Julia Christianson

English is a fantastic mishmash of words from many different languages. “Borrow words”, or words lifted wholesale from other languages, often cause problems because they have different pronunciations and spellings – some words contain letters that aren’t found on a keyboard! Let’s take a look at a few words that cause people to struggle.

Fiancé vs. Fiancée

These words are pronounced the same, and look very similar – the only difference is the extra “e” on the second one. So how are they different? Well, fiancé is the word for an engaged man, or groom-to-be. Naturally, that means fiancée is the word for an engaged woman, or bride-to-be. If you use the wrong one, it can seem like you’re confused about the gender of the person. A good way to think of it is that many “feminine” words from French add an e, so if the person you’re talking about is female and the word has a French root you should choose the version of the word with the extra “e”.

Resume vs. Résumé

This one is tricky but important. Every working person should have a résumé, or a record of their employment and education experience; it is a noun pronounced reh-zoo-may. However, if one wants to resume something, that means to continue to do what one stopped before; it is a verb pronounced ree-zoom. Thankfully, this one is typically only mixed up in writing, not in spoken English! So remember to add those fancy accents on the e’s before sending your résumé to your next potential employer.

Viola and Voilà

If you enjoy orchestra music, you know that there are a lot of different stringed instruments besides the violin. A viola is a stringed instrument that is slightly larger than the violin but otherwise looks very similar. It is a noun and is pronounced vy-oh-la. The word violà is an interjection that means “Tah-dah!” or “Look at this!” It is pronounced wah-la. Two common mistakes happen: when people who are reading pronounce violà as “viola”, or when people who have heard but never seen the word violà try to spell it “wallah”.

Tushie and Touché

These two words have nothing to do with one another, but they illustrate the point made in the last comparison: adding an accent makes a difference in both the accuracy and the pronunciation of a word. The word “tushie” is slang for one’s butt, as in “Man, that model has a nice tushie!” It is pronounced tuh-she (the first part sounds like “bush”). The word “touché” is used to indicate that someone has scored on you or won a point in your conversation: “Well, you always forget to lock the door!” – “Touché.” It is pronounced too-shay. So if you’re trying to say “You made an excellent point!” and instead say, “Butt!”, don’t be surprised if people laugh. Alternatively, if someone made an excellent point about a butt, you could say either one as a terrible pun – but don’t be surprised if people don’t laugh.

If you have any words you have questions about, or that you’ve heard people confuse, leave a comment! English is a zany and expressive language, created by many people over many years – and it’s up to us to learn to use it correctly.