# Di-vis-ive, or di-vice-ive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426 "2008-11-12T21:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/1 "2008-11-12T21:48:36Z")
All my life I’ve heard ‘divisive’ pronounced ‘di-vice-ive’ (də-ˈvī-siv). I looked at [Miriam Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divisive) online and that’s the first pronunciation. But every time I’ve heard it recently (on NPR and CNN) it’s pronounced ‘di-vis-ive’. Is the latter pronunciation the new standard? It kind of grates. ---
**Author:** ![Carnacki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Carnacki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnacki)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/2 "2008-11-12T22:57:26Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > All my life I’ve heard ‘divisive’ pronounced ‘di-vice-ive’ (də-ˈvī-siv). I looked at [Miriam Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divisive) online and that’s the first pronunciation. But every time I’ve heard it recently (on NPR and CNN) it’s pronounced ‘di-vis-ive’. > > Is the latter pronunciation the new standard? It kind of grates. I get into arguments with people all the time about the proper pronunciation of that word. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/3 "2008-11-12T23:07:48Z")
It’s a divisive argument. (I pronounce it the latter.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/4 "2008-11-12T23:30:07Z")
I know it drives certain types up the wall, but in American English, sometimes you just have to accept that sometimes a couple ways are _both equally right_. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/5 "2008-11-13T00:59:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Is the latter pronunciation the new standard? It kind of grates. Can I as a tangentially related question? **How** do these “new standards” amongst media folk arise? It seems that almost at once they all begin to (mis)pronounce words like Iraq and Junta the same way, after saying them like everyone else for a long time… ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/6 "2008-11-13T02:19:50Z")
an earlier thread about this: > **[When did people start pronouncing it as 'di-VISS-ive'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=460938)** > > Seriously, it’s getting on my nerves. I’ve never heard this pronunciation of “divisive” before this election season. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/7 "2008-11-13T03:50:11Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > like Iraq and Junta It’s e-rock. So what is it nowadays? ‘hoonta’, or ‘junta’? I hear it both ways. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/8 "2008-11-13T04:52:21Z")
Someone once said to me, “It’s di-VICE-ive, not di-VISS-ive. You di-VIDE things. You don’t di-VIDD them.” Which made sense to me until I just now thought of “deride” and “derisive.” ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/9 "2008-11-13T12:49:54Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > Someone once said to me, “It’s di-VICE-ive, not di-VISS-ive. You di-VIDE things. You don’t di-VIDD them.” > > Which made sense to me until I just now thought of “deride” and “derisive.” What? I pronounce the middle vowel in “deride” and “derisive” exactly the same (rhymes with “I”). But then I did pronounce “misled” as “myz-eld” until someone pointed it out to me :). ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/10 "2008-11-13T13:20:31Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > What? I pronounce the middle vowel in “deride” and “derisive” exactly the same (rhymes with “I”). Hmmm. Guess I’ve been pronouncing it wrong all these years. The short “i” sound is listed as the 3rd pronunciation in my Websters. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/di-vis-ive-or-di-vice-ive/472426/11 "2008-11-13T17:36:46Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > Hmmm. Guess I’ve been pronouncing it wrong all these years. The short “i” sound is listed as the 3rd pronunciation in my Websters. Which means you have been right, just in a minority. Again, dudes just have to get used to the fact that sometimes there is no one true way.