1Chipotle 
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING BARRETT WASHBURNE
As soon as Chipotle (and their burrito bowls) hit the scene, one thing became clear: Many of us do not know how to pronounce the name of this chain restaurant. Blame it on the double consonants (the “tl” combo in this case), we won’t knock you for it.
How some people pronounce it: Chip-ot-uhl or chi-pot-uhl
How it’s actually pronounced: Chuh-powt-lay
2Macaron
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON
Not to be confused with another light and delicious cookie, the coconut macaroon, macaron cookies only have one “o” and, in true French fashion, you only pronounce the “n” ever so slightly.
How some people pronounce it: Ma-kah-roon
How it’s actually pronounced: Ma-kr-aan (light on the n)
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
3Açai
PARKER FEIERBACH
As you’ll see, some of these food words are not only mispronounced, but also the emphasis on certain syllables are also misplaced. You might want to really go for the hard “c” on açai, but you actually want to soften that “c” (this is what the cedilla diacritical mark on the “C” means) and really go for the “EE” at the end.
How some people pronounce it: a-KAI
How it’s actually pronounced: aa-saa-EE
4Worcestershire Sauce
Candice Bell//Getty Images
The amount of ways I’ve heard people say “Worcestershire Sauce” is essentially equal to how many letters are in this seemingly endless word. Thankfully, it’s a lot less complicated to pronounce than it looks, promise, and key to any good steak sauce.
How some people pronounce it: Literally every which way, but most often is wursh-shtur-shire
How it’s actually pronounced: wu-stuh-shr
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
5Sherbet
PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER, FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Personally, I still want to call it “sherbert,” even if I only imagine there’s an “R” in this word. It’s just cuter to say sherbet that way, TBH.
How some people pronounce it: Shur-burt
How it’s actually pronounced: Shur-buht
6Espresso
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN
You might want an espresso martini to come at you express-o, but there is no “X” in espresso, nor does that sound belong in its pronunciation.
How some people pronounce it: ex-preh-sow
How it’s actually pronounced: eh-spreh-sow
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
7Crêpe
PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON
Much like açai, you want to pay attention to the circumflexe accent mark (aka that little hat) on the “E” in crêpe. This mark changes a vowel sound, and in this case it flattens the first vowel to become a short “E” sound.
How some people pronounce it: krayp
How it’s actually pronounced: krehp (rhymes with “step”)
8Lychee
Valentina Mancini//Getty Images
As fun as to eat as it is to (try to) say, lychee has many American speakers stumped. No need to get fancy here; it’s actually pronounced much how it looks.
How some people pronounce it: lee-chee
How it’s actually pronounced: LAI-chee
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
9Bruschetta
I know I sound like your friend that just came back from study abroad in Rome, but there is no “sh” sound in the Italian word bruschetta. In Italian, the combination of “sch” is more like a “sk” sound, so be sure to say it properly when you’re ordering at a trattoria.
How some people pronounce it: broo-sheh-tuh
How it’s actually pronounced: broo-SKEH-tuh
10Rooibos
GreenArtPhotography//Getty Images
A popular African red bush tea, Rooibos delivers a mouthful of subtle vanilla flavor as well as many vowel sounds. Some of the vowels here are actually silent, so you don’t have to stress yourself out too much with its pronunciation.
How some people pronounce it: roo-ee-bows
How it’s actually pronounced: roy-bows
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
11Gyro
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: LENA ABRAHAM
Perhaps the most mispronounced food word of all time, the word “gyro” comes from the Greek word “gheereezo,” which means to turn. In this case, you’re going to want to turn away from hitting a hard “G” sound when pronouncing this delicious sandwich.
How some people pronounce it: gai-row, jai-row
How it’s actually pronounced: yee-row or zhee-row
12Phở
PHOTO & FOOD STYLING: LUCY SCHAEFFER
Some believe pho was an adaptation of the French one-pot beef and vegetable stew pot-au-feu, of which the “feu” shares a phonetic similarity to “phở.”
How some people pronounce it: fow
How it’s actually pronounced: fuh
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
13Prix Fixe
Robert Alexander//Getty Images
Meaning “fixed prize” in French, the term “prix fixe” refers to offering a set menu of courses at a set price at a restaurant. It also has two pesky “X”s, one of which in “prix” is silent, while the second (in “fixe”) is pronounced.
How some people pronounce it: Some people say pre-fixed, pree-fee, or pre-fex
How it’s actually pronounced: pree-feex
French pronunciation: pree-feex-uh
14Mezcal
PHOTO: ANDREA MONZO; FOOD STYLING: SPENCER RICHARDS
Much like açai, the agave spirit mezcal is often pronounced with a misplaced stress in its syllables. So while it might be tempting to pronounce it like Paul Mescal, that’s not quite correct.
How some people pronounce it: mez-kull
How it’s actually pronounced: meh-SKAL
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
15Croissant
ANDREW BUI
When in doubt, go as French as you can when pronouncing French food terms. That’s absolutely the case with the word “croissant,” which, as you might expect, is not as literally pronounced as it looks.
How some people pronounce it: crez-unt or cress-unt
How it’s actually pronounced: kruh-saant
French pronunciation: kwa-saa
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine and if wine was an astrological sign she’d be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She’s never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn’t eat in one sitting.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below