Image: Porsche/Nike/Samsung/KÄrlis DambrÄns via Wiki Commons/Ikea
About This Quiz
Global brand names have become a part of everyday life, so familiar to us that the names have become Americanized -- but when you're shopping for Samsung televisions, playing a Sega gaming system or comparing a Hyundai to a Chevrolet, how sure are you that you're actually pronouncing the names correctly? If you think you know how to say some of the trickiest brand names out there, take our quiz to show off your pronunciation skills!
We spend years in school memorizing grammar and spelling rules in our native language, but even people who get to study other languages rarely have the mastery of native speakers. Things get even trickier when it comes to brands, or even the names of individuals, as these words often don't follow basic language rules at all. That's why a brand that looks like it should be pronounced a certain way in English actually sounds nothing like you would expect in French, German, Italian on another language. Things like basic pronunciation rules, silent letters and unexpected emphasis or accents can trip up even the most well-intentioned speaker.
Think you can pronounce many of the world's trickiest brand names? Prove it with this quiz!
Adidas
Think you can pronounce this brand name?
AH-dee-dahs
Sportswear company Adidas was founded by German Adolf Dassler in the 1940s. The name -- which is rumored by many to stand for "All Day Long I Dream About Sports" -- is actually inspired by Adolf's nickname, Adi, and the first three letters of his last name. The correct pronunciation is AH-dee-dahs.
Ad-ee-das
A-die-DAS
Ah-DIE-das
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Hoegaarden
How should you pronounce this brand name?
Hoe-garden
HEE-garden
O-garden
WHO-gar-den
Hoegaarden has been making wheat beer since 1445. Named for a Belgian village, the name is pronounced WHO-gar-den.
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Stella Artois
Can you pronounce this brand name?
Stel-LAH Ar-toys
STEL-lah ar-TWA
A brewery founded in 1366 in Leuven, Belgium, decided to introduce a Christmas beer in 1926. They called it Stella Artois, for Christmas Star, and it was so popular, they made it a permanent part of their offerings. The brand is pronounced STEL-lah ar-TWA.
Steel-ah Ar-toes
Stilla-Art-was
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Lamborghini
Do you know the correct way to pronounce the brand you see in this image?
lam-berg-eye-ni
lambor-gee-nee
Ferruccio Lamborghini started his iconic car company in 1963 to produce top-notch touring cars capable of taking on Ferrari. Because his name is Italian, the brand is correctly pronounced as lambor-gee-nee.
lumber-gee-nee
loom-ber-geen-eye
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Audi
What is the correct way to say the name of this brand?
aud-eye
old-ee
uld-eye
oww-dee
August Horch of Germany founded Audi in 1910. His last name means "listen" in German, which is translated to Latin as "Audi." The name is pronounced oww-dee.
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Van Heusen
What's the right way to pronounce this brand name?
von hold-sen
van hew-son
Dutch immigrant John Manning Van Heusen founded his famous clothing line in 1910. Though the name may look confusing, it's pronounced van hew-son.
vin hers-son
won-hess-sen
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TAGHeuer
Can you say this brand name correctly?
teeg hower
toog-he-er
tag haw-yer
Edouard Heuer of Switzerland founded a fine jewelry and watchmaking company in 1860. It was purchased by the TAG Group in 1985, and the official name is pronounced tag haw-yer.
tag he-your
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Ylenia via Wiki Commons/Givenchy
Can you pronounce the brand you see here?
zhee-vench-ee
give-end-si
give-in-chi
zhee vahn-shee
Hubert de Givenchy founded his French luxury fashion and perfume line in 1952. The French pronunciation is zhee vahn-shee.
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Louis Vuitton
Do you know the proper pronunciation for this brand?
LOO-ee vwee-tahn
Louis Vuitton started his iconic fashion brand in Paris in 1854. Noticing that travel trunks with rounded tops were tough to stack, he created flat-topped ones and sold them for a fortune. His brand is pronounced LOO-ee vwee-tahn.
Loo-IS Vit-TON
Loose Va-TON
Lee-wee VAT-tan
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Yves Saint Laurent
What's the proper way to pronounce this brand?
eve SANT Ler-ONT
ye-vees san LER-ent
eve san lo-ron
Yves Saint Laurent and partner Pierre Berge started their luxury fashion line in 1961, eventually gaining fame for Le Tuxedo -- a smoking jacket for women. The name is French, and pronounced eve san lo-ron.
