# How do you pronounce 'experiment'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300 "2023-02-24T13:31:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/41 "2023-02-24T16:19:58Z")
SPERR, always. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/42 "2023-02-24T16:43:46Z")
We went over this in August 2021: [Your Pronunciation - #126 by alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-pronunciation/949375/126) Somewhere in that thread, I insisted that other cast members of The Big Bang Theory pronounce it like Sheldon (ex-PEER-eh-ment), including Amy Farrah Fowler. After having seen more of the show, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t, but think one or two others do, at times. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/43 "2023-02-24T16:56:00Z")
No, this falls into the Mary/Merry/Marry zone. Perry and Pairy are not pronounced the same. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/44 "2023-02-24T16:56:35Z")
ex-PEAR-ment or ex-PEER-ment The PEAR/PEER difference is barely discernible when I say it, with the ‘i’ in the middle completely elided. If I’m deliberately enunciating it will come out as ex-PEAR-i-ment, ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/45 "2023-02-24T16:57:51Z")
Being a native New Yorker, this confounds and will confound me for the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Yosh99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ccd318/32.png) [@Yosh99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yosh99)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/46 "2023-02-24T16:59:33Z")
In the Upper Midwest all I’ve ever heard was “ex-SPEER-a-ment”. The “SPARE” version is definitely a southern accent to my ear. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2023, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/47 "2023-02-24T17:09:12Z")
I’m Great Lakes (Chicago) and the “spare” pronunciation feels more normal to me, though, as I said previously, I vaccilate. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/48 "2023-02-24T17:31:53Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > NYC here, we do not have the Mary-merry-marry merger and all three are pronounced differently. I come from the ‘other’ zone on that map but pronounce all three differently. I have lived in the other zones during my life which I think shifted my original Balmer Merlin drawl into the sweet spot of pronunciation for most words. Up here in that bluish New England one now it can be difficult to understand people who call a ‘cored brick’ a ‘code brick’, they have no problem with the ‘R’ in ‘brick’ but can’t stick it in the word ‘cored’. They don’t understand ‘don’ and ‘dawn’ are pronounced differently, including people who have those names. And here is RI they have hopelessly combined Connecticut Yankee, Brooklynese, and Hahvahd Yahd into a new language. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/49 "2023-02-24T18:31:22Z")
Now I’m curious how you folks pronounce _experience_. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/50 "2023-02-24T18:37:26Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > _experience_ ex-PEER-ee-əns ---
**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:** [February 24, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/51 "2023-02-24T18:45:01Z")
^ as above ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/52 "2023-02-24T18:47:41Z")
ex-PIRR-ee-ənce ---
**Author:** ![fordgt100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fordgt100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fordgt100)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/53 "2023-02-24T22:45:25Z")
We pronounce it expurment down here in the South. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/54 "2023-02-24T22:55:16Z")
For me the first two syllables of both words are identical; eck-SPEER-i-ment, eck-SPEER-ee-ence ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/55 "2023-02-25T00:27:32Z")
Eks-pier-i-ment ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/56 "2023-02-25T02:02:50Z")
Other. How do you say Syrup Turquoise 🗣🎙 ---
**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:** [February 25, 2023, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/57 "2023-02-25T02:08:07Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Syrup Sih-rup with the “ih” sound representing an “i” as in “hit” /ɪ/ > [@chela](#): > > Turquoise Tur-koice or sometimes tur-koyz ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/58 "2023-02-25T02:17:54Z")
I pronounce the word with the “pear” sound in it. Where I used to live is a street called Experiment Station Road. I’ve had occasion to work at a couple jobsites on that road and the two residents I interacted with had each taken to calling it something like 'spearmint station road," as fully pronouncing the name over the years had probably become tiresome for them. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/59 "2023-02-25T11:17:54Z")
Wiktionary lists both /spɛɹ/ and /spɪɹ/ for the US, and just the former for UK. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/60 "2023-02-25T11:23:59Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Turquoise CHURR-Koys, for some reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300.md?page=4)