# Do you say "car mel" or do you say "car amel"?- **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640 "2010-12-18T19:02:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/1 "2010-12-18T19:02:14Z")
Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/2 "2010-12-18T19:25:08Z")
Car-mel. Care-a-mel sounds silly to me, trying to pronounce by the spelling rather than the standard pronunciation. Like saying “intestines” with a long “i” in the last syllable. I really need to tell Mario Batelli this. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/3 "2010-12-18T19:30:15Z")
Both. Carmel popcorn or apple, but an individual candy is a caramel. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/4 "2010-12-18T19:34:39Z")
The only place I’ve ever heard car-a-mel is on TV commercials, or when someone is making fun of those commercials. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/5 "2010-12-18T19:55:03Z")
“care-a-mel”, which is the standard pronunciation where I’m from. FWIW, a long “i” in intestines is pretty common here too - I’m actually not even sure which version I use! ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/6 "2010-12-18T20:10:28Z")
When referring to actual caramel I pronounce it caramel. When referring to a caramel-something I pronounce it carmel. “I love caramel!” “I love carmel apples!” ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/7 "2010-12-18T20:23:35Z")
care a mel. Carmel is a town in California. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/8 "2010-12-18T21:19:27Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Both. Carmel popcorn or apple, but an individual candy is a caramel. > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > When referring to actual caramel I pronounce it caramel. When referring to a caramel-something I pronounce it carmel. > > “I love caramel!” > “I love carmel apples!” :smack: Just like the “tur-bin”/“tur-bine” pronunciation thread, this made me not only examine how I speak, but made me realize that I indeed pronounce caramel both ways, depending on whether it’s an adjective or a noun. “Caramel apples” = “car-mull apples” “Apples with caramel” = “apples with care-a-mull” Without the posts quoted above to spur me to test myself, I honestly think I’d have answered “I always say care-a-mull.” ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/9 "2010-12-18T21:23:41Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Carmel is a town in California. Just to make it worse… Carmel is a town in Indiana; CarMEL is a town in California. (At least according to Indiana pronunciation-- I’d love a confirmation from CA residents that the accent is on the Mel.) A lot of central Indiana Hoosiers call the California town by its full name, complete with emphasis on the last syllable of Carmel-- Carmel-by-the-Sea-- to differentiate it from the local town. ---
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/10 "2010-12-18T21:24:37Z")
Car-a-mel. It has that second a for a reason. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/11 "2010-12-18T21:33:34Z")
And what reason would that be? ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/12 "2010-12-18T22:03:33Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > And what reason would that be? Quotas ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/13 "2010-12-18T22:07:15Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Just to make it worse… Carmel is a town in Indiana; CarMEL is a town in California. (At least according to Indiana pronunciation-- I’d love a confirmation from CA residents that the accent is on the Mel.) A lot of central Indiana Hoosiers call the California town by its full name, complete with emphasis on the last syllable of Carmel-- Carmel-by-the-Sea-- to differentiate it from the local town. As a resident of the town in Indiana in question… it is pronounced more like CAR-mul here. car-MEL is in California. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/14 "2010-12-18T22:28:18Z")
car-A-mel. Car-mel sounds retrded. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/15 "2010-12-18T22:35:33Z")
I grew up on the Carmel - the original one. I eat caramel. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/16 "2010-12-18T22:51:10Z")
> [@Angel\_of\_Doubt](#): > > car-A-mel. Car-mel sounds retrded. I agree. It’s the only word in the english language where people consistently don’t pronounce one of the letters in the word and that is dumb. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/17 "2010-12-18T23:20:00Z")
Yeah, like knight, thought, eight, soften, and dumb? ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/18 "2010-12-18T23:22:56Z")
Cara-m’l (cara-mul?). Never car-mel. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/19 "2010-12-18T23:24:15Z")
> [@Inner Stickler](#): > > I agree. It’s the only word in the english language where people consistently don’t pronounce one of the letters in the word and that is dumb. > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Yeah, like knight, thought, eight, and so forth Also like, say… dumb? And woosh? Dammit! You edited dumb in while I was posting - now I look dumb! ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640/20 "2010-12-18T23:27:14Z")
If it’s a piece of candy, it’s car-mel. If it’s a topping on ice cream, it’s care-amel. Basically, if it’s in a liquid state, it’s care-amel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-say-car-mel-or-do-you-say-car-amel/564640.md?page=2)