This led me to a big WTF moment. I’ve only ever heard “coyote” pronounced as three syllables. ki-OH-tee. Is there some other way to pronounce it? The only thing I can think of is “ki-oat” but that just sounds ridiculous. I’m not even sure what syllable would get the emphasis. M-w.com lists that as an alternate pronunciation but I’ve never heard anyone say it that way.
So is my perception off by being raised in Arizona? How do YOU pronounce “coyote”? Is the way I say it really the “foreign” way and not the normal way*?
I’ve heard a few people say ky-oat but only in a sort of joking way. No one I know would actually think that’s the normal way to pronounce it. But then I’m in California.
I’ve always said it as three syllables, though the dictionary lists both pronunciations.
The word has Spanish/Mexican origins, so it’s probably correct to refer to the three-syllable pronunciation - with a hard “t” sound, and the last syllable as an “eh” sound rather than an “ee” sound - as being “the Spanish pronunciation.”
I pronounce it ki-OAT-ee (born in Maryland, lived there, in California, and in Pittsburgh). My grandfather, who was born in 1911 and was from Nebraska, pronounced it KI-oat. He would laugh at me when I said it.
In reference to the wild animal 2 syllables; kai-yoat with a long o, “yoat” rhymes with coat. Half the time I hear people pronounce the e, for the other half it’s silent. I’m Texan.
Interestingly though I’d offer that there appears to sometimes be a difference when using the word as a reference to those engaged in illegal immigrant smuggling. For them I often hear the word with a strong emphasis on the “e” at the end; kai-yo-tee.
From the American southwest: I usually say the americanized word ki-OH-tee. Although sometimes I get lazy and say ki-yote or ki-yotes. Really, either way works around here.
If it is referring to smugglers, it is usually in the spanish pronunciation, cah-YOAT-eh.
Some local often mis-pronounced words include saugaro, Mogollon, Mazatals, and even Tucson.
I think the two syllable pronunciation was more common in the past. When I was a kid growing up in the 50s, I recall hearing it that way often in Westerns and cartoons. It’s possible that as Spanish has become more widespread and common in the US, the original Spanish three-syllable pronunciation has become the norm.