What are you wearing? What are you eating? What are you drinking? What are you driving? And how do you say it? Chances are, many of the items we buy or consume, we’re saying it all wrong. Thanks to The Guardian we finally have some answers. Take Nike for example. If you say it so it rhymes with “spike” then you’re getting it wrong.

Because people have been getting it so badly wrong for decades, Nike’s chairman Philip Knight has officially announced that the correct pronunciation is in fact “Ni-kee”. So what else are we getting wrong?

Saucony

Sticking with sports brands and expensive trainers, how would you go about saying Saucony? Most would opt for “Sauce-oh-nee” or even “Saw-cone-ee”. But no. The correct way to say it is in fact, “Sock-a-nee”. Perhaps it would be easier to cling on to your black elasticated gym pumps from school.

Hermès

Remaining with clothing, take Hermès for example. The obvious pronunciation would be “Her-meez”. However, you’d be wrong. This global brand is in fact, “Er-mez”.

Givenchy

Then there’s the posh perfume giants, Givenchy. For many a year now, everyone has been saying “Give-on-chee”. If you say that near a Paris catwalk, it won’t just be your scent they’ll be turning their noses up at. It is in fact, “Ji-von-shee”. But not too heavy on the N.

Yves Saint Laurent

Continuing with posh odours, let’s tackle Yves Saint Laurent next. Most would get this correct, considering the amount they spend on advertising. But even getting it right doesn’t mean getting it totally right. It’s “Eve-San-La-ron”. Again, don’t over pronounce the Ns. Remember, it’s French.

Porsche

Lovers of fast cars will want to get their hands on a Porsche. If you wander into a high end show room and say “Porsh”, you’ll get blank looks and get shown the door. It should be “Por-sha”.

Audi

Remaining with our four-wheeled friends, how about Audi? Surely that’s much easier. Well, as it’s a German name, it must be “Aww-dee”. Because everyone says “Ow-dee”. So, yeah, it must be “Aww-dee”. No. You were right, it is fact “Ow-dee”. Just imagine you’re greeting John Wayne in the Wild West.

Moët et Chandon

Now we’ve got this far, let’s celebrate with a sparkling glass of Champagne. Moët et Chandon anyone? As any Queen fan knows, Freddie Mercury opens Killer Queen with the immortal line, “She keeps her Moët et Chandon in a pretty cabinet”. Freddie says “Mo-ay-eh-Shan-don”, so that must be right! He must have sipped enough of the stuff over the years. No. Sorry, Freddie. Sorry, Queen fans. It is in fact “Mwet-eh-Shan-don” (Heavy on the T but again, not too heavy on the Ns).

Adidas

Now you’ve become expert at the language of brands, don’t get too complacent. There is always someone that will throw a spanner in the works. Returning to our original theme of sports giants, there is always Adidas. Thanks to legendary rappers Run DMC, we’re used to hearing Americans say “A-dee-dass”. However, in the UK we tend to say “A-di-dass”. But which is correct? The firm is German so how do they pronounce it? Officially, there is no answer. Adidas has no official “Ni-kee” style rules to follow. So for now, use whatever pronunciation you like.

Oh, by the way. That’s “pro-nun-see-ay-shun”. Not “pro-noun-see-ay-shun”.

For the original Guardian article, please click here: http://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2014/jun/03/nike-how-to-pronounce-correctly-brand-names-audi-adidas-porsche-yvessaintlaurent