Daily Voice
By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice
From a seismic election in the nation's biggest city to a trendy pair of flip-flops, 2025 had some tricky words for some people to say.
Babbel released its list of 2025's Most Mispronounced Words on Thursday, Dec. 4. The language-learning company selected six words and names as the hardest for people to pronounce throughout the year.
The Captioning Group helped Babbel compile the list.
"A lot of these words come from different languages and so we have to adapt to a sound that we've never made before," Babbel linguistic and cultural expert Esteban Touma told the Associated Press.
Here are Babbel's most difficult words to say in 2025:
1. Zohran Mamdani [zoh-RAHN mam-DAH-nee]
The name of New York City's mayor-elect became globally known after his massive upset over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both in the Democratic primary and general election. Cuomo used Islamophobic tropes against Mamdani and consistently mispronounced the 34-year-old assemblyman's name during the campaign.
Mamdani fired back at Cuomo during one debate, telling him, "The name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I." The self-proclaimed democratic socialist has said he doesn't mind if someone says his name incorrectly by accident, but noted that some intentionally mispronounce it.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaking at a rally in Bryant Park on October 27, 2024.
2. Mounjaro [mown-JAHR-OH]
The weight-loss drug is among many diabetes and obesity treatments that have grown in popularity in recent years. The World Health Organization published new guidelines about glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies, officially supporting treatments like Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Wegovy.
According to a recent Gallup poll, GLP-1 medications helped the US obesity rate fall to 37.0% in 2025 after hitting a record high of 39.9% in 2022. Gallup also found that 12.4% of adults now use GLP-1 drugs, up from 5.8% in early 2024.
3. Louvre [LOOV-ruh]
The world's most visited museum in Paris was hit by thieves who stole more than $100 million worth of historic jewels in October. The suspects used a stolen movers' lift to break through a second-floor window before escaping with eight pieces tied to the French Crown Jewels.
The Louvre Palace was built in the late 12th century as the official residence of the kings of France, until Louis XIV abandoned it for Versailles in 1682. Four years after the French Revolution, the Louvre became a museum for the royal art collection in 1793.
Five people have been charged in the heist, and the jewels have not been recovered. An estimated 8.7 million people visited the Louvre in 2024.
4. Acetaminophen [uh-SEE-tuh-MIH-nuh-fen]
The popular pain reliever gained extra attention after President Donald Trump claimed in September that the drug is linked to children developing autism. The claim has been widely debunked by medical experts.
The parent company of Tylenol, which has acetaminophen as an active ingredient, calls the Trump administration's claims "scientifically unfounded." Kenvue pointed to years of research, including a 2024 study of nearly 2.5 million children in Sweden that found no link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability.
A bottle of Tylenol.
5. Alex Murdaugh [AL-ick MUR-dock]
The South Carolina lawyer was convicted of murdering his wife, Maggie, and their son in 2021. He received two life sentences, along with 40 years for federal financial crimes.
The case came back into the spotlight when Hulu premiered "Murdaugh: Death in the Family" in October. The series stars Jason Clarke as Alex Murdaugh and Patricia Arquette as Maggie Murdaugh.
6. Havaianas [ah-vah-YAH-nas]
The popular Brazilian flip-flop brand is known for its bright colors and lightweight rubber design. Inspired by Japanese zori, the sandals have cloth straps and woven rice straw soles.
Havaianas exploded in popularity in 2025 after several celebrity endorsements and viral TikTok videos. Founded in 1962, Havaianas sandals are now sold in more than 100 countries.
Babbel's list comes after Oxford University Press named "rage bait" as its word of the year, while Dictionary.com gave that honor to the "6-7" meme.
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