Hey New Jersey: Stop Mispronouncing This Common Word, Survey Says

Say it with us, New Jersey: data (DAY-tuh). This common term is the most mispronounced word in the Garden State, according to a recent analysis of internet searches.

The research was done by Unscramblerer.com, which examined Google Trends searches made between Jan. 1 and Oct. 20 for “how do you pronounce” and “how to pronounce.” Researchers also used Ahrefs to determine the number of searches.

It’s worth nothing that other linguists have argued there are multiple acceptable ways to pronounce “data” – including the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

New Jersey isn’t the only state that occasionally struggles with its pronunciation skills. In New York, residents are having a hard time saying “Iran” (ih-RAN). And nearby in Pennsylvania, folks are skipping a beat when they say “Water” (WAW-ter).

Here are America's most mispronounced words (with pronunciations), researchers with Unscramblerer.com found:

1. Worcestershire sauce (321 600 searches) - WUUS-ter-sheer saws.

2. Gyro (290 400 searches) - YEE-roh.

3. Dachshund (259 100 searches) - DAKS-hund.

4. Niche (224 500 searches) - NEESH.

5. Porsche (205 200 searches) - POR-shuh.

6. Qatar (196 800 searches) - kuh-TAR.

7. Gif (190 700 searches) - JIF.

8. Curacao (189 600 searches) - KYUR-uh-sow.

9. Saoirse (181 200 searches) - SEER-shuh.

10. Pho (174 000 searches) - FUH.

11. Salmon (171600 searches) - SAM-un.

12. Nguyen (170 300 searches) - WIN.

13. Aoife (169 200 searches) - EE-fuh.

14. Acai (168 000 searches) - ah-sigh-EE.

15. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (165 600 searches) - soo-per-kal-ih-FRAJ-ih-lis-tik-ek-spee-al-ih-DOH-shus.

According to Unscramblerer.com, academic research shows that the main causes for people to mispronounce words are irregular spelling, words borrowed from other languages, mishearing and unfamiliarity. Regional variation also plays a role – there are dozens of different accents throughout the United States.

Ironically, New Jersey is also reportedly leading the nation in towns that have banned AI data centers, so it may pay to double check your dictionary before heading to that upcoming meeting at town hall.

>> RELATED: 100+ NJ Towns Have Banned AI Data Centers (See Updated List)

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