# Broccoli pronunciation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012 "2009-11-18T06:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/1 "2009-11-18T06:56:12Z")
Is there a regional or cultural distinction in the pronunciation of the word “broccoli” similar to the aych/haych pronunciation for the letter ‘H’? I say “broccolee” and so does a friend of mine, but a lot of other people say “broccolai” (especially where I’m living at the moment). It drives me nuts. So is there a history to this split? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/2 "2009-11-18T07:12:06Z")
I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it “broccolai.” Where are you? ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/3 "2009-11-18T07:22:11Z")
In the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, Australia. I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, and so did my friend. I know that’s pretty obscure, but I’m wondering if the “broccolai” pronunciation exists anywhere else in the world (e.g. Ireland, say, or parts of the US). ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/4 "2009-11-18T08:54:47Z")
When I saw that aitch/haitch distinction, I figured you were from Oz and either Catholic or Protestant with Catholic friends. I have a work mate who was schooled at a Catholic school and always pronounces it haitch. Back to the OP. Generally as you pronounce it around here, although I have heard the other, but can’t remember where or when. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/5 "2009-11-18T09:18:06Z")
Yes, while I’m not Catholic (or Protestant, for that matter – I’m Orthodox), most of my friends were Catholics when I was young, and I so was bombarded with the “haitch” pronunciation regularly. Maybe you heard “broccolai” from some Blue Mountains residents visiting NZ… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/6 "2009-11-18T09:43:32Z")
I’ve heard it pronounced broccol-eye but never with an ‘ai’ sound at the end. I’m a broccolee (but not a long ee sound) person, myself, ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/7 "2009-11-18T09:46:18Z")
Just to clarify, by “broccolai” I mean “broccol-eye”. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/8 "2009-11-18T10:13:44Z")
Never heard that, but I hear brock-lee (2 syllables) very commonly. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/9 "2009-11-18T10:30:35Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Never heard that, but I hear brock-lee (2 syllables) very commonly. Yeah, that’s the one I thought he was going to be talking about. Hearing it pronounced brock-co-lee is like hearing chocolate pronounced chock-co-late (long a). ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/10 "2009-11-18T12:28:28Z")
> [@Kiwi\_Fruit](#): > > When I saw that aitch/haitch distinction, I figured you were from Oz and either Catholic or Protestant with Catholic friends. Haitch is fairly common in the UK, albeit it is perceived as an incorrect pronunciation. I have never heard “broccol-eye” in either UK or US. ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/11 "2009-11-18T12:45:34Z")
I’d say it’s a regional Australian thing. I’m just back from visiting friends on the Gold Coast (southern Queensland) and they pronounced in Brocol-eye. It didn’t strike me as particularly odd (although I obviously noted it), after all they call courgette’s ‘zucchini’ and aubergines ‘egg-plant’. Bloody strange, you colonials… OB ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/12 "2009-11-18T13:56:21Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > after all they call courgette’s ‘zucchini’ … Pronounced “zoosh-‘n’-eye”, of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/13 "2009-11-18T13:56:25Z")
'Merkin checking in. Broccoll-eye is not something I’ve ever heard in any part of the US. The predominiant pronunciation here seems to be BROCK-lee or maybe BROCK-uh-lee where the middle uh sound is so minimal it’s almost a schwa. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/14 "2009-11-18T14:18:36Z")
When my husband and I make dinner together we sometimes find ourselves choppin’ broccoleye because [this bit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO57XRDDodk) cracked us both up. We like broccolay, too. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/15 "2009-11-19T14:50:27Z")
Most people around here call it “broc-cull-ee” although it’s not foreign to hear it referred to as “broc-coll-ee” ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/16 "2009-11-19T14:56:10Z")
Metro NYC checking in: This thread is the first I’ve ever heard of either brockolai or haitch. From the thread title, I thought the question was going to be about the “cc”. Like someone thought it was “brotcholee” or something. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/17 "2009-11-19T14:59:42Z")
All I’ve ever heard, all my life, was either “BROCK-lee” or “BROCK-uh-lee” (which is how I say it). Of course, since I’ve moved to WV, I _have_ heard it pronounced as “Yew know, that ‘ere green vegeble what looks like trees; but I don’ wan’ it 'less it’s real well-cooked”. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/18 "2009-11-19T18:16:52Z")
It has to be some weird Australian quirk and yet… it’s not universal, even down here. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/19 "2009-11-19T22:41:52Z")
Definitely ‘Brock-lee’ on Long Island (NY) - going to a chinese takeout for ‘Beef & Broc-ca-lie’ just doesn’t work… (and the & is pronounced ‘en’: Beef n Brock-lee…or Chicken n Brock-lee; alas the menu numbers aren’t standardized to just say ‘L9’ at any chinese takeout and have it mean, say, Chicken n Cashews, unlike say Taco Bell or Wendy’s.) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012/20 "2009-11-19T23:02:25Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Definitely ‘Brock-lee’ on Long Island (NY) - going to a chinese takeout for ‘Beef & Broc-ca-lie’ just doesn’t work.. (and the & is pronounced ‘en’: Beef n Brock-lee…or Chicken n Brock-lee; alas the menu numbers aren’t standardized to just say ‘L9’ at any chinese takeout and have it mean, say, Chicken n Cashews, unlike say Taco Bell or Wendy’s.) I’m from Long Island and I’ve always heard it as Brock-uh-lee, with the “uh” sound being very quick. Definitely more than just “brock-lee” though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broccoli-pronunciation/518012.md?page=2)