# Dialect poll: How do you pronounce the simple past tense of "ring", as a bell? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819 "2012-07-20T05:30:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/21 "2012-07-20T21:07:26Z")
Midwest - I pronounce it with a long a. Rang, rain, pain, mane, bang, all have the same vowel sound. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/22 "2012-07-20T21:08:26Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I say rang to rhyme with bang and hang. It’s a short a closest to ran and can, no rain sound at all. I lived in Maryland for most of my life, in Ohio for the past twelve years. This for me too. “Rang” is basically pronounced like “ran” + g; not “rain” + g. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/23 "2012-07-20T21:10:37Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > Midwest - I pronounce it with a long a. > > Rang, rain, pain, mane, bang, all have the same vowel sound. Agreed. Born, raised and live in No. California. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/24 "2012-07-20T22:20:15Z")
I would say rang and bang might have slightly different vowel sounds than rain and pane; but vastly vastly different from ran and pan. And like **Zyanthia** , I find it physically awkward to take the a sound from ran or pan and then nasalize it. Far weirder than trying to pronounce the ø sound from Danish or whatever-it-is, or the ü sound from German (IPA = y). ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/25 "2012-07-20T22:42:30Z")
OK, I’m confused. I’ve in Southern California for pretty much my entire life, and I have never consciously noted anyone pronounce rang with a long a. Is that what’s being claimed we do? I’ll try to listen more carefully, but I’m extremely dubious. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/26 "2012-07-20T23:15:33Z")
I say it with a long a (sounds like rain), but hearing it with a short a also sounds fine to me. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/27 "2012-07-20T23:21:42Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > OK, I’m confused. I’ve in Southern California for pretty much my entire life, and I have never consciously noted anyone pronounce rang with a long a. Is that what’s being claimed we do? I’ll try to listen more carefully, but I’m extremely dubious. This was my thought, too. I’ve lived in the mountain west, west coast, and midwest, and never heard anyone pronounce rang as raing. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/28 "2012-07-21T00:45:21Z")
This seems like making something out of nothing. WTF, “California English”? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Kasper1014](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c89c15/32.png) [@Kasper1014](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kasper1014)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/29 "2012-07-21T01:09:12Z")
I’ve lived in South Texas all my life. I also pronounce “rang” with a long A like “rain”. I’ve tried saying it with a short A, I can’t even do it. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/30 "2012-07-21T05:24:46Z")
Done ringed. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/31 "2012-07-21T05:42:39Z")
The vowel in rain is a diphthong the way I say it: an “ay” followed by an “ee.” Transcribed as _reɪn_. I can feel my tongue moving up in my mouth in the middle of the sound. The vowel in “rang” is not a diphthong the way I say it: it’s _ræŋ_. My tongue is lower during the vowel and doesn’t move until it needs to get into position for the nasal consonant. I guess it sort of rhymes with “ran” but the nasalization for the “ng” changes the resonance of the word so it doesn’t sound so much alike. Edit: I really think the nasal ŋ is throwing people here on what they consider a long versus a short vowel. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/32 "2012-07-21T05:44:01Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > From the UK: > > “Rang” is pronounced like “ran” or “rag” except with a nasal “ng” sound (ŋ). It’s a short “a”, as in “cat”. Canada too. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/33 "2012-07-21T05:46:10Z")
Native of Cleveland, Ohio. The vowel in rang is the same as in ran. I don’t raise it before -ng. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2012, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/34 "2012-07-21T09:51:36Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > MI here. I pronounce it exactly as the first syllable of “wrangler” or to rhyme with the first syllable of “anger”. This raises another question. Does anyone pronounce “anger” with a long “a,” like “ainger”? I’ve always heard it with a short “a,” “anger.” ---
**Author:** ![kirk1168](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@kirk1168](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk1168)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/35 "2012-07-21T18:07:10Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Native of Cleveland, Ohio. The vowel in rang is the same as in ran. I don’t raise it before -ng. Same here in Pittsburgh, PA. I associate the “rayng” pronunciation with the southern US. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/36 "2012-07-22T02:33:45Z")
Rang rhymes with bang. I can’t really wrap my head around how it’s possible to say it any other way. Can we get a sound clip? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/37 "2012-07-22T02:45:47Z")
WA & a bit of CA the vowel in rang is the same as or very close to the vowel in rain. The vowel in ran in quite different - when I try to say ran with a “ng” at the end, it doesn’t sound like a word. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/38 "2012-07-22T05:47:18Z")
The way I say “rang” doesn’t quite rhyme with either “ran” or “rain”. It seems to me more of a diphthong. It starts out with the “a” as in “ran”, but as I begin to pronounce the “ng”, the back of my tongue comes to the upper palate and the sound approaches an “ee” as in “feed”. Is that what the wikipedia article means by “Front vowels are raised before /ŋ/”? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/39 "2012-07-22T06:03:17Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > Rang rhymes with bang. That gives us no information on the OP question, which is about a vowel shift that occurs only before the sound of -ng. The question is do you pronounce rang with the vowel sound in ran or in rain? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819/40 "2012-07-22T06:12:04Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > The way I say “rang” doesn’t quite rhyme with either “ran” or “rain”. It seems to me more of a diphthong. It starts out with the “a” as in “ran”, but as I begin to pronounce the “ng”, the back of my tongue comes to the upper palate and the sound approaches an “ee” as in “feed”. Is that what the wikipedia article means by “Front vowels are raised before /ŋ/”? Yes. Look at the [vowel chart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPA_vowel_chart_with_audio). The vowels are arranged spatially to correspond to the location where the vowel is produced, high or low, front or back or central. The vowel /æ/ as in ran is placed low on the chart, and it’s literally formed low in the mouth. The diphthong that you described sounds like [eɪ]—as the chart shows, [e] is higher than [æ], and [ɪ] is higher still. The diphthong [eɪ] is one of the standard English vowel sounds, e.g. in rain, pronounced [reɪn]. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-simple-past-tense-of-ring-as-a-bell/628819.md?page=3)