If You Don’t Pronounce “Coke” Properly, It Could Mean “Penis”

One of my Korean students went to the United States for a business trip and she went to a bar after work.

She went up to the bar counter. She doesn’t drink alcohol, so she wanted to get a soft drink.

She said, “Coke, please.”

The bartender was shocked to hear what she just said. “Excuse me?”

She said again, “I want coke!”

The bartender shook his head totally confused.

When she said “coke,” it sounded like “cock.”

“Cock” is a slang term for penis.

This happened because my student didn’t distinguish the long vowel from a short vowel.

Pronunciation: Coke vs Cock

“Coke” has a long vowel.

These words have the same long vowel: Coke, poke, woke, yoke, and soak.

“Cock” has a short vowel.

These words have the same short vowel: cock, dock, mock, lock, and knock.

Next time you want to order coke, make sure to pronounce “coke” properly. If they don’t understand you after 2 or 3 tries, say it in a different way. Try “coca-cola,” “pepsi,” or “the carbonated sugar water with the artificial black color.”

If you’re not careful, you’re going to sound like this poor Korean teacher on youtube…

Pronunciation: Important vs Impotent

Try reading these two sentences out loud.

My friends are very important to me.

My friends are very impotent to me.

I know many Korean students who do not pronounce the word “important” properly. The vowel on the second syllable needs to be long and emphasized. It’s “impórtant.”

I heard some Korean students pronouncing it as “ímpotent.” If you put the emphasis on the first syllable and make the second syllable too short, it becomes another word.

“Impotent” has two meanings. It means (1) powerless, or (2) a man can’t achieve an erection (his penis can’t get hard).

I hope your friends are very important to you.

To avoid embarrassment and misunderstanding, it’s important that you improve your English pronunciation.