Presumably to preserve its heritage, IKEA uses traditional Swedish names for all of its products, even in its hundreds and hundreds of stores outside of the country. So those of us who grew up with English as our mother tongue are left scratching our heads as we wander through an IKEA showroom, afraid to take a stab at pronouncing a particular product lest we sound like fools. But not any longer.
IKEA Pa Svenka, or IKEA In Swedish, randomly loads a small collection of pieces from IKEA’s catalogue, letting you click on any product to hear how to properly pronounce its name. For example, did you know Expedit, IKEA’s popular shelving system, actually has a soft ‘i’ at the end? Turns out I’ve been pronouncing it wrong all these years, and I’m now too embarrassed to ever show my face in an IKEA ever again. Oh well, at least they deliver. [Ikea In Swedish via Taxi]