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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 
AdidasAH-dee-dahs
AsosAce-oss
BalenciagaBuh-LEN-see-aa-guh
EllesseEl-es
GivenchySzee-vohn-she
HermesEhr-mez
HyundaiHYUN-day
IkeaEee-KEH-Yah
IllamasquaIl-la-MASS-ka
MoetMo-ET
Moschinomoss-KEY-no
NicceNee-chee
NikeNai-key
NutellaNew-TELL-uh
PeugeotPuh-joh
PorschePor-shuh
ReissRes
SheinShe-in
StradivariusEs-TRA-di-ba-ruis
VersaceVer-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
GoogleBackRub
InstagramBurbn
SubwayPete’s Super Submarines
AmazonCadabra
SonyTokyo Tsushin Kogyo
Starbucks Cargo House
eBayAuctionWeb
YahooDavid’s and Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web
Paypal Confinity
Skype Sky Peer-to-Peer

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