Pronunciation of ‘Iron Man’ in English

by Jakub Marian

Tip: See my list of the Most Common Mistakes in English. It will teach you how to avoid mis­takes with com­mas, pre­pos­i­tions, ir­reg­u­lar verbs, and much more.

One of the most common pronunciation mistakes among English learners is caused by the spelling of the word “iron”, which is pronounced roughly as “I earn” (/ˈaɪərn/ in American English, /ˈaɪən/ in British English), not as “I Ron”. I’ve recently noticed that it is not that easy to eliminate this mistake altogether.

We learn the names of superheroes usually while still being children, so it is natural for non-native speakers to read “Iron Man” as “I Ron man”. However, it’s still just “iron”, after all, so the correct pronunciation is, of course, “I earn man”. It doesn’t sound like such an incredible superpower anymore, does it?

By the way, if you haven’t read my guide on how to avoid the most common mistakes in English, make sure to check it out; it deals with similar topics.

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