Mispronounced brand names in Singapore
We’ve talked about words commonly mispronounced by Singaporeans and, more specifically, food name mispronunciations for tricky nouns like quinoa, foie gras and geoduck. To further prevent paiseh moments where you proudly exclaim the wrong pronunciation entirely, here are some commonly mispronounced brand names in Singapore.
Besides fashion brands – many of which are a pain to pronounce ‘cause they’re usually in a fancy foreign language – we’ve also included tech and software brands and even a common snack you can find at any supermarket. Now you won’t have to hem and haw or point awkwardly at the item in question and be like, “this one lor”.
1. IKEA
Correct pronunciation: ee-kay-uh
Butchered pronunciation: ai-kee-ah
You know them for their meatballs, flatpack furniture sets, and their hard-to-pronounce Swedish name. We don’t blame you if you pronounce IKEA as ai-kee-ah, as that’s closer to the American pronunciation. But if you want to sound more legit, follow what the Swedes say: ee-kay-uh. Unfortunately, we don’t have a pronunciation guide on their best-selling furniture – yet.
2. Nutella
Image credit: @eatbooksg via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: noo-tell-uh
Butchered pronunciation: nut-tell-ah
It’s made of chocolate and hazelnuts and literally has the word “nut” in its name so by logic, emphasising the “nut” in Nutella makes the most sense for its pronunciation. But the Italian makers of the spread have gone on the record to say that the correct pronunciation has a softer “noo” before a harder “t” sound on the second syllable.
3. Hyundai
Image credit: @hyundai_sg via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: hy-awn-day
Butchered pronunciation: hai-yoon-die
Korean brands are tricky because they rarely follow standard romanisation rules like how the Chinese use hanyu pinyin. So for car brand Hyundai, it’s not surprising that many would try pronouncing every letter they see. But the brand is actually just 2 short Korean syllables.
4. Balmain
Image credit: @of.scs via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: bahl-mahn
Butchered pronunciation: ball-main
“Ball-main” I’ve heard plenty, but I’ve also heard some Singaporeans cheekily call this luxury clothing brand “ban mian”, after the hawker centre staple. But as with most French words and brands, you don’t pronounce every letter in Balmain. The easiest way to nail this pronunciation is to imagine you have a ball in your mouth as you drag out the syllables.
5. Bvlgari
Image credit: @bulgari via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: bul-gaa-ree
Butchered pronunciation: buh-vuhl-gah-ree
We know, that ‘V’ after ‘B’ in Bvlgari will throw anyone off, even for native English speakers. But just think of the ‘V’ as a stylised ‘U’ and you’ll be close to pronouncing it the correct way. This stems from the Late Middle Ages where ‘V’ was easier to carve than a rounded ‘U’ so the letter was used even in words that used an ‘U’ sound. You’ll still see the substitution on old buildings in Europe.
6. Versace
Correct pronunciation: vuh-sah-chay
Butchered pronunciation: ver-says, ver-sah-chee
For a long time, it wasn’t uncommon to hear Singaporeans call this Italian fashion brand “ver-says”, as it is spelt. Then Bruno Mars released a hit song that almost got the pronunciation correct. He was close, but still no cigar for the right pronunciation of Versace. Since it’s Italian, the “ce” part of the name has a stronger, aspirated “ay” right at the end.
7. Hermès
Image credit: @hermes_ginza_xiaoma via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: eir-mez
Butchered pronunciation: her-mees or herms
The epitome of “If you can’t pronounce it, you probably can’t afford it”, Hermès is an atas brand which carries tiny coin purses worth more than many people’s monthly salary. It’s common for people to pronounce it either as “herpes” with an ‘M’, or as “herms” – like “germs”.
8. Porsche
Image credit: @porsche.sg via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: paw-shuh
Butchered pronunciation: porsh/por-shay
Nothing’s more facepalm-inducing than someone going vroom vroom in their sweet new ride, only to announce “This is a ‘Porsh/Por-Shay’!” Vehicle brands can be tricky to pronounce as many of them hail from Europe, and Porsche happens to be a German brand. It certainly doesn’t sound the way it’s written, at least within the English alphabet context.
9. Guylian
Image credit: @fleurbotanique via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: gi-li-ahn (hard “gi” as in ghee)
Butchered pronunciation: gai-lian
A classy yet affordable gift for Mother’s Day, Teacher’s Day, and even Valentine’s Day, Guylian chocolate seashells are a popular alternative if you wanna veer away from the Ferrero Rocher and Merci crowd. The brand is Belgian and, given that it is formed out of the words “guy” and “lian” as in “ah lian”, we wouldn’t blame you if you’ve pronounced it as it’s written all your life.
