How do you correct someone's pronunciation politely?

[reverserewind]

Well, that's a bit tricky. However, I did find the way to solve it.

- [incorrectly pronounced word]

- em... [correctly pronounced]?

- yeah!

So, I feel like asking for clarification is never rude.

[Chris_A]

You need a bit of tact for that. And also, try to never come of as arrogant when doing it. Just politely correct the person with a nice tone and attitude.

[GennevierAnderson]

Well, generally speaking you can't correct someone's pronunciation without being a little rude, as the simple thing of being corrected by someone else is a little annoying. However, it's better to do it the straight way, especially if it's your friend we're talking about, and it is not a lot older than you are. Elders seems to be harder to correct, at least by the younger ones, as they have that proud of being older.

[Yoshie]

Ha! This situation always makes me cringe because for the most part, I don't like to have to correct someone's speech but at the same time, I don't want them to be mispronouncing their words (for their sake and my ears lol). Depending on the person, sometimes I let it slide but if I realise that I can correct/help them, I subtly do it by repeating the word(s) in the right way ensuring that they don't feel offended. However, with some persons, they'll get offended regardless of your gentle approach. I never want to come across as a 'know it all' so as I said, it depends on the situation.

[rz3300]

Well I think one would just have to depend on the situation and the relationship.  If it were someone that I knew well I would have no issue correcting them and having a good laugh at their expense if it were called for.  If it were someone who was trying to speak to me though and it was a formal matter I think there are ways to do it that are not offensive or anything, and as long as you are genuine it should be fine.  I know I have been corrected thousands of times without feeling any sort of ill will or anything like that.  Be genuine...that is my advice to sum it all up.

[Baburra]

  I don't think there's an entirely polite way of doing it but I guess the most one could hope for is that both people involved can just take the situation as maturely as they can. Personally I try to just let it slide if I can because I don't see it as my place to correct anyone and I don't really think mispronunciation is that big of a deal in the first place, but if I felt it was necessary I'd just maybe try to approach it as calmly and objectively as possible so hopefully the one I'm speaking to will feel that the correction is coming from a place of concern. 

[LeesaJohnson]

Whenever you listen to him and he makes the mistake, correct it at the same time and tell him to use the correct pronunciation or you can ask him to use some app where he can listen to the correct pronunciation of the word by typing on it.   

[hades_leae]

Just say hey, you said the word wrong.There shouldn't be anything bad to come from that. When I talk to people who have deep accents, and they barely speak English, but can have a conversation, I will just stop them when they pronounce something right, but it comes out wrong. 

I'll just teach them right there and tell them why the word comes out wrong. They never have a problem with it. I guess it's how you come off when you are trying to correct them.

[WizardX]

You should be correcting him politely and never laugh when he mispronounces other words. You should also give him reference materials to help him. Recommend to him different songs that he can listen to. Nowadays dictionaries can also help when one does not know how to pronounce different words. If possible, you should get for him a dictionary to help in pronouncing different words. 

[GaeilgeGirl]

Personally, I'm more than happy to be corrected.  Sure, I'll be a bit embarrassed at first, but I'd rather know so I can say a word right later on.  If this person is a friend and an eager student, chances are he wants to get it right, so he may welcome some gentle correction, and obviously, as his friend, you won't be mean or snarky about it.  Or maybe you can offer a practice session with him, where you say the word and he repeats it back to you.

[Yoshie]

+GaeilgeGirl I'm with you on that, I too might feel a little uneasy at first but as I said, it's the approach and how it's done. However, like you I'm definitely the type to want to know the correct thing and if the person who is trying to correct me isn't convincing me enough about the matter or word at hand, I'll go look it up myself. I tend to do so anyway just to be sure.

[cafwen]

On 5/23/2014 at 10:46 PM, Lasonax said:

You don't.

 

Well, to be honest as far as languages go... A lot of people hate being corrected, no matter how bad they are: they feel like you're hitting them in the face if you are correcting them. No matter how polite you are, chances are they will still get pissed, and call you a besserwisser.

 

As it is a friend you're talking about and all, I would assume that this person may have some respect for you, and thus can handle you correcting him/her.

 

I don't really think there is some certain phrase you shoudl use to correct him/her or anything, just try to be nice, and point out that "Maybe you could try to say it this way instead..." or just pointing out politely and nicely that... The pronounciation of your speech is a bit off, you could spend some time practising on that.

 

No matter how polite of a phrase you will have, it will be very hard to say it, because it is almost like insulting someone to correct their speech. Good luck!

If your friend is actively involved in trying to learn a new language, and presumably learning it correctly, I would think he would welcome help and correction. Basically I imagine it would depend on his attitude, and his commitment to learning the language correctly. I would ask him quite openly whether he wants you to help him, and then act accordingly. 

[Yoshie]

On 9/17/2016 at 3:59 AM, cafwen said:

If your friend is actively involved in trying to learn a new language, and presumably learning it correctly, I would think he would welcome help and correction. Basically I imagine it would depend on his attitude, and his commitment to learning the language correctly. I would ask him quite openly whether he wants you to help him, and then act accordingly. 

I like that you brought up the instance where someone learning a new language is maybe more in need of being corrected. I don't think it would be fair to you the person instructing them or helping them to learn it, much less they themselves learning to be misled.

It could also be looked at as a similar approach taken when teaching young children to speak well. Their earliest years are their formative years so on an average they are taught the proper way of speaking so as to not embarrass their parents or themselves.

[VinayaSpeaks]

When someone catches my wrong pronunciation, I feel embarrassed, however,  I readily accept my shortcoming and learn the work. When I catch wrong pronunciation, I stop the speaker and tell him the right way o pronounce the wold. If he accepts my correction, I will be teaching him again next time, however, if he does not accept his mistake, I will not correct him in future. 

[Victor Leigh]

No, I don't do that. I mean, I don't do that unless I am teaching the language. In everyday life, I don't feel the necessity to correct anyone's pronunciation. It's not my duty to do so and I don't have any right to do so. However, when I am teaching, it's a different kettle of fish altogether. I have committed myself to teaching the language, so I must make sure that my students pronounce the words correctly. By correct pronunciation, I don't mean just the sound. I also insist that the words are spoken with the correct intonation. I do my best to make sure that my students speak English the way it should be spoken. One of the first things I do is teach them the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). The IPA goes a long way in showing the right way to pronounce English words.

[Ailcua]

During your teaching session, you may try something like, show him an online video of how to pronounce those words he's pronouncing weirdly. You can politely correct him and make him repeat those words and during the process say encouraging words like "you're getting there" or "a few more practice and you'll sound like a native". 

[Misspianopants]

My fiancé has his masters degree in education. He is very smart and a dear man but he mispronounces the word “accentuate” ALL the time. It’s a word he says often. He pronounces it “extenuate”. I should have said something the first time but now it’s been going in a year and I don’t know how to fix it!  At first I thought maybe I was saying it wrong so I didn’t question it. How do I correct him so he doesn’t sound stupid in front of people?!

[Elizabeth Williams]

Helping your friend who loves learning different languages but struggles with pronunciation can be tricky yet rewarding. Encourage them to listen closely to native speakers and practice mimicking their sounds. Focus on practicing specific tricky sounds together and use tools like pronunciation guides or language apps with audio feedback. Regular practice is key, even if it's just a little each day. Give gentle, supportive feedback and celebrate their progress to keep them motivated. Being patient and encouraging will make learning languages together enjoyable and effective!