'mispronunciation' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the word 'pronunciation' from Latin 'pronuntiatio', where 'pro-' meant 'forth' and 'nuntiatio' meant 'announcement'.

'pronuntiatio' transformed into the Old French word 'prononciation', and eventually became the modern English word 'pronunciation'. The prefix 'mis-' was added to indicate incorrectness.

Initially, it meant 'the act of announcing', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'the act of pronouncing words'.