10. Adobe
Correct pronunciation: aa-doh-bee
Butchered pronunciation: uh-dohb
The Adobe suite of software programmes is essential to people beyond the creative industry, whether you handle graphic design, photo editing, video production or just want to quickly edit a zit from your selfie. The “be” portion is actually a long, dragged out “bee”, and “dobe” in this case is not pronounced like “lobe”.
11. Tag Heuer
Image credit: @wristwatch.addiction via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: tahg hoy-er
Butchered pronunciation: tag hee-yer/tag hee-yor
I used to shun this watch brand like the plague as my brain could not begin to fathom how “heuer” sounds – what a strange combination of vowels! Tag Heuer is a Swiss brand known for their beginner luxury watches but the name itself is German. To make things easier, we’ll just teach you the proper pronunciation for you to commit to memory – instead of going through the alphabet rules in the German language.
12. Longchamp
Image credit: @iamldat via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: long-shom
Butchered pronunciation: long-champ
Raise your hand if you thought Longchamp was simply pronounced “long” and “champ”. Y’know, the way it’s spelled? Turns out, this French luxury brand follows French pronunciations where “champ” has neither a “ch” sound nor an audible ‘P’. Go ahead and pronounce it the proper way to be extra fancy, but it’s a bit like saying the word croissant as “kwah-sohn”.
13. Samsung
Correct pronunciation: sam-suhng
Butchered pronunciation: sum-song
Finally, an Asian addition to this list. We do have to disclaim that “sam-suhng” is the proper Westernised version of pronouncing Samsung, but the original Korean wordings do indeed read as “sam-seong” – the same “sam” as in samgyeopsal.
Then again, we know how to read “Huawei” based on Hanyu Pinyin rules but watch any American tech review on Youtube and the unofficial Western pronunciation seems to be “wah-way” with a silent ‘H’…so there’s that. Guess it all depends on whether you’re speaking your native tongue or donning a lil angmoh accent!
14. Balenciaga
Image credits: @221shoes_dkr via Instagram
Correct pronunciation: buh-len-see-aa-guh
Butchered pronunciation: beh-lun-chia-ga
As a Spanish brand, Balenciaga has that tricky ‘C’ where you can’t be sure if it’s pronounced like an ‘S’ as in “saucy”, a hard “kuh” sound as in “across” or a “ch” sound as in “chia”. It’s also important to note that the “balen” portion is not pronounced like “balance”.
When in doubt, have a listen to Cardi B’s verse in “I Like It” at the 00:21 mark, where she raps “I like those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks”.
15. Asus
Correct pronunciation: ay-sus
Butchered pronunciation: ah-soos
Asus used to trip me up every time I went laptop-browsing at Challenger, why can’t you be more straightforward to pronounce, like Acer and Dell? I couldn’t help but think that this four-letter word could only be logically pronounced like “ah-soos” or even worse, “asses”. But alas – it’s meant to be pronounced like “Acer” with an ‘S’.
How to pronounce difficult brand names correctly
When it comes to pronunciation, not every single word in existence is held by absolute rules. Certain commonly mispronounced words like “lettuce” as “let-yoos” and “yacht” as “yatch” leave little room for debate, as they’re obviously just plain wrong.
But when it comes to brand names, especially those of foreign origins, you could afford to veer off the original pronunciation without fear of looking like a total clown. After all, calling it a “long-champ” bag is perfectly understandable, and the average human isn’t going to guffaw in your face just because you didn’t enunciate it in the perfect French accent.
This general guide is more to help satiate your curiosity if you’ve ever pondered the fascinating spellings, and different possible ways of pronouncing these brand names based on their tricky combination of alphabets used. It’ll also come in handy if you want to step atas the next time you set foot in a fancy fashion store or automobile showroom.
For more related language articles, check out:
- Commonly mispronounced Malay words
- Singaporean sayings & what they mean
- Similar words which Singaporeans mix up
- Singlish phrases that may confuse foreigners
Cover image adapted from (L-R): @porsche.sg, @fleurbotanique, @221shoes_dkr via Instagram
Originally published on 12th April 2021. Last updated by Raewyn Koh on 8th May 2024.