# Does pork rhyme with fork/cork/dork/bork to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 16, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568 "2014-05-16T03:58:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/21 "2014-05-16T11:57:47Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Is this like “pwark”? Kind of like the metal band Gwar? No, it’s pork as you know it (heh) with a tiny extra bit after the usual vowel. Like you hiccuped in the middle of the word. [Pork does not have that sound in RP.](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pork?q=pork) It may have had in some other accents, but not in RP like the Wiki claims. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/22 "2014-05-16T12:21:25Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > No, it’s pork as you know it (heh) with a tiny extra bit after the usual vowel. Like you hiccuped in the middle of the word. [Pork does not have that sound in RP.](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pork?q=pork) It may have had in some other accents, but not in RP like the Wiki claims. So kind of like “po-work”, but much faster and smoother? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/23 "2014-05-16T12:47:31Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So kind of like “po-work”, but much faster and smoother? Pretty much. The ɔ is the sound you say - if you speak SAE (Standard American English, also called General American English, or GA) - in hot. The ə is the vowel sound at the end of words like water (followed by an r in SAE). Basically, if you’re hit very briefly in the stomach, and make a sound, that’s the ə. There’s no “w” but there can be if you really emphasise the word. If any accents ever did/do say fork like fɔək, as the Wiki claims (it does sound like some accents I’ve heard in really old movies and there might well be some accents that do it still), odds are they would also say pork, etc, the same way, so it still has a rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/24 "2014-05-16T12:49:32Z")
I must say I enjoy this site. Before I discovered SDMB, I never would have found myself enunciating pork/fork over and over while drinking my morning cup of coffee. I feel like the Swedish Chef. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/25 "2014-05-16T13:27:57Z")
Don’t rhyme to me - I speak English with a mild Scottish accent. Unfortunately I’m no use at doing IPA symbols to demonstrate the difference, but they _are_ different. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/26 "2014-05-16T13:34:04Z")
American with a slight Southern accent. Despite all of the crazy Southern accents and diphthongs I’ve heard in my life, pork and fork have always rhymed. Even with the explanations given above, I can’t figure out how to pronounce it so that it doesn’t rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/27 "2014-05-16T13:37:42Z")
English with a weird mix of South African/Estuary accent here, and they rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/28 "2014-05-16T13:50:12Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > Pork and fork rhyme. > Bork, dork, cork rhyme. > > The two sets don’t rhyme with each other, though. I’m mid 30s, so not young enough to be in the younger generation. Perhaps that has something to do with it. How does the first set not rhyme with the second set? ---
**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:** [May 16, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/29 "2014-05-16T13:56:37Z")
> [@Red\_Stilettos](#): > > Despite all of the crazy Southern accents and diphthongs I’ve heard in my life… I heard a woman from Atlanta in a documentary who pronounced ‘war’ as ‘WO-wah’. Two distinct syllables with a ‘w’ in the middle. Now _that_ was a crazy Southern accent! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/30 "2014-05-16T14:06:18Z")
> [@Red\_Stilettos](#): > > American with a slight Southern accent. Despite all of the crazy Southern accents and diphthongs I’ve heard in my life, pork and fork have always rhymed. Even with the explanations given above, I can’t figure out how to pronounce it so that it doesn’t rhyme. Well, to me, the vowel sound in “pork” is the same as the one in “oar” or “board”. The sound in “fork” is…uh, different. Maybe like in “clock”. I really should learn some IPA. Or record myself saying the words, but I don’t have anywhere to post a recording. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/31 "2014-05-16T14:46:37Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Pretty much. > > The ɔ is the sound you say - if you speak SAE (Standard American English, also called General American English, or GA) - in hot. The ə is the vowel sound at the end of words like water (followed by an r in SAE). Basically, if you’re hit very briefly in the stomach, and make a sound, that’s the ə. There’s no “w” but there can be if you really emphasise the word. Huh, this is fascinating. I have elderly relatives who I remember saying something that sounded like “po’erk” for “pork.” This would be in upstate NY. I always chalked it up to their general accent, which I would describe as hick. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/32 "2014-05-16T15:04:56Z")
Ohhh, Bjork, Bjork, were you brought by the stork, Or were you created from butter and cork? I love you so much that I act like a dork, Oh Bjork, oh Bjork, oh Bjork. – [The Bjork Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNWeDjB1MMY), The Brunching Shuttlecocks Came to mind because of the bit later in the song: “What’s the next rhyme?” “um…da da da…pork.” “Pork? How does that fit in?” (singing) “Let’s go to my bedroom, that’s where we can…” “I GET IT! I get it…” ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/33 "2014-05-16T17:04:34Z")
Has anyone come up with an authoritative cite for this supposed alternate (or “primary”?) pronunciation? It’s all sounding like a case of Whippy-wanking to me. Both my RH3ED and my Shorter OED give a single pronunciation: rhymes with dork, as in “Wikipedian.” ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/34 "2014-05-16T17:30:32Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Has anyone come up with an authoritative cite for this supposed alternate (or “primary”?) pronunciation? It’s all sounding like a case of Whippy-wanking to me. > > Both my RH3ED and my Shorter OED give a single pronunciation: rhymes with dork, as in “Wikipedian.” Sorry, I don’t understand. Are you disputing the fact that people with different accents pronounce different words in different ways? ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/35 "2014-05-16T18:03:15Z")
They rhyme with a [Yiddish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8QTDkP-HWk) accent. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/36 "2014-05-16T18:12:19Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > Sorry, I don’t understand. Are you disputing the fact that people with different accents pronounce different words in different ways? No. I’m asking if there’s any cite at all from an authoritative source that “pork” is pronounced any second way by any significant population. So far, it’s Whack-o-pedia against the world, including the OED. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/37 "2014-05-16T18:24:56Z")
I’m not sure why people are confused. 1. Pork and Dork clearly rhyme. 2. Fork and Spork clearly rhyme. The things from list 1 clearly do not rhyme with the things from list 2. Cork, however, rhymes with both lists 1 and 2. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/38 "2014-05-16T18:31:38Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > No. I’m asking if there’s any cite at all from an authoritative source that “pork” is pronounced any second way by any significant population. So far, it’s Whack-o-pedia against the world, including the OED. I don’t know if Scotland counts as a “significant population” to you, but I’ve already said that I pronounce those differently and I’m not unusual among people with my accent. Can’t give you a cite - on this one you’ll just have to take my word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/39 "2014-05-16T18:34:23Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I’m not sure why people are confused. > > 1. Pork and Dork clearly rhyme. > > 2. Fork and Spork clearly rhyme. > > The things from list 1 clearly do not rhyme with the things from list 2. For whom? Again, I have two authoritative dictionaries that show identically rhyming pronunciations for all four words, and no alternatives. What region, dialect or population has differing pronunciations? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568/40 "2014-05-16T18:38:35Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > I don’t know if Scotland counts as a “significant population” to you, but I’ve already said that I pronounce those differently and I’m not unusual among people with my accent. > > Can’t give you a cite - on this one you’ll just have to take my word for it. I’ll certainly accept your word for it, but it would seem that somewhere there’s a cite. Simply saying there’s an arbitrary difference among anything but a very minor group (such as a city neighborhood) only goes so far. There are of course many regionalisms - “warsh” cloths, “idears” etc. but this is the first I have ever heard that there are different rhyme classifications for common words ending in “-ork.” I’m obviously not alone. Some substantiation besides What-If-O-Pedia must be out there unless it’s a truly microcosmic phenomenon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-pork-rhyme-with-fork-cork-dork-bork-to-you/688568.md?page=3)