# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/61 "2023-02-25T12:53:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > > [@chela](#): > > > > Syrup > > Sih-rup with the “ih” sound representing an “i” as in “hit” /ɪ/ > > > [@chela](#): > > > > Turquoise > > Tur-koice or sometimes tur-koyz Interesting. So syrup rhymes with stirrup for you? I pronounce it ‘sear-up’. I pronounce turquoise the same way you do. ---
**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, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/62 "2023-02-25T14:45:47Z")
I say Syrup rhymes with stirrup. I asked about turquoise because I’m listening to Angelica Huston read her memoir _A story lately told_ and she says Tur- kwaaz for turquoise. Caught me by surprise. Like the British bakers saying Or-eh-gawno for oregano! ---
**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, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/63 "2023-02-25T14:57:20Z")
> [@solost](#): > > So syrup rhymes with stirrup for you? I pronounce it ‘sear-up’. “Stirrup” I’m as likely to say as “stear-up.” I think the vowel in both those words floats a bit for me, from an /i/ to an /ɪ/, depending on how I’m feeling, but definitely not as long as an /i:/ as in “sear.” The dictionary pronunciations I see do seem to all have /ɪ/ primarily as the initial vowel. There’s no see-rup that I could find. Once in awhile, I will use the “sir”+“up” pronunciation just for fun. (“Sir” there as in “sir” vs “ma’am.”) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/64 "2023-02-25T14:59:54Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Like the British bakers saying > Or-eh-gawno for oregano! I find it surprising the way Brits pronounce ‘pasta’. Most Americans (I think) pronounce it the way I would think the Brits should- ‘pah-sta ‘. But the Brits pronounce the first ‘a’ like the ‘a’ sound in the word ‘pat’. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/65 "2023-02-25T15:15:28Z")
I really think the Brits are just screwing with us sometimes with their wacky pronunciations and emPHAsis on the wrong syLLAbles. But it is their language after all, and besides, they’re so darn cute. 😍 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/66 "2023-02-25T16:59:38Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > But it is their language after all, and besides, they’re so darn cute. I do quite enjoy the way they pronounce schedule (SHED-jewl) . ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/67 "2023-02-25T19:09:47Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I say ek-sperr-iment, with sperr rhyming with perry. Both spare and spear look equally weird to me. I think I say spare and perry the same. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/68 "2023-02-25T19:21:28Z")
That’s Mary and Merry. I say them differently. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/69 "2023-02-25T20:35:58Z")
Classy! 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/70 "2023-02-25T21:05:40Z")
One problem with some of the answers is that I have no idea how you pronounce perry. FWIW, I say something like ek-SPUR-uh-mnt with the continuant n replacing the final vowel and uh representing a schwa. For experience, I say ek-SPEAR-ee-ens. I’m from Philly and we don’t merge any two of Mary, marry, merry, although the last is homophonous with Murray (and perry and purry also identical). ---
**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 26, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/71 "2023-02-26T04:29:27Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I’m from Philly and we don’t merge any two of Mary, marry, merry, although the last is homophonous with Murray (and perry and purry also identical). Yep, that’s the Merry-Murray merger (which it sounds like you might be aware of) that is common in specifically Philadelphia accents. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2023, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/72 "2023-02-27T02:37:14Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I say ek-sperr-iment, with sperr rhyming with perry. Almost. The Bonzo Dog Band [makes it clear](https://youtu.be/TH9Nbr9jBmI) that it’s eks-perr-ee-ment. _I’m gonna get you in my tent, tent, tent, tent, tent Where we can both experiment, ment, ment, ment, ment Yeah, yeah it’s so convenient, ent, ent, ent, ent Let’s take a taxi to my tent_ ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2023, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/73 "2023-02-28T03:51:02Z")
Haha, as soon as I saw the thread title, I knew the Mary-marry-merry merger would come up, and as a native Philadelphian I agree with you. I can’t get over how much of the country pronounces all three of those words the same. ---
**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 28, 2023, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/74 "2023-02-28T12:56:13Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > I can’t get over how much of the country pronounces all three of those words the same. Yep, it’s most of the country: 57%. And only 17% pronounce all three differently (the rest pronounce two of them the same, one different.) [One cite.](https://www.businessinsider.com/merry-marry-mary-pronunciation-dialect-2018-12) Meanwhile, I can’t understand how much of the country doesn’t distinguish “cot” from “caught” or “Don” from “Dawn” when speaking. They are like totally different vowels! On is AHHH, the other AWWWW! (Which, of course, means nothing to those in the merger.) Such is dialect. ---
**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 28, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/75 "2023-02-28T15:23:59Z")
Now I’m really flummoxed. Turquoise not pronounced 'tur-kwoize"? It’s a world gone mad. Can you name any other English word (not borrowed) with a quo that is not pronounced as kwo? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/76 "2023-02-28T16:37:03Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Turquoise I’m not sure how you pronounce it , but I’ve always heard it like [this](https://en.bab.la/pronunciation/english/turquoise) or [this](https://www.wordreference.com/synonyms/turquoise) (US version) and I definitely do not hear a “w” in there but I do hear an “r”. ---
**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 28, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/77 "2023-02-28T16:45:49Z")
I guess I always pronounced it the British way. I guess you’re seeing the word split as turq-uoise. For me it’s tur-quoise. Quoise would be pronounced kw-oiz; the quo being like the beginning of quote. ---
**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 28, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/78 "2023-02-28T18:33:10Z")
Liquor ---
**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 28, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/79 "2023-02-28T19:22:47Z")
Touche (don’t know how to put the accent mark on this). And it is kinda strange that Liquor is an exception to that quo pronunciation, Unless it’s a bastardization of the French “liqueur”. ---
**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 28, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300/80 "2023-02-28T19:31:00Z")
The word in English goes back to 1200 spelled as _likur_, which does share etymology with _liqueur_. It’s the only word that I could see, unless you count the _liquorice_ spelling of _licorice_ where _quo_ is pronounced with a _k_ instead of a _kw_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-experiment/980300.md?page=5)