastraspeech
I recorded myself pronouncing all these words just like I do after every Meetup:
Venture into 2026
At the start of each new year, I hear or read about people choosing one word that they think or hope will represent that year.
The definition of “entrepreneur” included the word, “venture.” I think “venture” seems like a good way to describe how I feel about entering this new year. I know it may be risky and there will be hazards, but to “venture” out is to be brave and do it anyway. I choose to venture into 2026.
Really love how stress placement on the final syllable makes 'entrepreneur' stand out from typical English patterns. The idea of tracking pronunciation requests over time is kinda brilliant becuase it reveals what actually trips peopel up in real conversations. I've noticed with non-native speakers that words borrowed from French tend to cause the most hesitation. 'Venture' as a year theme is perfect given how many people stumble on multi-syllable words with unexpected stress.