:dubious:
What is your standard for “legitimate”? I believe others in this thread have already cited to dictionaries that note this pronunciation, indeed as the first pronunciation.
ETooLateA: The WB theme song seems a bit divided on the subject:
*Road runner, the “ky oat” is after you…
That “ky yo tee” is really a crazy clown*
That’s just wrong, son.
[/Foghorn]
Is that your “I’m jus’ bein’ an ornery so-and-so” so don’t take me seriously tag?
Sex beats eating. Always.
Clearly you’ve never had a good lobster bisque.
Ka-yo-tee
That, I say, that, is my tag by which I say, as I said before, that as far as I know, there ain’t but one legitimate way in English to say it, which is as I said it, just like I said.
And I did say as far as I know, and don’t you go saying otherwise, now, you hear?
I love saying the indiginous ‘tl’ (probably very poorly, but who cares?) It’s just a fun sound that isn’t used in normal words*. So most of the time. unless around people who I don’t want to realize my wierdness,I say Coyotl, In my best guess at the original way. Avocotl too. Don’t get to say Quetzalcoatl very often
*or at least I used to seldom get to, of course these days I get to say Chipotle all the time. so my need is somewhat assuaged.
Chipotle,Chipotle,Chipotle,Chipotle,Chipotle,Chipotle 
Yes. I don’t say kai.
I’ve always heard it as the “ky yo tee’s after you.”
I say it with three syllables, too, but I sometimes hear it as “ky-oat” on nature shows, such as on Animal Planet. It’s uncommon enough here (I’m also in Arizona) so as to make me go, “Huh?”
I pronounce it “kie YO tee” out of lifelong habit. Can’t bother making the effort to pronounce it (more) correctly, which I assume is “coy YO tay.”
And “kie YOAT” is for hillbillies.
Well, I happen to be in Spain today, but the Americans I’ve heard say coyote were from Philadelphia.
That would be kɔ Io te; the y is considered a consonant and part of the second syllable, in Spanish (the only case where “y” is considered to represent a vowel sound is in the word “y”, meaning “and”).
kai yo tee
Born and raised in Michigan.
Wisconsin. People around here use both pronunciations. I hear and use the three syllable pronunciation the most.
Dude, don’t get me started!
You’ve just ruined my latest attempt to lose weight, by the way.
I’m from Southeastern Washington State, and have always said “kai-YO-tee”. I usually feel a little awkward with that, but “KAI-ote” feels more awkward. As in interesting side note, people where I grew up would say a shy person was being “kai”, as in, behaving like a coyote.
Coyotes are found throughout the continental U.S. There isn’t a state that doesn’t have them. Although few people see them in the wild. Then again, our zoo has them, and you can’t often see them in the zoo either (they and the wolves both like to hide back in the brush).
ki YO tay
I rhyme it with my user name.
Me too, but there are people here who say it with two syllables too, kind of like Ki-oat, so it’s not just a regional thing. It always confuses me for a second when they do.