Hi, I’m Katya – ICLS Marketing & Communications Manager and a native Russian speaker. My own journey of career development is deeply intertwined with mastering another language (in my case – English). But long before English became a professional tool for me, it was something much simpler – songs, movies, and sounds I didn’t fully understand yet desperately wanted to join in on.
Recently, after attending the Masquerade, an immersive interpretation of the Broadway classic The Phantom of the Opera (for the second time – and loving it even more), I remembered a funny moment from my childhood.
So “Think of me” turned into something like "инкофми" or “inkofme” if we are to use Latin letters😀
Other lines became completely imaginary phrases that made sense only to me – some of them even sounded like Russian words. At the time, this didn’t feel wrong. I wasn’t trying to translate anything or understand the lyrics. I just wanted to be part of the song. And if you’ve ever done something similar – singing along to a foreign song using made-up words, guessing sounds, or confidently repeating lyrics that later turned out to be completely wrong – you’re not alone. And no, this doesn’t mean you’re bad at languages. This Actually Has a Name.
What I didn’t know back then is that this phenomenon has a name. It’s called mondegreen.
A mondegreen happens when we mishear words (most often in songs) and replace them with sounds that feel familiar to us. Our brain fills in the gaps using patterns from the language we already know. This happens especially often when we listen to music in a language we don’t fully understand – but it can happen in any language you’re learning.
Our brain doesn’t like silence or confusion. When it doesn’t recognize a word, it doesn’t stop – it guesses. It looks for familiar sounds, recognizable rhythm, or anything that helps it make sense of what it’s hearing. In other words, your brain would rather let you sing something than stay quiet. This isn’t a flaw. It’s actually your brain doing its best with the information it has.
Mondegreens aren’t a sign of poor listening skills. They’re often the very first step into a new language. When you sing along to a song you don’t fully understand, you train your ear to new sounds, get used to intonation and rhythm and lower the fear of “sounding wrong”. In other words, you’re already doing a lot. This is why not only children, but also confident language learners tend to progress faster. They don’t wait until they’re perfect. They participate first. From this perspective, misheard lyrics aren’t mistakes. They’re proof that learning has already started.
At some point, though, most learners want more than just the melody. They want to understand what they’re saying. They want to follow real conversations. They want to express their thoughts without guessing. That shift – from hearing sounds to understanding meaning – doesn’t come from memorizing vocabulary lists alone. It comes from exposure, listening, and practice in a space where it’s okay not to get everything right immediately. That’s exactly why conversation-focused learning matters.
In our language classes learners practice listening and speaking in a supportive environment – where misheard words, pauses, and imperfect sentences are all part of the process. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s confidence, clarity, and connection.
Because every fluent speaker once had their own version of “inkofme.”
English songs can sound like nonsense because our brain tries to interpret unfamiliar sounds using patterns from a language we already know. When we don’t fully understand the language, we rely on rhythm, stress, and familiar sounds instead of actual words. This often leads to misheard lyrics – a completely normal process when learning a new language.
A mondegreen is a phenomenon where a person mishears words – most commonly in song lyrics – and replaces them with sounds that feel familiar or meaningful. Mondegreen happens because the brain is constantly trying to make sense of what it hears, even when it doesn’t recognize the language.
Not at all. Singing English songs without understanding the lyrics can actually be helpful. It trains your ear, helps you get used to pronunciation and rhythm, and lowers the fear of sounding wrong. For many learners, this is one of the first natural steps toward understanding spoken English.
No. Mondegreens can happen in any language you’re learning. Whenever you listen to speech or music in a language you don’t fully understand, your brain may substitute unfamiliar sounds with familiar ones from your native language.
The transition happens through regular exposure and practice. Listening to real speech, practicing conversation, and hearing words used in context help your brain stop guessing and start recognizing meaning. Supportive environments where mistakes are allowed make this process much faster and less stressful.
Yes. Conversation-based classes help learners connect sounds to meaning in real time. By listening to different speakers, asking questions, and practicing in a low-pressure setting, learners gradually move from hearing “noise” to understanding actual words and ideas.