Heiau is often mispronounced by people who put in a glottal stop that doesn't belong there. A heiau is a pre-Christian place of worship, commonly referred to in English as a Hawaiian temple, or shrine.
Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 21st
![A heiau is a pre-Christian place of worship, commonly referred to in English as a Hawaiian temple, or shrine.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/99c18b0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/901x751+0+0/resize/880x733!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcf%2F03%2F49bd12d047e1b9745db790b3c895%2Fnovember-21.png)
Heiau is often mispronounced by people who put in a glottal stop that doesn't belong there. A heiau is a pre-Christian place of worship, commonly referred to in English as a Hawaiian temple, or shrine.