A few weeks ago, I went out for lunch with a friend to our local Vietnamese restaurant and asked for my usual – a hearty bowl of rare beef phở. After I ordered, my mate turned to me and scoffed, “It’s not ‘foe’, it’s ‘fuh’.”
Yep, just like that.
Much to my annoyance, Hermione my friend was right. But I’m not the first person to make that mistake, and I definitely won’t be the last.
And, as it turns out, it’s not the only menu item that’s been tripping people up. Chances are we’ve all been mispronouncing dozens of international favourites. Here are some of the biggest offenders…