My boyfriend who is born in the US can't say this poem but I can!

It's plague (with a long A and a hard G) vs plaque (with a short a and a Q sounding as K), FYI

Congrats?

I’m curious in what context you learned the word Terpsichore, I’m a 30 year old native speaker and have never seen that word spoken or written (is it a proper noun? Kind of odd to use proper nouns to test pronunciation)

So, you memorized a poem. And he almost certainly makes far fewer grammar errors in English than you do. Thank you for sharing?

Is it me, or isn't there a verb plaque? I can't find it in Oxford dictionary, nor in Merriam Webster. What does the verb plaque mean?

Didn't your boyfriend know (the meaning of) these words, or didn't he know how to pronounce them?

nice! not sure why the comments are so defensive. you’re not saying your boyfriend’s stupid for mispronouncing things or you’re better than native english speakers. this is a lighthearted post - it’s not that deep. it’s an accomplishment being able to pronounce words in a second language, and you should be proud of that!

Why not post the whole poem? [https://www.thepoke.com/2011/12/23/pronounce-correctly-every-word-speak-better-native-english-speakes/](https://www.thepoke.com/2011/12/23/pronounce-correctly-every-word-speak-better-native-english-speakes/)

> He is white Why is that relevant? Since when does the colour of your skin affect your ability to speak?

I thought I (white, US born, male) was going to ace it... until: Terpsichore I have no idea what that word is or how to pronounce it. From the rhyme, I'm sure I can figure out the ending, but even the beginning eludes me.

Many native speakers aren’t fluent in their one and only language.

Okay smartypants, your title should read, "My boyfriend who **was** born in the US can't say this poem**,** but I can." Also, it should be, "Now he is mad I made **him** say the poem." :)

Because it must rhyme with "trickery", I'm a little assuming the confusion must be the <ch> in "Terpsichore". As for the others, some people know words but just don't encounter them enough in writing because they aren't interacting with those topics enough. If you've never actually seen the word <plaque>, then it would be natural to expect <plack> or something. I am a little surprised by trouble with <tear>, though.