# A Pronunciation Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846 "2004-02-06T15:25:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cosmopolitan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cosmopolitan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cosmopolitan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/21 "2004-02-06T17:54:22Z")
American - Long Island, NY kill-AH-meh-ter ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/22 "2004-02-06T17:56:21Z")
> [@gum](#): > > Where do you guys get the “A” sound in kil **O** meter? [kee-LAH-meeter] I’m curious. 🙂 Same place we get the “ah” sound in the words cot, tot, rottweiler - the short “O” and “ah” sounds are virtually interchangeable in English as most Americans speak it. As for me it’s “kil AH meh ter” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/23 "2004-02-06T19:30:31Z")
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. My entire life it’s been pronounced kil - AH - meh - ter. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/24 "2004-02-06T19:38:36Z")
Currently live in West Texas, but have lived in North Carolina, Indiana, Germany, Northern California, and Italy. kill-AH-mih-ter ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/25 "2004-02-06T20:35:51Z")
ki - LAH - me - ter Philly – but I have a generic East Coast accent. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/26 "2004-02-06T20:41:30Z")
Nashville, TN, USA all my life Kilometer: kil-OHM-muh-ter Kiloliter: KIL-o-lee-ter (but kil-LOL-ee-ter sounds funny) Caligraphy: cal-IH-gra-fee Kahlua: kah-LOO-ah Kill-o-bot: Kill-o-bot ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/27 "2004-02-06T21:30:11Z")
Currently Atlanta, GA, but born and raised in Yorkshire, England. Ki-Lom-ih-tuh. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/28 "2004-02-06T21:31:34Z")
Canadian (of British heritage, if that makes any diff); British Columbia; kill-OHM-muh-ter. It bugs the hell out of me when people (mostly the radio and TV types) say “kilo-meeter,” which seems more and more to be the standard pronounciation on air here. I know you say “meteer” for ‘metre,’ singular, but something deep within me just wants kilometre and thermometer to rhyme. So there. ---
**Author:** ![Sionach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Sionach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sionach)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/29 "2004-02-06T22:42:57Z")
Raised in SoCal (LA area) & pronounce the word as kill-AH-mih-ter, although I pronounced it kill-oh-meter in gradeschool until someone corrected me. So, do tell - what is your hypothesis, Polycarp?? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/30 "2004-02-06T23:12:27Z")
Virginia Beach, VA Kill-OM-eeter ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/31 "2004-02-06T23:18:34Z")
Virginia Beach, VA Kill-OM-eter ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/32 "2004-02-07T00:25:42Z")
born and raised in detroit, mi. pronounce it Kill-ohm-idder. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/33 "2004-02-07T00:26:56Z")
Lexington, Ky Ki-Lom-ih-ter It may be worth noting that people from around here frequently don’t believe I am due to the way I speak. Same for the rest of my family. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/34 "2004-02-07T00:28:18Z")
Douglas, Isle of Man, UK Used to pronounce Kilo MEE ter. But have heard Kil OM iter so often I have switched. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/35 "2004-02-07T00:29:47Z")
> [@gum](#): > > Where do you guys get the “A” sound in kil **O** meter? [kee-LAH-meeter] I’m curious. 🙂 in american english, there’s not a big difference between a short a and a short o when used medially in some situations. an “ahm” sound and an “ohm” sound are nearly identical in a lot of dialects. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/36 "2004-02-07T06:34:07Z")
Lived in Ohio from birth to 30, in California for 5 years now. kill-AHM-eter ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/37 "2004-02-07T06:38:27Z")
Dallas, TX - born and raised. Kill-ahh-mah-ter. (said with a really cute Texas twang) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/38 "2004-02-07T06:45:11Z")
Raised in Ohio, spent my 20s in Pennsylvania, slogging through my 30s in Washington state. **Kil-AH-me-der**. (Is it possible to make a schwa in these reply boxes?) ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/39 "2004-02-07T06:50:05Z")
Raised all over the South; father from Oregon, mother from Florida. I say it _'bout-haff-a-MAHL_. Just kidding. “ki-LAH-muh-ter.” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846/40 "2004-02-07T07:56:14Z")
“KILL-oh-MEET-ur”. Same stress pattern as “HEC-toh-LEET-ur” (hectolitre), “SEK-reh-TAIR-ee” (secretary), etc. I distinctly remember being told that “kil-AH-mih-tur” was incorrect. Born, raised, and lived all my life in Southern Ontario, Canada, within three driving hours of Toronto. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pronunciation-poll/227846.md?page=3)