# Do the surnames Farrell and Ferrell sound the same to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691 "2011-06-08T00:46:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/1 "2011-06-08T00:46:41Z")
I notice Colin Farrell and Will Ferrell’s surnames mixed up on here and elsewhere online all the time. They sound different to me, are these names typically pronounced the same way where you live? Poll to come. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/2 "2011-06-08T00:49:57Z")
No, they’re not pronounced the same way here. Farrell begins like farrow and Ferrell begins like ferret. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/3 "2011-06-08T01:02:10Z")
I’m Scottish and no, they wouldn’t be pronounced the same in this part of the world. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/4 "2011-06-08T01:02:57Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > No, they’re not pronounced the same way here. Farrell begins like farrow and Ferrell begins like ferret. Yes, they’re pronounced the same way here. Farrell begins like [farrow](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/farrow)and Ferrell begins like [ferret](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ferret). 😉 ETA: No wait…upon second listening, that’s wrong. They both sound like ferret. But so does farrow, not like that sound file. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/5 "2011-06-08T01:03:24Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > No, they’re not pronounced the same way here. Farrell begins like farrow and Ferrell begins like ferret. Those four words all have the same starting sound to my ear. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/6 "2011-06-08T01:05:00Z")
No, and it drives me bonkers when people write “Will Farrell.” Bonkers, I say! Joe ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/7 "2011-06-08T01:14:01Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Those four words all have the same starting sound to my ear. Do far and ferry as well? If not, which do both names sound like? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/8 "2011-06-08T01:14:04Z")
No, but I have noticed that people often both spell and pronounce them wrong (Will Farel, Collin Ferrel), so I think they just honestly don’t know the full names of these actors. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/9 "2011-06-08T01:18:23Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Do far and ferry as well? If not, which do both names sound like? No; the latter. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/10 "2011-06-08T01:22:02Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > No, and it drives me bonkers when people write “Will Farrell.” Bonkers, I say! > > Joe Maybe you should have a couple of shots of Mrs. Butterworth’s to calm yourself down…😉 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/11 "2011-06-08T01:22:16Z")
Well shit, I voted before reading the OP. Will Ferrell and Colin Farrell’s last names are homonyms. I for some reason was thinking that you were talking about Pharrell Williams whose first name sounds different with the accent on the second syllable. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/12 "2011-06-08T01:23:42Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > No; the latter. Huh, I would have guessed the opposite 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/13 "2011-06-08T01:27:53Z")
This sounds like the Aaron/Erin debate I’ve had with my sister, and which, IIRC, has come up here too. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/14 "2011-06-08T01:30:46Z")
They sound different to me. Colin Farrell’s name rhymes with barrel. The first syllable of Will Ferrell’s name sounds like the first syllable in ferret. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/15 "2011-06-08T01:32:17Z")
It is like Mary/merry/marry and Harry/hairy. Most Americans pronounce them alike, most British peeps don’t. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/16 "2011-06-08T01:41:59Z")
This pronounciation issue has been discussed many times on the board. I particularly like the example of the drinking song below, which rhymes perfectly in my Northern California accent. _Oh, they had to carry Harry to the ferry Oh, they had to carry Harry to the shore Oh, they had to carry Harry to the ferry 'Cause Harry couldn’t carry any more_ ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/17 "2011-06-08T01:42:22Z")
In most of Canada the Mary/merry/marry merger is in effect, so yeah. They sound the same. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/18 "2011-06-08T02:04:43Z")
No they don’t sound the same here. (New York) ---
**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:** [June 8, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/19 "2011-06-08T02:14:15Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > It is like Mary/merry/marry and Harry/hairy. Most Americans pronounce them alike, most British peeps don’t. [“Mary was merry as she married Terry, but then Scary Larry got carried away and chased Barry’s hairy dairy cattle through the ceremony”.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=445112) 😃 And [the sequel](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=467688). ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691/20 "2011-06-08T03:35:52Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Maybe you should have a couple of shots of Mrs. Butterworth’s to calm yourself down…😉 You been talkin’ to my wife? Joe [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-surnames-farrell-and-ferrell-sound-the-same-to-you/584691.md?page=2)