If you're a self-proclaimed plant parent, can you be certain that you're pronouncing the names of the plants in your care correctly? Yep, let that one sit for a second...
Following the Chelsea Flower Show trends and the rise of bloomcore, a new study revealing the most commonly mispronounced plants has surfaced and we've got the inside scoop – have you mistakenly been mispronouncing the names of these plants all this time?
The most commonly mispronounced plant names
Given their Latin origins and often misleading spellings, we can't blame you for just missing the mark when pronouncing them as they can be challenging for many (us included).
With this in mind, online language learning platform, Preply, gathered and analysed Google Search data for 250 of the most popular flowers and houseplants to create the ultimate plant pronunciation guide – so you don't have to (everyone say thank you).
1. Peony – 'PEE-uh-nee'
According to Preply's research, Peony is the most commonly mispronounced flower, with an average of 260,640 people searching for pronunciation guidance every year.
Commonly known as the traditional floral symbol of China, peonies can often leave people tongue-tied, but Preply has revealed that the correct way to say it is 'PEE-uh-nee' – let's not forget that one.
2. Orchid – 'aw-kuhd'
This one takes the second spot, and we're not surprised considering its spelling and what we usually know of the 'ch' sound in words. The pronunciation of this plant is searched by 240,040 people annually.
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae and are correctly pronounced 'aw-kuhd.'
3. Hyacinth – 'hy-uh-sinth'
Coming in at number three is Hyacinth, with 203,520 annual searches. It's also made many an appearance in Netflix's Bridgerton as the name of the Bridgerton family's youngest daughter.
This fragrant, spring-blooming perennial is correctly pronounced 'hy-uh-sinth.'
Some honourable mentions from the rest of the table...
- Chrysanthemum – 'kruh-san-thuh-muhm'
- Dandelion – 'dan-duh-lai-uhn'
- Hibiscus – 'huh-bis-kuhs'
- Lilac – 'lai-luhk'
- Basil – 'BAZ-uhl'
- Dahlia – 'day-lee-uh'
- Poinsettia – 'poyn-seh-tee-uh'
- Hydrangea – 'hai-drayn-juh'
- Bergamot – 'buh-guh-mot'
- Cactus – 'kak-tuhs'
- Tulip – 'choop-luhp'
There are probably a couple more that come to mind when you think of commonly mispronounced flowers, but we think this is a pretty fair overview of some of the most common stragglers that we often overlook.
Now, the next time you hear somebody mispronounces one of your favourite plants, you can kindly correct them in confidence.
Did you learn something new from this guide?
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