12 words communicators struggled to pronounce in 2016

Though many are happy to have the year 2016 squarely in their rearview mirror, Babble’s director of didactics, Miriam Plieninger, has another word-related year-end list for you to ogle.

Her list of the year’s most mispronounced words reflects some of its biggest news stories.

It’s been making the rounds through various news media outlets and through social media, and includes the words that reporters and PR pros struggled with in 2016.

They are:

Bowie (/’boʊ-iː/; boh-ee)

When pop icon David Bowie died in January 2016, apparently some reporters had a tough time pronouncing it.

Breitbart (/’breɪt-bɑːrt/; breyt-bart)

The conservative news site worked its way into headlines when president-elect Donald Trump tapped Breitbart chief Stephen Bannon to be his chief strategist.

Cisgender (/’sɪz-dʒɛn-dɜːr/; sizz-gen-dehr)

Gender identity issues were pushed to the forefront in 2016, and this term—meaning that a person’s gender identity is the same as their birth sex—tangled up some reporters.

RELATED: What does it take to write authentic speeches in the age of Trump? Find out at the 2017 Speechwriters Conference!

Hygge (/’hjuː-gə/; HUE-gah)

This Danish design approach had a moment in 2016 as people embraced cozy living.

Marion Cotillard (/’nɑːr-koʊs/; nark-ohs)

The Academy Award winner made headlines this year when her name was dragged into stories about the divorce of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Narcos (/’nɑːr-koʊs/; nark-ohs)

The Netflix show spiked in popularity, but managed to trip some tongues.

Nomophobia (/’noʊ-moʊ-‘foʊ-biː-ə/; noh-moh-pho-bee-ah)

If you fear being without your cellphone, you might suffer from nomophobia.

Quinoa (/kiː-‘noʊ-ə/ or /kiː-‘nuː-ə/; kee-NOH-ah or kee-NOO-ah)

As in, “Please never serve me a dish with quinoa in it.”

Rattata (/’ræt-æ-tæ/; RAT-ah-tah)

If you’re still unsure how to pronounce this term, ask a Pokemon enthusiast.

Roald Dahl (/roʊld/ /dɑːl/; rohld daal)

The beloved children’s author had his book, “The BFG,” turned into a major motion picture in 2016.

Xenophobia (/‘zɛn-oʊ-‘foʊ-biː-ə/; zen-oh-phoh-bee-ah)

Dictionary.com named it the word of the year, but some reporters had trouble saying it properly when talking about a fear or hatred of different cultures.

Zika (/’ziː-kə/; zee-kuh)

The disease that’s linked to birth defects spread in 2016.

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