# English pronunciation of 'avoirdupois'

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 6, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040 "2011-07-06T15:14:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/21 "2011-07-07T18:07:29Z")

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> [@panache45](#):
>
> Any pronunciation other than French just sounds stupid to me.

I just don’t understand this. Do you pronounce “Detroit” as the original French explorers did?

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/22 "2011-07-07T18:30:55Z")

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Well, we do sometimes make an effort. I’ve never eaten horse dovers, for example.

Another example of a word of French origin that I pronounce more closely to it’s original is “couchant,” which occurs in the term “lion couchant.” According to M-W, it should be pronounced pretty much the way it looks in English, with the first syllable being a synonym for “sofa.”

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**Author:** ![VenoUnotate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c37758/32.png) [@VenoUnotate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenoUnotate)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/23 "2011-07-08T07:25:07Z")

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[Экстремальны отдых и туризм

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**Author:** ![VenoUnotate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c37758/32.png) [@VenoUnotate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenoUnotate)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/24 "2011-07-08T07:26:25Z")

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[Экстремальны отдых и туризм

[http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg](http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg)]([http://adventure-travel.com.ua](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)) На информационном сайте о туризме Вы найдете интересные истории об водном отдыхе, окунетесь в мир экстремального отдыха. Сайт [для людей, которые любят путешествовать](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)

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**Author:** ![VenoUnotate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c37758/32.png) [@VenoUnotate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenoUnotate)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/25 "2011-07-08T07:27:27Z")

</div>

[Экстремальны отдых и туризм

[http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg](http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg)]([http://adventure-travel.com.ua](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)) На информационном сайте о туризме Вы найдете интересные истории об активном отдыхе, окунетесь в мир экстремального туризма. Сайт [для людей, которые любят путешествовать](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)

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**Author:** ![VenoUnotate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c37758/32.png) [@VenoUnotate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenoUnotate)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/26 "2011-07-08T07:28:27Z")

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[Путешествия и приключения

[http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg](http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg)]([http://adventure-travel.com.ua](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)) На информационном сайте о туризме Вы найдете интересные истории об водном отдыхе, окунетесь в мир экстремального отдыха. Сайт [для людей, которые любят путешествовать](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)

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**Author:** ![VenoUnotate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c37758/32.png) [@VenoUnotate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenoUnotate)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/27 "2011-07-08T07:29:41Z")

</div>

[Экстремальны отдых и туризм

[http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg](http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg)]([http://adventure-travel.com.ua](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)) На информационном сайте о туризме Вы найдете интересные истории об активном отдыхе, окунетесь в мир экстремального туризма. Сайт [для людей, которые любят путешествовать](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)

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**Author:** ![VenoUnotate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c37758/32.png) [@VenoUnotate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenoUnotate)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/28 "2011-07-08T07:31:52Z")

</div>

[Путешествия и приключения

[http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg](http://adventure-travel.com.ua/wp-content/themes/adventure-travel-amazinggrace/images/bg-portrait3.jpg)]([http://adventure-travel.com.ua](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)) На информационном сайте о туризме Вы найдете интересные истории об активном отдыхе, окунетесь в мир экстремального туризма. Сайт [для людей, которые любят путешествовать](http://adventure-travel.com.ua)

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**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/29 "2011-07-10T02:03:27Z")

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Well, I’ll be damned. I’ve been pronouncing it wrong in my head all this time! I bet if I do use it out loud, someone will correct me. (_hypercorrect, really but whatever._)

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**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-pronunciation-of-avoirdupois/588040/30 "2011-07-10T02:20:20Z")

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> [@Ogre](#):
>
> Huh. Come to think of is, I have never actually heard it pronounced out loud. I have imagined it pronounced as sort of a hybrid of the two you posted (A-vurr-du-PWAH). I shall continue to think of it that way, because (A-vurr-du-POIZ) sounds fucking dumb, but I’m not enough of a language pedant to insist that it be pronounced 100% true to the French.
> 
> 😃

Exactly this.

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