The Right Way to Pronounce Açaí

Mispronouncing words can be a common—albeit embarrassing—problem for many. Try busting out epitome in conversation as "ep-it-tome" instead of "ee-pit-toe-me" and watch dinner guests recoil in horror. (Probably because if someone corrects you, they’ll realize they’ve been saying it incorrectly, too.) Hyperbole, nuclear, and regime are all commonly bumbled words, too.

In the food category, quinoa ("keen-wa") and quiche ("keesh") are often victimized. But few foods get linguistically lashed worse than açaí, the superfood berry rich in vitamins and nutrients. Many people say "ahh-kai" or even "ack" when prepping an açaí bowl, but it’s actually a soft "C" with the "I" pronounced: "uh-sigh-ee."

The açaí berry is found on açaí palm trees in South American rainforests. It gets a “superfood” designation by offering antioxidants, fiber, good fats, and calcium.

Now that you know how to pronounce it, your next smoothie order should be spoken with confidence. Incidentally, the color of the drink might be mauve—that’s "mawv," not "mayve."