The most mispronounced brands, according to Google, and how to get them right
Some brand names are super simple to get right. How else can you pronounce Google, Tesco or Lego? However, when it comes to Ellesse, Porsche or Moschino, you might find yourself fumbling.
But what’s in a name? A recent study by global audience analysts Neilson revealed that the name of the brand is one of the most valuable assets that a company possesses. A strong brand name can also influence customer decision-making by up to 80%. With competition fierce, the right brand name can make or break a company.
With that being said, the team online language platform Preply have used Google Search data to reveal the most commonly Googled questions when it comes to brand pronunciation.
Let’s take a look and see if you’re pronouncing these brands correctly:
| How do you pronounce… | Correct Pronunciation |
| Adidas | AH-dee-dahs |
| Asos | Ace-oss |
| Balenciaga | Buh-LEN-see-aa-guh |
| Ellesse | El-es |
| Givenchy | Szee-vohn-she |
| Hermes | Ehr-mez |
| Hyundai | HYUN-day |
| Ikea | Eee-KEH-Yah |
| Illamasqua | Il-la-MASS-ka |
| Moet | Mo-ET |
| Moschino | moss-KEY-no |
| Nicce | Nee-chee |
| Nike | Nai-key |
| Nutella | New-TELL-uh |
| Peugeot | Puh-joh |
| Porsche | Por-shuh |
| Reiss | Res |
| Shein | She-in |
| Stradivarius | Es-TRA-di-ba-ruis |
| Versace | Ver-SACH-eh |
Emphasis added too dominant syllables.
Source: preply.com
Daniele Saccardi from Preply said: “A brand name is hugely important. Potential customers will quickly form an impression of your company or product from the name.
“It’s important to consider how the name is likely to appear to someone who speaks a different language or might have trouble understanding the meaning.
“A brand that is easy to pronounce is also important. You don’t want a name that’s going to be mispronounced as this is just going to cause confusion amongst customers.”
Some brands only saw success after they changed their names. It’s hard to believe that Google used to be known as BackRub, Pepsi was Brad’s Drink, and Nike was Blue Ribbon Sports.
| Brand | Previous Brand Name |
| BackRub | |
| Burbn | |
| Subway | Pete’s Super Submarines |
| Amazon | Cadabra |
| Sony | Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo |
| Starbucks | Cargo House |
| eBay | AuctionWeb |
| Yahoo | David’s and Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web |
| Paypal | Confinity |
| Skype | Sky Peer-to-Peer |
