# Does anyone else pronounce "won" this way? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175 "2007-07-01T23:57:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/21 "2007-07-02T14:52:56Z")
The only time I pronounce **won** to rhyme with **lawn** is when I am ordering in a Chinese restaurant (won ton soup). ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/22 "2007-07-02T15:09:56Z")
Over here, won = one (both pronounced ‘wun’). Juan is a Spanish name, so we say something like ‘hwan’. Lawn is pronounced ‘lorn’ (as in torn or horn). Wan sounds like ‘gone’. But what can you say about English?! COnsider ‘bow’ + arrow versus ‘bow’ down! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/23 "2007-07-02T16:31:55Z")
Perhaps New Englanders, being primarily Red Sox fans, don’t have enough practice using the word? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/24 "2007-07-02T16:43:22Z")
[QUOTE=Canadjun] The only time I pronounce **won** to rhyme with **lawn** is when I am ordering in a Chinese restaurant (won ton soup). [/QUOTE] One prounced wan Won pronounced wun Is correct ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/25 "2007-07-02T16:45:01Z")
Raised in NY State by Pennsylvania people: won = wahn =wan or Juan one = wuhn lawn = the vowel sound in Long pronounced by someone from Long Island. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/26 "2007-07-02T18:01:59Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] One prounced wan Won pronounced wun Is correct [/QUOTE] If you just meant to say that that is how the words are pronounced in your neck of the woods, then ignore the rest of my response. If you meant what you said, that those are the **correct** pronunciations, then no, those are neither correct nor incorrect pronunciations. They are simply how **you** (presumably) pronounce the words. Given that this board has members world-wide, there certainly is no “correct” pronunciation of those words (“Queen’s English” notwithstanding). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/27 "2007-07-02T20:04:38Z")
[QUOTE=Canadjun] The only time I pronounce **won** to rhyme with **lawn** is when I am ordering in a Chinese restaurant (won ton soup). [/QUOTE] I’ve never found it to weigh that much. I’ve been in New England for 27 years and have never heard it pronounced Juan. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/28 "2007-07-02T20:11:09Z")
Raised in West Texas, and “won” always rhymed with “ton” or done," pronounced the same as “one.” In fact, this is my first indication it’s pronounced any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/29 "2007-07-03T14:22:20Z")
Born and raised in MA…‘won’ is ‘one’ to me. ‘Won’ pronounced like ‘-awn’ sounds southern to my ears. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/30 "2007-07-03T14:34:08Z")
My cousin’s family (uh, second cousin or cousin once removed kind of thing) has a Hispanic branch. At a funeral I noticed my… uncle twice removed (?) pronounced “Why” a little bit with the “hwa” sound of “Juan”, but it was just a hint of a Spanish accent. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/31 "2007-07-03T16:12:36Z")
New Englander here. won = one Would never think of pronouncing it like “lawn”, how’s that done… “ahwn”? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/32 "2007-07-04T18:31:14Z")
[QUOTE=Rasa] New Englander here. won = one Would never think of pronouncing it like “lawn”, how’s that done… “ahwn”? [/QUOTE] OK, here’s an analogous couple for me: fun [one] fon in fondle [won] fawn [lawn] aw like in horse/hoarse young or “yun” in fun-yun [one] yon as in yonder [won] yawn [lawn] aw like in horse/hoarse ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2007, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175/33 "2007-07-05T00:38:58Z")
Just to clarify, I have (as many other Americans do) a merger of the vowels in lawn and “lon” (a made-up word but you catch my drift). So the vowels in the last two entries of each of **gigi** ’s sets are the same for me. Though thanks, gigi. 🙂 Lawn, pawn, gone, John, con, prawn, fawn, Sean, on-- all of these words are perfect rhymes with “won” for me. **Frylock** – it’s good to have a compatriot, if only one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-pronounce-won-this-way/410175.md?page=1)