# How do you pronounce "Caribbean"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 1, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812 "2011-09-01T01:41:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/21 "2011-09-01T15:14:47Z")

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same as the OP word for word

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**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/22 "2011-09-01T15:19:04Z")

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> [@Teacake](#):
>
> Me too, though maybe a bit more Carri (short i) than Carra - and I’d also always thought the CaRIBbean pronunciation was American. Interesting.

I’m from the north-east so I suspect a regional influence in the “carra”

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**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/23 "2011-09-01T15:53:37Z")

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RIB as an adjective, BEE as a noun. I figure it’s because the Carib people are pronounced “KARib”, so they’re in the KAR-i-BEE’n.

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**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/24 "2011-09-01T16:07:10Z")

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> [@Candyman74](#):
>
> Kah-rib- **EE** -un.
> 
> From the UK if that makes any difference.
> 
> Stars with a definite Kah, not Care.

Perhaps the OP is from one of those places where “carr-uh” and “care-uh” would sound the same (the well-known merry/marry/Mary merger).  
Anyway, for me it’s karriBEEun, much like the other Brits.

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/25 "2011-09-01T16:08:59Z")

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> [@Candyman74](#):
>
> Kah-rib- **EE** -un.
> 
> From the UK if that makes any difference.
> 
> Stars with a definite Kah, not Care.

Same here. But I voted “Care-a-BEE-un”, because I don’t think it’s different enough to qualify as “Other”. You don’t tend to hear the “Kuh-RIB-ee-un” pronunciation much over here.

Just don’t get me started on the “Him-AH-lee-uh”…

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**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/26 "2011-09-01T17:51:32Z")

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> [@Alley\_Dweller](#):
>
> care-a-BEE-un as a noun.
> 
> kuh-RIB-bee-un as an adjective.
> 
> (Most of the time.)

Ditto.

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**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/27 "2011-09-01T20:44:41Z")

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I was told long ago that the tribe, the Caribs, was pronounced car-RIB, thus to say car-RIB-ee-an. (Don’t have a cite.)

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-caribbean/594812/28 "2011-09-01T23:45:15Z")

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Yes, it was named after the Caribs, so the accent is on the RIB.

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