Why does “colonel” sound nothing like it’s spelled?
“Colonel” is pronounced “kernel” (kur-nel), despite having an “l” and no “r.”
📜 History: The word comes from Italian “colonnello,” which meant “commander of a column.” It was later borrowed into French as “coronel.” When English adopted it, the French spelling remained, but the Italian pronunciation stuck!
🤔 Trivia: “Colonel” is one of the top 10 most commonly mispronounced words in English!
