Just 10 of the most iconic celeb mispronunciations of all time - The Tab

When Nigella Lawson saw the electric pinging box on her kitchen top, she spied her opportunity and took her chance. The chef could have just called it by its proper name, but in that moment, she knew exactly what she had to do to elevate her show to the the God Tier of British TV. “I still need a bit of milk, full fat, that I’ve warmed in the mee-cro-wavey,” she said, and the internet went wild. This scene has now been pitted against the likes of Bridgerton and The Mandalorian for a BAFTA for the best moment of TV in 2021.

In the same week as Nigella said “meecrowavey”, there was yet another amazing mispronunciation when TikToker Reagan Yorke struggled with how to say Caffé Nero. I’m just sitting here thinking what is the world coming to?

Deliberate or not, there have been many classic celeb mispronunciations over the years, ranging from Jesy Nelson’s Jamaican accent to Boris Johnson’s attempt at saying “contact tracing”. Here’s a list of 10 of the very best.

1. ‘Meecrowavey’- Nigella Lawson

Where else to start other than with the queen of culinary TV herself. If you’re not obsessed with Nigella and her pink KitchenAid, frankly, you can get in the bin.

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2. ‘Ballegdeh!’- Jesy Nelson

When Jesy Nelson was asked to do a Jamaican accent, shouting, “BALLEGDEH” was the best she could come up with. But since going viral, the Little Mix star has complained that she fell victim to some cruel editing.

“The fan edited it as though it was my Jamaican accent, I actually do a Jamaican accent!” Nelson told Huff Post. “That’s not even a Jamaican accent, they just cut off my accent and said that was my Jamaican accent.”

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3. ‘Pengwings’- Benedict Cumberbatch

For most people, “pengwings” might be something you’d say after a particularly good Nando’s. For Benedict, it’s his attempt at the word “penguins”. Here’s a clip of the Sherlock star getting rinsed on Graham Norton for his inability to say the name of the flightless bird. Skip to 4.05 for for the first clip.

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4. ‘Contact tasting’- Boris Johnson

I know this video might give you lockdown PTSD, but it’s absolutely golden, with Boris Johnson unveiling a government plan to taste contacts. Ew.

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5. ‘Dula Peep’- Wendy Williams

Wendy Williams’s attempt at saying Dua Lipa had me absolutely weeping.

SHE DEADASS CALLED HER DULA PEEP I CANT pic.twitter.com/OtJr093S9J

— triv🥀 (@bedroomflicker) May 23, 2018

6. ‘Free Shavocado’- Someone from THAT Vine

Okay, so I know this isn’t techinically said by a celeb, but the magnitude of this classic Vine had celeb status back in the day.

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7. ‘James Flacco’- Barack Obama

When talking about Kim Jong-Un’s reaction to hit movie The Interview, Barrack Obama really struggles with James Franco’s surname. When he has to mention the Hollywood actor again, he just settles for “James”.

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8. ‘Loose Voitittyoon’- Chaz Smith

This guy spent far too much of his life going round mispronouncing things in the name of content. His way of saying Louis Vuitton is the pick of the bunch.

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9. ‘Anonymous’- Donald Trump

What is it with heads of state and not being able to pronounce simple words? They’re literally employed to speak all day. Smh.

Well. Here's Trump trying to pronounce 'anonymous' at his MAGA rally in Montana. pic.twitter.com/0DQx2y7xcn

— Sarah Peterson (@SarahxPeterson) September 7, 2018