# How do you pronounce "Chile"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731 "2011-07-12T12:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [July 13, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/41 "2011-07-13T20:59:38Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > so you do say “Paree” “Wien” “Koln” etc. etc. ? > > You have to define what you mean by “correct” here. “Chilly” is a perfectly correct _English_ pronunciation. And the thing is, “Chee-lay” is not the “correct” pronunciation in Spanish, either. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/42 "2011-07-13T21:10:56Z")
This was a big problem when they made “Chilly Willy goes to Chile.” ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/43 "2011-07-13T21:17:48Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > so you do say “Paree” “Wien” “Koln” etc. etc. ? > > You have to define what you mean by “correct” here. “Chilly” is a perfectly correct _English_ pronunciation. Exactly! ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/44 "2011-07-13T22:09:55Z")
I guess I say it a mostly like chilly, but not quite the same. Chilly is chill-ey Chile is chill-ley. Just a tiny bit more of a beat to actually start the second syllable with an “L” ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/45 "2011-07-13T22:13:03Z")
I had a co-worker who was from Chile, and he pronounced it “SHE-leh”. I picked up the habit from him, and I’ve never had anyone try to correct me or accuse me of pretentiousness on account of it. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/46 "2011-07-13T22:34:45Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > I had a co-worker who was from Chile, and he pronounced it “SHE-leh”. I picked up the habit from him, and I’ve never had anyone try to correct me or accuse me of pretentiousness on account of it. So I looked this up, since my uncle pronounces it otherwise, and it appears to be a [variant pronunciation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_Spanish), apparently from a “non-prestige” dialect of Chilean Spanish. > [@](#): > > The voiceless postalveolar affricate /t͡ʃ/ is pronounced as a fricative [ʃ] by many the lower-class speakers (thus, Chile is pronounced [ˈʃiːle]). This type of pronunciation is viewed as very undesirable. Other variants are a fronted alveolar affricate, [t͡s], and an even more fronted dental affricate, [t̪ˢ], mostly used by the upper class. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/47 "2011-07-13T22:40:47Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > I had a co-worker who was from Chile, and he pronounced it “SHE-leh”. I picked up the habit from him, and I’ve never had anyone try to correct me or accuse me of pretentiousness on account of it. So do you pronounce the name of every city or country in the world in the manner of it’s local inhabitants? You know, Meh-hee-koo (Mexico) or Pare-ree (Paris) and so on and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/48 "2011-07-13T22:52:37Z")
I voted Other, for chee-lay. ETA Although growing up in New England we also pronounced it “chilly.” I evolved. I don’t say “Ore-a-gone” for Oregon anymore either. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/49 "2011-07-13T23:01:19Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > So do you pronounce the name of every city or country in the world in the manner of it’s local inhabitants? You know, Meh-hee-koo (Mexico) or Pare-ree (Paris) and so on and so forth. Begging your pardon, but if I have somehow offended your sensibilities, you might wish to review what I wrote. I stated that I acquired the habit of pronouncing “Chile” in a manner similar to that of a friend of mine, who was a native Chilean. I further asserted that I had not yet had occasion to defend my use of this pronunciation. End of story. Jeez. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/50 "2011-07-13T23:03:34Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > Begging your pardon, but if I have somehow offended your sensibilities, you might wish to review what I wrote. > > I stated that I acquired the habit of pronouncing “Chile” in a manner similar to that of a friend of mine, who was a native Chilean. I further asserted that I had not yet had occasion to defend my use of this pronunciation. End of story. > > Jeez. Ok, I see. Myyyy bad. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/51 "2011-07-13T23:28:55Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Hypercorrection. Hyperforeignism. I hear this all the time and it drives me crazy. > > Beizhing instead of Beijing. > Razh instead of Raj. > Shockra instead of cakra. > And now, Shile instead of Chile. Never heard that one, but it sure fits the pattern. > > The logic, as it were, seems to run like… > > French is a foreign language. > X is a foreign language too. > Ergo, X is pronounced the same as French. > A little learning is a dangerous thing. In northern Mexico, ch is often pronounced like sh (Shihuahua)…but that is hardly standard Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/52 "2011-07-14T02:07:05Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I voted Other, for chee-lay. > > ETA Although growing up in New England we also pronounced it “chilly.” I evolved. I don’t say “Ore-a-gone” for Oregon anymore either. You don’t? How do you say it? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/53 "2011-07-14T02:09:16Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > You don’t? How do you say it? OR-ghin (more or less) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/54 "2011-07-14T02:10:04Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > You don’t? How do you say it? I say it the way the locals say it: Ora-gun, or Orry-gun ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/55 "2011-07-14T02:18:14Z")
Here in the Northwest Oregon is pronounced like “orr-eh-gun”. I say “Chee lay” for Chile. ---
**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 14, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/56 "2011-07-14T03:10:32Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > This is kind of interesting. I also say the American affectations of Paris and Berlin (even though I speak German), yet I’m an enthusiastic supporter of “CHEE-lay.” For some reason it sounds like “Chilly” is incorrect. I have to admit Chilly sounds a little odd to me too. It always makes me think of that old joke about the Mexican weather report: “Chili today and hot tamale.” Some words are like that. Like “vase” – “vahz” sounds pretentious, but “vaise” sounds like you found it in the trash somewhere. NOTE: I do say Beizhing myself. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/57 "2011-07-14T06:25:37Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > OR-ghin (more or less) What?!? “OR-ghin”? origin? organ? ---
**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:** [July 14, 2011, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/58 "2011-07-14T08:55:01Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > I had a co-worker who was from Chile, and he pronounced it “SHE-leh”. I picked up the habit from him, and I’ve never had anyone try to correct me or accuse me of pretentiousness on account of it. Nothing wrong with that at all. Habit is everything, you are immersed in and exposed to a particular pronunciation so of course that is what you use. The main thing is that you wouldn’t dream of picking people up on other, equally habitual pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/59 "2011-07-14T09:08:41Z")
I think the American /i/ sounds wrong and tends towards a diphthong, so I go with the shorter /ɪ/. I also make the /e/ quite short, so it is acceptable not to make it a diphthong. So, yes, I actually say the second option. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731/60 "2011-07-14T12:00:56Z")
Uruguay. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-chile/588731.md?page=2)