17 Words You've Been Pronouncing Wrong For Years

Answers taken from this Quora thread.

1. Ennui

NBC

What it means: A lack of spirit, enthusiasm, or interest.

How you may have pronounced it: N-U-I.

How it's actually pronounced: on-WEE.

2. Aspartame

Fox

What it means: A low-calorie sweetener.

How you may have pronounced it: As-part-a-may.

How it's actually pronounced: ASS-par-TAME.

3. Dour

Disney

What it means: Silent and gloomy.

How you may have pronounced it: Maybe you thought it sounded like the word "sour"?

How it's actually pronounced: It rhymes with "tour."

Note: both pronunciations are acceptable, however, the pronunciation of dour rhyming with tour is more acceptable in American English.

4. Quinoa

Warner Bros.

What it means: An herb.

How you may have pronounced it: kwin-o-a.

How it's actually pronounced: KEEN-wa.

5. Hegemony

Saban

What it means: Influence or control over another country, a group of people, etc.

How you may have pronounced it: Hedge-Eh-Mony.

How it's actually pronounced:he-JEH-muh-nee.

6. Grand Prix

Bravo

What it means: The highest level of international equestrian competition' one of a series of international formula car races.

How you may have pronounced it: Grand Pricks.

How it's actually pronounced: Gran Pree. The D is silent.

7. Voilà

Nickelodeon

What it means: To express satisfaction or approval, or to suggest an appearance as if by magic.

How you may have pronounced it: Vwa-La.

How it's actually pronounced: fwah-LA.

8. Potable

Marvel

What it means: Suitable for drinking.

How you may have pronounced it: Pot-a-buhl.

How it's actually pronounced: poe-ta-buhl.

9. Paradigm

secretldn.com

What it means: A model or pattern for something that may be copied.

How you may have pronounced it: Para-di-gum.

How it's actually pronounced: PAIR-uh-dime.

10. Ravine

CBS

What it means: A small, deep, narrow valley.

How you may have pronounced it: Ra-Vine.

How it's actually pronounced: Ra-VEEN.

11. Satiety

Fox

What it means: A feeling or condition of being full after eating food.

How you may have pronounced it: Sa-te-tee.

How it's actually pronounced: sa-TIE-uh-tee.

12. Wholly

NBC

What it means: Completely or fully.

How you may have pronounced it: Wally.

How it's actually pronounced: Holy.

13. Forte

NBC

What it means: One's strong point.

How you may have pronounced it: For-Tay (Only pronounced this way if you're talking about music).

How it's actually pronounced: Fort.

Note: The preferred pronunciation is for-tay, though.

14. Segue

The CW

What it means: Proceed to what follows without pause — used as a direction in music.

How you may have pronounced it: Say-Gyu.

How it's actually pronounced: sayg-way.

15. Pumice

HBO

What it means: A gray stone that comes from volcanoes.

How you may have pronounced it: Pew-miss.

How it's actually pronounced: Puh-miss.

16. Facade

Walt Disney Pictures

What it means: A way of behaving or appearing that gives other people a false idea of your true feelings or situation.

How you may have pronounced it: Fuh-cade.

How it's actually pronounced: Fuh-SAHD.

17. Aught

giphy.com

What it means: The earlier period of a decade.

How you may have pronounced it: Ought.

How it's actually pronounced: Ought.

Note: This is actually the correct way of saying it. No changes there.

UPDATE

Oct. 13, 2015, at 21:55 PM

This post has been updated to reflect more accurate pronunciations for several of the words listed.