Ye-vees Saint Lar-ent
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Porsche
Think you know how to pronounce the brand you see here?
poor-sha
German car maker Porsche was founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. One of the company's first projects was for the German government, and resulted in the design of the VW Beetle. The name of the company is pronounced poor-sha.
poorsh
por-SHAY
per-shhh
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Sega
What's the right way to say this brand name?
zee-ja
say-gah
see-ga
Founded in 1953 as Service Games of Japan, the name SEGA comes from a newer branch called Service Games of America. The name of this Japanese video game maker is pronounced see-ga.
zee-ga
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Amazon
Can you pronounce this brand name without getting tongue-tied?
ama-zohn
AM-o-ZAHN
OMA-zahn
ama-zun
Jeff Bezos picked the name for his online bookstore out of the dictionary, choosing Amazon because it was near the beginning of the alphabet and because he liked that it sounded exotic. The name of this online behemoth is pronounced ama-zun.
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Volkswagen
Know how to pronounce this brand name?
vo-ks var-gun
The name of car maker Volkswagen means "people's car" in German. Founded under Hitler in 1937, the name of this company is pronounced vo-ks var-gun.
vol-kis wag-en
volks wag-un
vel-ks wag-een
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Del Monte
Think you know the right way to say this brand name?
deal mont
del mon-teh
In the 1880s, a California food company started marketing a line of coffee named after a local hotel -- the Hotel del Monte. Since del monte means "from the mountain" in Spanish and Italian, the correct pronunciation for this brand comes from these languages. It's pronounced del mon-tay.
del mont
dole mon-tay
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Schwarzkopf
What's the correct pronunciation of this brand name?
shwartz-kof
Schwarzkopf is a line of hair-care products hailing from German. The name means "black head" in German, and is pronounced shwartz-kof.
shore-kop
char-kop
war-kof
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Nike
Which of these pronunciations is correct?
rhymes with mike
nee-kee
ni-kay
ni-key
Founded in 1964, athletic wear company Nike takes its names from the Greek goddess of victory. The name of the company is pronounced ni-key.
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Hermes
Know how to pronounce this brand name?
air-mez
Thierry Hermes founded a company is Paris in 1837. While he initially sold luxury horse supplies, he later branched out to fashion. The name of this brand is oh-so-French, and is pronounced air-mez.
her-mee
her-mees
herms
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Christian Dior
Can you say this brand name the correct way?
chris-tee-an die-er
kris-cheen dee-or
Christian Dior turned fashion on its head in 1947, creating a style dubbed by the media as the New Look. His name is French, and is correctly pronounced as kris-cheen dee-or.
christ-tee-an die-or
chris-tine die-air
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Chevrolet
Think you can pronounce this brand name?
shev-row-let
shev-ro-lay
It's a great American car company, but Chevy's name comes from Switzerland. Swiss race car driver and engineer Louis Chevrolet founded his car company in Detroit, paving the way for what would later be known as Motor City. His name, and the company, is pronounced shev-ro-lay.
shev-ree-LET
sheeve-row-LET
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Renault
Do you know the proper pronunciation for this brand?
ren-oh
Louis Renault founded car company Renault with his two brothers, Marcel and Fernand, in 1899. By 1908, they were producing several thousand cars a year and had become the biggest car maker in France. The name of this French auto brand is pronounced ren-oh.
REE-not
Rena-olt
re-ought
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Versace/Markus Bernet via Wiki Commons
Think you know how to pronounce the brand you see here?
rhymes with lace
ver-saa-chi
Italian Giovanni Versace founded his fashion line in 1978. He became famous for the chain mail "fabric" he called Oroton, as well as for his line of home decor. The brand's pronunciation is determined by its Italian heritage -- ver-saa-chi.
ver-SACE
vera-sach
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Adobe
How should you pronounce this brand name?
A-dobe
ad-oo-buh
ah-doh-bee
When a pair of former Xerox employees founded Adobe in 1982, they named the company after the Adobe Creek that ran behind one of their California homes. The software and tech company is pronounced ah-doh-bee.
a-doh-bay
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Asus/Solomon203 via Wiki Commons
Can you speak the name of this brand correctly?
AS-us
uh-sus
ai-ses
A-seuss
ASUS was founded in Taiwan in 1989 by former Acer employees. The South Korean computer giant is pronounced A-seuss.
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Samsung/KÄrlis DambrÄns via Wiki Commons
Think you can pronounce this brand name?
same-sung
sam-song
Samsung was founded in Seoul, South Korea, in 1930. The electronics company takes its name from a local city -- Samsung Town -- and the correct pronunciation is sam-song.
am-sung
aim-song
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Fage/Yoshi Canopus via Wiki Commons
Can you pronounce the brand you see here?
fa-hey
Fage yogurt is made by a company that has served as a dairy in Athens since the 1920s. The name Fage means "eat" in Greek, and it's pronounced fa-hey. It's also an abbreviation for the company's original name, which translates in English to Filippou Brothers Dairy Company.
rhymes with page
age
fay-gay
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Saucony/Whoisjohngalt via Wiki Commons
Can you say this brand name correctly?
so-co-nee
so-CONE-ee
sock-uh-nee
Athletic shoemaker Saucony was founded near Kutztown, Pennsylvania, in 1898. Its name comes from the local Saucony Creek that runs next to the factory, and the proper pronunciation is sock-uh-nee.
sack-own-nay
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Balenciaga
Which of these pronunciations is correct?
bell-end-chi-age
ball-end-chi-aga
ball-in-see-age-uh
bah-len-see-ah-gah
Cristobel Balenciaga started his luxury goods line in his native Spain in 1919. Though the company moved to Paris in 1937, the name is still based on the original Spanish, and is pronounced bah-len-see-ah-gah.
