Globalization has carried many famous brands beyond their countries of origin. Today, it’s common to drive a South Korean car, wear a Swiss watch, drink Belgian beer, carry a French handbag or use a Chinese smartphone. However, correct pronunciation doesn’t always travel as widely as the products themselves. Below are 24 well-known international brands whose names are often mispronounced, with guidance on how to say each one correctly.
Adobe
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Adobe is an American software company that helped popularize desktop publishing with products for printing, publishing and graphics. The correct pronunciation is “ah-doh-bee” — pronounce the final E. It is not “ah-dobe.”
Bayer
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Bayer is a long-established German pharmaceutical and life sciences company known for products such as aspirin. In German the name sounds like “buy-er,” not “bare” or “bay-er.”
Dom Pérignon
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Dom Pérignon is a prestige vintage champagne from Moët & Chandon, named for a 17th-century Benedictine monk. Pronounce it “dom peh-ree-nyon.” The G is not pronounced as in English.
Dom Ruinart
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Ruinart is the oldest champagne house, founded in 1729. The correct pronunciation for Dom Ruinart approximates “dom rwee-nar,” rather than “dom ruin-art.”
Ermenegildo Zegna
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Ermenegildo Zegna is an Italian luxury menswear label founded in 1910. In Italian it sounds like “er-men-eh-gil-do zeh-nya.” Aim for the Italian rhythm and vowel sounds.
Hermès
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The French fashion house Hermès began as a harness workshop in 1837 and is famous for silk scarves and iconic handbags. The name is pronounced “air-mez” with a silent H — not “her-meez.”
Hoegaarden
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Hoegaarden is a Belgian wheat beer originating from a town where monks added orange peel and coriander to their brew. The name is pronounced “who-gar-den,” not “ho-gar-den.”
Huawei
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Huawei is a major Chinese technology company founded in 1987 that makes phones, laptops and networking equipment. The common Chinese pronunciation is “wah-way,” rather than “high-ah-way.”
Hublot
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Hublot is a Swiss watchmaker whose name means “porthole” in French. Say it “oo-blow” with the H effectively silent; avoid “hub-lot” or “hoo-blo.”
Hyundai
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Hyundai, South Korea’s largest automaker founded in 1967, produces a wide range of vehicles including electric and hydrogen models. The common Korean-influenced English pronunciation is “hun-day,” not “hi-un-dye.”
IKEA
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IKEA, the Swedish home goods giant founded by Ingvar Kamprad, is an acronym from the founder’s name, his farm and his village. In Swedish it is pronounced “ih-key-yah,” rather than the English “eye-key-ah.”
Miele
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Miele, a German maker of high-quality appliances since 1899, is pronounced “mee-luh,” not “mee-lee.”
Miu Miu
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Miu Miu, a subsidiary brand of Prada founded by Miuccia Prada, uses her nickname. The correct pronunciation is “mew-mew,” not “mee-oo mee-oo.”
Moschino
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Moschino is an Italian fashion house established by Franco Moschino. Pronounce it “mos-key-no,” with a hard C sound, not “moh-shee-no.”
Nutella
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Nutella, created by the Ferrero family in Italy after WWII, places emphasis on the first syllable: “new-tell-uh.” Avoid stressing the second syllable as in “nuh-TELL-uh.”
Porsche
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Porsche, the German sports car maker named for Ferdinand Porsche, is pronounced “por-shuh.” The final syllable is spoken; don’t reduce it to “porsh.”
Ralph Lauren
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The American designer Ralph Lauren’s name is pronounced “ralf lor-en,” with a balanced emphasis, not “ralf lor-EN.”
Renault
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Renault is a French automaker founded in 1898. In French the name comes out as “re-no,” where the letters A and U form an O-like sound and the final consonants are not pronounced.
Schwarzkopf
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Schwarzkopf, a German haircare brand founded in 1898, literally means “black head.” The proper pronunciation is “shwarts-kawpf,” with the final consonant cluster pronounced according to German phonetics rather than simplified to “-kof.”
Stella Artois
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Stella Artois, a Belgian pilsner that began as a seasonal Christmas brew, is pronounced “stell-ah ar-twa.” The French-influenced ending is closer to “twa” than an English-style “twahs.”
TAG Heuer
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TAG Heuer is a Swiss watchmaker long associated with sports timing and racing. Pronounce the name “tag haw-yer,” reflecting the Germanic pronunciation of Heuer rather than the English “hew-air.”
Volkswagen
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Volkswagen, originally created to produce an affordable “people’s car,” is pronounced “folks-va-gun” in German. Avoid the Englishified “vokes-wagon.”
Zara
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Zara, the fast-fashion retailer founded in Spain, is pronounced with Spanish sounds often rendered as “dzah-dah” or “sah-dah” depending on regional accents, rather than the English “za-ra.”
Adidas
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Adidas takes its name from founder Adolf “Adi” Dassler (Adi + Das). The correct German pronunciation is “ah-dee-dahs,” with emphasis on the first syllable. Avoid stressing the middle syllable or pronouncing a final “-us.”
Pronunciations vary with language and regional accents, but using the native or traditional pronunciation often shows respect for the brand’s cultural roots and helps avoid common mispronunciations.