Question

what should you not do if you don't know to prounance a word?


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Answer 1

Online dictionaries. But you should choose an online dictionary according to which type of English pronunciation you’re aiming for.

For American English pronunciation I recommend Merriam-Webster’s companion site for English learners: Learner’s Dictionary. Look at the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) pronunciation guide(s) provided, which is usually limited to the most common pronunciation. Most entries have a link you can click to hear the pronunciation.

For British English pronunciation, I like howjsay.com, which provides audio recordings of all the most common words in a London accent. It doesn’t give you the IPA, though. For that you might like the Oxford Dictionary. [The IPA is currently provided at the very bottom of each entry.]

Many English dictionaries will provide both American and British pronunciations, but they will list their primary/default dialect first, and mark the other one with something like “Amer.” or “Brit.”. Be sure to pay attention to this.

Answer 2

$\huge\tt{{\color{blue}{AnS}}{\blue{wEr}}}$

Synonyms are: baffled, perplexed, at a loss, floored (informal), at sea, stymied, nonplussed, flummoxed. Nonplussed: A state of perplexity, confusion, or bewilderment.