# Help me pronounce these words

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pronounce-these-words/139893>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 2, 2002, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pronounce-these-words/139893 "2002-12-02T03:51:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pronounce-these-words/139893/21 "2002-12-02T22:23:52Z")

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Apparently I’m the only person who pronounces **sieve** _seeve_.

**Penchant** I don’t think I’ve ever heard out loud.

**Enthusiast** I’m not sure about.

**Template** I always pronounced _TEM-PLATE_.

**Scythe** I have no idea.

**Controversial** pronounced _con-tro-VER-shal_.

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**Author:** ![zwaldd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a9adbd/32.png) [@zwaldd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwaldd)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pronounce-these-words/139893/22 "2002-12-02T22:40:11Z")

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sieve: siv (rhymes with the verb ‘live’)

penchant: PEN chint.

enthusiast: en THU zee ist

template: TEM plit

scythe: sith (long i)

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**Author:** ![ReBusEniGma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@ReBusEniGma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReBusEniGma)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pronounce-these-words/139893/23 "2002-12-02T23:55:03Z")

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Siv,  
PEN shnt,  
en THU zee ust (short u there),  
both TEM plet & TEM plate,  
sithe (hard th),

con truh VER shul

And what about: **Schedule**!! = skedjule

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**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pronounce-these-words/139893/24 "2002-12-03T04:52:23Z")

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I had ‘penchant’ as a Wordmasters word in school (any dopers ever get in on that program while in school?), and according to my “I know everything” teacher it was “pen-chant”.  
BTW, try **Guadere**. 😛

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pronounce-these-words/139893/25 "2002-12-03T10:57:06Z")

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**everton** - Yeah, I also checked checked a Penguin dictionary which was published in London, and it lists your pronunciation followed by the “PEN-chent” one, so I assume it is a US-UK division.

**Barbarian** - Hmm… must be a regional thing, then. I mean, you live in a place where they apparently actually use scythe as a verb. 🙂 Do you also pronounce “lithe” unvoiced?

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