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Miu Miu/Shinghkagmwangois via Wiki Commons
Think you know the right way to say this brand name?
me-oo me-oo
mew-mew
Fashion line Miu Miu was founded by Miuccia Prada in 1993 in Milan. The name comes from Prada's childhood nickname, and it's pronounced mew-mew.
my-you my-you
mee-uh mee-uh
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Huawei/Julien Min GONG via Wiki Commons
What is the correct way to say the name of this brand?
wah-way
Huawei is a Chinese firm that happens to be one of the largest telecom companies on the planet. Founded in 1987 to make simple phone switches, Huawei is Mandarin, and the proper English pronunciation is wah-way.
HA-why
who-ah-way
you-a-way
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Benetton/Wiki Commons
Can you say this brand name the correct way?
bennett-town
bene-tawn
Luciano Benetton started his clothing line in Italy in 1965 with a small collection of sweaters. The now-famous fashion brand is pronounced bene-tawn.
be-NET-ton
bennay-TON
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Hyundai
Think you can pronounce this brand name?
hun-die
hi-yun-die
hi-un-day
hun-day
Hyundai was founded in Seoul as a construction and engineering company in the '40s, then added a car manufacturing branch in the '60s. The South Korean automaker is one of the largest in the world, and the correct pronunciation of this brand is hun-day.
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Comme des Garcons/Meg Fuji via Wiki Commons
What's the right way to pronounce this brand name?
com-mess days gar-cones
comb day gar sawn
Comme des Garcons is French for "like boys" or "of the boys." Founded in Tokyo, Japan, in 1969, this fashion line's brand name is all-French, and the proper pronunciation is comb day gar sawn.
comes duh gar-connays
om day gar-cones
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Ikea
Can you pronounce this brand name without getting tongue-tied?
eye-key-uh
ee-kay-uh
Furniture giant Ikea was founded in Sweden in 1943. It's name comes from its founder, Ingvar Kamprad, his childhood home, Elmtaryd, and the city he grew up in, Agunnaryd. Despite what you may have heard, the correct way to say this Swedish brand name is ee-kay-uh.
eye-key-yay
eye-kay
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Bayer
What's the proper way to pronounce this brand?
buy-er
German pharmaceutical company Bayer famously patented a drug called heroin back in the late 1800s, then bought agricultural engineering firm Monsanto in 2016. The pronunciation of this brand comes from the German language -- it's buy-er.
bear
bay-er
boy-er
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Nutella
What's the right way to say this brand name?
nut-el-uh
new-tell-uh
Just because it starts with "nut," doesn't mean it's pronounced the way you might expect. The name of this sugary hazelnut spread is actually new-tell-uh, and comes from the Italian language.
nut-tool-a
NUT-teal-a
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Moschino/Hoskoamingwia via Wiki Commons
Do you know the correct way to pronounce the brand you see in this image?
mo-chin-o
mosk-in-o
mo-skin
moss-key-no
Franco Moschino started a fine leather goods line in Italy in 1983. Today, Moschino -- pronounced moss-key-no -- is a high-end brand known for purses and other luxury accessories.
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Jean Paul Gaultier/Kunsthalle-muc via Wiki Commons
Can you speak the name of this brand correctly?
john paul gall-tier
joan pol galt-er
zhon paul go-tee-ay
John Paul Gaultier of France started his own line of haute couture and pret a porter that caught the attention of fashionistas around the world. He later became a creative director as Hermes. Today, his line -- pronounced zhon paul go-tee-ay -- is well-known in the fashion industry.
john paul al-tier
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Bvlgari/Hemchapau via Wiki Commons
What's the correct pronunciation of this brand name?
VUL-gar-ee
bull-guh-ree
Greek jeweler Sotirios Boulgaris opened a store in Rome in 1884. Stylized with the Latin spelling, Bvlgari, the company name is pronounced bull-guh-ree
Blag-air-ee
Bo-vol-gar-ee
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Zagat
Can you pronounce this brand name?
zoo-gat
za-gay
ZAG-at
za-GAT
Tim and Nina Zagat started their restaurant rating system in NYC in 1979. The brand rhymes with "the cat," with all the emphasis on the second syllable.
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You Got:
/40
Porsche/Nike/Samsung/KÄrlis DambrÄns via Wiki Commons/Ikea