Ten that trip you up

1. 1
   thorough/ˈθɜːroʊ/iAlso said ˈθɔːroʊ.

   adjective

   Complete with regard to every detail; not superficial.
2. 2
   rural/ˈrʊrəl/

   adjective

   Relating to the countryside rather than the town.
3. 3
   colonel/ˈkɜːrnəl/

   noun

   A senior officer in an army, above a lieutenant colonel.
4. 4
   comfortable/ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

   adjective

   Providing physical ease and relaxation.
5. 5
   squirrel/ˈskwɜːrəl/

   noun

   A small tree-dwelling rodent with a bushy tail.
6. 6
   clothes/kloʊðz/iAlso said kloʊz.

   noun

   Items worn to cover the body.
7. 7
   sixth/sɪksθ/

   adjective

   Constituting number six in a sequence.
8. 8
   entrepreneur/ˌɑːntrəprəˈnɜːr/iAlso said ˌɑːntrəprəˈnʊr.

   noun

   A person who sets up a business, taking on financial risk.
9. 9
   schedule/ˈskedʒʊl/iAlso said ˈskedʒuːl.

   noun

   A plan listing events and the times at which they happen.
10. 10
    February/ˈfebjəˌweri/iAlso said ˈfebruːˌeri.

    noun

    The second month of the year.

Pronunciation

• thorough/ˈθɜːroʊ/

  Two syllables, not three, and it is not 'through'.

• rural/ˈrʊrəl/

  Two r-sounds back to back with only a weak vowel between them.

• colonel/ˈkɜːrnəl/

  Sounds identical to 'kernel'. The 'l' in the spelling is silent.

• comfortable/ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

  Natural speech drops a syllable: KUMF-ter-bul, not com-for-ta-ble.

• squirrel/ˈskwɜːrəl/

  The 'skw' cluster runs straight into an r-coloured vowel.

• clothes/kloʊðz/

  One syllable. The 'ðz' ending is what makes it hard, not the vowel.

• sixth/sɪksθ/

  Three consonants close the word: k, s, then th.

• entrepreneur/ˌɑːntrəprəˈnɜːr/

  Borrowed from French, so the stress lands on the final syllable.

• schedule/ˈskedʒʊl/

  American 'sked-jool'; British speakers say 'shed-yool'.

• February/ˈfebjəˌweri/

  The first 'r' is routinely dropped, even by native speakers.