How to pronounce words like subtle, yacht, chaos and more (tricky spellings)

Do you know how to pronounce these words correctly? If the answer is 'not sure' or 'no', then this lesson is for you because these words are some of the most confusing words in English because their pronunciation and spelling are not aligned. So there is a mismatch between how they look and how they sound. And today we're gonna talk about them.

We're also going to talk about the meaning, and I'm going to give you a few example sentences. So it's going to be an excellent pronunciation class and vocabulary class, two in one, just how I like it. So let's get started.

But first of all, if you're new to my channel, then hello, my name is Hadar. I'm a non-native speaker of English, and I am here to help you speak English with clarity, confidence, and freedom because we all need it. And you can go check out my website hadarshemesh.com for a ton of free resources, PDFs, audio recordings, and lessons. You can also follow me on social media where I share daily lessons.

But for now, let's get started with the first word. And the first word is 'subtle'. So 'subtle' means something that is not obvious or noticeable right away. It's usually something very small or delicate in a way that is easy to miss. But we cannot miss the pronunciation of this word because the pronunciation is not 'subtle'. There is no B, and the T sounds like a very short D. Listen: SUH, like Sun, SUH, and then we have d'l. So make it a very light D, and then you pull the tongue in for a dark L. So it's not [light L], but /ɫ/, the tension is here. It almost sounds like we're adding a little O there. SUH-d'l. And yes, it sounds like the end of the word 'bottle'. Listen: subtle - bottle. Subtle. Subtle. Subtle.

Let's look at some sentences. There is a subtle difference between these two colors. There is a subtle difference between these two colors. She gave me a subtle hint about the surprise party. She gave me a subtle hint about the surprise party, but I could figure it out.

Okay, good. The next word is 'thoroughly'. Thoroughly. Thoroughly means completely and carefully, making sure everything is done in detail and nothing is missed. Just like this video. Thoroughly. You can also pronounce it as TH'R-row-lee with a long 'ow' - TH'R-row-lee. But this is how I pronounce it - TH'R-ruh-lee, which is perfectly fine, and in my opinion, easier. TH'R-ruh-lee. So here the tricky part is the TH and the R. So stick the tongue out for the TH, and then 'ruh, round your lips for the R, and then 'lee'. Don't get confused by all the extra letters there, all the Gs and the Hs, just ignore them.

I cleaned the kitchen thoroughly before the guests arrived. I cleaned the kitchen thoroughly before the guests arrived. Make sure to read the instructions thoroughly before starting. Make sure to read the instructions thoroughly before starting. Now, notice the transition between the word 'instructions' and 'thoroughly. So we have a Z sound, the S is pronounced as a Z, to a TH. The tongue is inside for the Z: instruction[z], And then you push it forward for the TH.

Try to do it smoothly, minimize the resistance so that the TH is pronounced smoothly as well. 'Instructions thoroughly'. 'Instructions thoroughly'. I know it's hard, but if you do it slowly again and again, it's gonna be easier. Make sure to read the instructions thoroughly before starting. And in general, whenever you have a lot of Ss and THs, don't put a lot of pressure on your tongue and articulation organs because it's going to be hard for you to transition between one sound to another.

The next word is one of my favorite words to teach, and that's the word... how do you pronounce it? colonel [K'R-n'l]. Yes. Very different than how it's written. Colonel is a high ranking officer in the Army or the Air force. And a colonel is usually in charge of a large group of soldiers. Colonel. Colonel. Or in the movies, they say Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel. So here, instead of the L you pronounce an R - K'R. And then n'l, another Dark L. So an N sound, a reduced vowel, and an L – K'R-n'l. Primary stress is on the first syllable.

The kernel gave a speech to the troops. The colonel gave a speech to the troops. And: My grandfather was a colonel in the army. My grandfather was a colonel in the army. Colonel. Colonel. Colonel.

The next word is sword. Sword. No W – sord. Sword. A sword is a long, sharp weapon with a handle used for cutting or fighting, and, a fun fact, fencing. If you don't know this word, this is a new word, fencing is the sport where two people fight using swords. Fencing. Sword.

The knight drew his sword before the battle. To draw a sword. Drew his sword before the battle, okay? So we can also learn this verb that you use when you talk about swords. The night drew his sword before the battle. And: I bought a replica sword as a souvenir. I bought a replica sword as a souvenir. Good.

The next word is chaos. Chaos means a state of complete disorder and confusion, and it's a mess where things are out of control and very messy. Sometimes I feel like our world is in complete chaos. Also, sometimes my house is a complete chaos. KEI-aas. And when you combine it, you'll almost hear as if there is a 'y' sound pronounced there: KEI-yaas. Chaos.

The kitchen was in chaos after the party. The kitchen was in chaos after the party. Traffic was pure chaos this morning. Right? Traffic was pure chaos this morning. Now I want you to think of a sentence where you can use the word 'chaos' and say it out loud, making sure that you use the pronunciation correctly.

The next confusing word is this [yacht]. How do you pronounce it? yaat. So we actually don't pronounce the C. It's not 'yakt', it's not 'yakht', it's 'yaat'. Yacht is a large and often very luxurious boat, used for pleasure or for sport. Yacht. I bought a yacht.

They spent the weekend sailing on their yacht. yaat, that's it. Yacht. So again: They spent the weekend sailing on their yacht. I hope to own a yacht someday and travel the world. I hope to own a yacht someday and travel the world. Good.

The next word is... how do you pronounce this one? queue. Queue means a line of people or things waiting their turn. queue, and it's just like the letter Q, okay? I have nothing interesting to say about this pronunciation. There was a long queue at the coffee shop this morning. There was a long queue at the coffee shop this morning. You can also say there was a long line, especially in American English, but queue is also a valid word, mostly used in British English, but you can use it whenever and however you want. There was a long queue at the coffee shop this morning. The queue moved faster than I expected. The queue moved faster than I expected. Okay. I don't like queues. I don't know about you, but I don't like queues.

The last word for today is choir. Choir. Choir is a group of people who sing together, usually in a church or at concerts. I was a part of a choir until the age of 14. I even traveled to Europe to sing in a choir. I loved it. KWAI, so we have a W sound there, KWAI. And then 'r. KWAI-'r. But when you transition, it's like with 'chaos', here as well - KWAI-y'r. When you have two vowels connecting, not all vowels, but when you have two vowels connecting, sometimes you get a 'y' sound, especially if the vowel before is an /i/ sound, like in 'kwai' or 'kay'. KWAI-y'r. Choir.

Let's look at some example sentences. She sings in the church choir every Sunday. She sings in the church choir every Sunday. Our school choir is preparing for a big concert. Our school choir is preparing for a big concert.

Okay, that's it for today. So these were the words that are often mispronounced and are often confusing. So I hope that helped you solve that problem and also practice it a little bit in sentences. And now I wanna ask you, what are some of the most confusing words that you know and you're not sure how to pronounce? Write them in the comments below.

Thank you so much for watching, and if you want more lessons and more content and free resources. Make sure to check out my website, hadarshemesh.com. I also offer a 14 day free pronunciation plan with daily lessons for 14 days with audio recordings and PDFs to downloads. It's absolutely free and it's on my app. So click the link below this video to access your free 14 day pronunciation plan to boost your pronunciation in two weeks. You are going to love it.

Anyway, have a beautiful rest of the day, and I will see you next week–you got this–in the next video. Bye.