Can you say the most commonly mispronounced brand names?
Retail is an ever evolving and growing industry, which makes it difficult for many brands to gain long term success. Still, there are many brands across the world with staying power, ranging from fashion icons like Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent to carmaker Hyundai.
While these brands are well established and offer high-quality products, many people still aren’t sure how to pronounce them. We surveyed 1,500 Americans to uncover the most commonly mispronounced brand names by generation and narrowed down our results to the top 10 overall. Let’s see which popular brands made our list and learn their proper pronunciations!
The top 10 most mispronounced brand names
Rank | Brand Name | Incorrect Pronunciation (%) | Correct Pronunciation (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Givenchy | 71 | 29 |
2 | Porsche | 65 | 35 |
3 | Yves Saint Laurent | 62 | 38 |
4 | Hyundai | 59 | 41 |
5 | Ralph Lauren | 55 | 45 |
6 | Nutella | 53 | 47 |
7 | Volkswagen | 47 | 53 |
8 | Balenciaga | 44 | 56 |
9 | Adobe | 40 | 60 |
10 | Ikea | 37 | 63 |
11 | Adidas | 36 | 64 |
12 | Louis Vuitton | 35 | 65 |
13 | Zara | 33 | 67 |
14 | Nike | 29 | 71 |
According to 1,500 survey responses.
Chart: By Business.CenturyLink.com Get the data Embed Download image Created with Datawrapper
Methodology
To gather responses for the survey we used Pollfish, a market research software that allowed us to collect insights and results in real time. We gathered a total of 1,500 responses across the United States. This allowed us to analyze the responses across generations.
Explore the full data
Combined
Brand Name | Incorrect Pronunciation (%) | Correct Pronunciation (%) |
|---|---|---|
Givenchy | 71% | 29% |
Porsche | 65% | 35% |
Yves Saint Laurent | 62% | 38% |
Hyundai | 59% | 41% |
Ralph Lauren | 55% | 45% |
Nutella | 53% | 47% |
Volkswagen | 47% | 53% |
Balenciaga | 44% | 56% |
Adobe | 40% | 60% |
Ikea | 37% | 63% |
Adidas | 36% | 64% |
Louis Vuitton | 35% | 65% |
Zara | 33% | 67% |
Lamborghini | 30% | 70% |
Nike | 29% | 71% |
Gen Z
Brand Name | Incorrect Pronunciation (%) | Correct Pronunciation (%) |
|---|---|---|
Porsche | 76% | 24% |
Givenchy | 68% | 32% |
Yves Saint Laurent | 67% | 33% |
Hyundai | 65% | 35% |
Ralph Lauren | 58% | 42% |
Nutella | 47% | 53% |
Volkswagen | 45% | 55% |
Adobe | 45% | 55% |
Balenciaga | 42% | 58% |
Ikea | 40% | 60% |
Louis Vuitton | 40% | 60% |
Zara | 38% | 62% |
Lamborghini | 37% | 63% |
Adidas | 36% | 64% |
Nike | 32% | 68% |
Millenials
Brand Name | Incorrect Pronunciation (%) | Correct Pronunciation (%) |
|---|---|---|
Givenchy | 70% | 30% |
Yves Saint Laurent | 63% | 37% |
Hyundai | 60% | 40% |
Nutella | 56% | 44% |
Ralph Lauren | 53% | 47% |
Volkswagen | 51% | 49% |
Porsche | 47% | 53% |
Balenciaga | 45% | 55% |
Adobe | 41% | 59% |
Ikea | 40% | 60% |
Adidas | 36% | 64% |
Louis Vuitton | 35% | 65% |
Nike | 31% | 69% |
Zara | 31% | 69% |
Lamborghini | 30% | 70% |
Gen X
Brand Name | Incorrect Pronunciation (%) | Correct Pronunciation (%) |
|---|---|---|
Givenchy | 76% | 24% |
Yves Saint Laurent | 56% | 44% |
Ralph Lauren | 56% | 44% |
Hyundai | 55% | 45% |
Porsche | 51% | 49% |
Nutella | 50% | 50% |
Balenciaga | 46% | 54% |
Volkswagen | 45% | 55% |
Zara | 39% | 61% |
Adidas | 36% | 64% |
Adobe | 35% | 65% |
Louis Vuitton | 30% | 70% |
Nike | 28% | 72% |
Lamborghini | 27% | 73% |
Ikea | 26% | 74% |
Boomers
Brand Name | Incorrect Pronunciation (%) | Correct Pronunciation (%) |
|---|---|---|
Givenchy | 74% | 26% |
Yves Saint Laurent | 60% | 40% |
Ralph Lauren | 55% | 45% |
Porsche | 54% | 46% |
Hyundai | 52% | 48% |
Nutella | 50% | 50% |
Balenciaga | 43% | 57% |
Volkswagen | 41% | 59% |
Adidas | 37% | 63% |
Louis Vuitton | 36% | 64% |
Adobe | 36% | 64% |
Ikea | 32% | 68% |
Zara | 30% | 70% |
Lamborghini | 23% | 77% |
Nike | 21% | 79% |
According to 1,500 survey responses.
Chart: Business.CenturyLink.com Get the data Embed Download image Created with Datawrapper
Interesting findings
- 50% of the participants selected (Porsh) and 14% selected (Por-shee), which are both incorrect pronunciations of the German luxury car brand Porsche. Only 35% of people selected the correct pronunciation (Por-shuh).
- 41% of the GenZ participants selected (Huhn-die) and 23% selected High-un-day, which are both incorrect pronunciations of the South Korean automotive company Hyundai. Only 35% of people selected the correct pronunciation (Huhn-day).
- 44% of participants selected (Eevs-saint-lew-rant) and 18% selected (Ihvs-saan-lor-ent), which are both incorrect pronunciations of the luxury fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent. Only 38% of people selected the correct pronunciation (Eev-saan-law-raant).
- 45% of the Millennial participants selected (Nuh-teh-luh) and 11% selected (Nut-la), which are both incorrect pronunciations of the brand Nutella. Only 44% of people selected the correct pronunciation (Noo-teh-luh).
- 43% of participants selected (Giv-en-shee) and 28% selected (Zhee-vin-chee), which are both incorrect pronunciations of the French luxury brand Givenchy. Only 29% of people selected the correct pronunciation (Zhee-vaan-shee).
Business.CenturyLink.com is an authorized sales agent of CenturyLink. For inquiries please email media@business.centurylink.com.