# How do you pronounce "gyro"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 3, 2000, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393 "2000-07-03T00:14:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/1 "2000-07-03T00:14:40Z")
I’ve always taken it for granted that it’s pronounced with a soft “G” and a long “Y” : i.e. - j eye row However, my girlfriend (from Wisconsin to my NY) pronounces it with a hard “G” and a short “Y” : i.e. - G ear o And you? ---
**Author:** ![Zaphod\_Beeblebrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/0ea827/32.png) [@Zaphod\_Beeblebrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zaphod_Beeblebrox)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/2 "2000-07-03T00:17:09Z")
According to some Greek friends of mine, it’s supposed to be like “Yeero.” ---
**Author:** ![Nacho4Sara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Nacho4Sara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nacho4Sara)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/3 "2000-07-03T00:18:52Z")
Baltimorons say it guy-row (I think we all do - the place where I buy them does anyway.) Does anyone remember the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine borrows George’s father’s tv guide, buys a gyro, and gets stuff all over the cover - I’m pretty sure she said “guy-ro” but I defer to all Seinfeld experts on that one. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/4 "2000-07-03T00:47:59Z")
“You likea da juice, eh?” ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/5 "2000-07-03T01:13:18Z")
Well, it depends on if you are talking about a sandwich or a mechanical device. I pronounce a “gyro” as in gyroscope with a “j” sound, “j eye row” [jI’-rO (long i & o)]. But the sandwich, I pronounce “year oh” [yir’-O (short i, long o)]. However, [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) pronounces it either [jI’-rO (long i & o)] or [jE’-rO (long e & o)] for the sandwich. However, [m-w.com](http://m-w.com) pronounces the sandwich as: \<\\> using the key that means [yE’-rO (long e & o)] and [shir’-Oh (short i, long o)] So, seems like you can pronounce it anyway you want and you’ll still get the sandwich. Although I didn’t find any reference to a hard “g” (guh) for either the sandwich or the gyroscope. Jim ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/6 "2000-07-03T01:23:56Z")
Is that where the ‘hero’ sandwich’s name came from? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/7 "2000-07-03T01:37:52Z")
I learned it first as J eye row and then as heerow. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/8 "2000-07-03T01:38:52Z")
Depends on how you pronounce toe-mar-toe (tom-a-ta) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/9 "2000-07-03T01:44:51Z")
> [@](#): > > According to some Greek friends of mine, it’s supposed to be like “Yeero.” According to _my_ Greek friends, it is pronounced “yeero”. So who ya gonna believe? The people who invented it? Or _Seinfeld_? ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/10 "2000-07-03T01:49:22Z")
**Zaphod** has it right. According the great greek folks at my local, carefully unsung eatery claim, it’s “year-o”, or more closly slurred, “your-o”. I cringed at recent Food Network thingy where the quiz was, “what’s a JY-row?” A polite, puzzled Atlantian asked, “like a gyroscope?” However it you pronounce it, it’s wonderful. Munchables of the gods, straight from Mt. Olympus. Adores olive oil and retsina, too, Veb ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/11 "2000-07-03T02:11:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Baltimorons say it guy-row (I think we all do - the place where I buy them does anyway.) We do? I always said j-eye-row myself. Like that gyroscope toy. Guess this Baltimoron was wrong. Or are you wrong, Sara? 🙂 I always thought the right way was eee-row or g-eee-row, which we Americans slurred into Hero. I prefer sub. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/12 "2000-07-03T02:21:59Z")
A hero or sub is not the same as a gyro. Cold cuts aren’t the same as roast lamb. Jim ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/13 "2000-07-03T02:28:08Z")
When I lived in Idaho, the common pronunciation was something like “heero” (sort of gargling the h). Strangely (thinking there would be a much larger Greek community here), when I came to the east coast, I only heard “gyro” as in gyroscope. People looked at me askance. [sub]"That’s how they pronounced it in Pocatello, " I’d whimper.[/sub] Well, my confidence is back and now I will order that gyro loudly and with no first consonant. Thanks for clearing it up! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/14 "2000-07-03T03:42:29Z")
No matter how you pronounce it, the Greek behind the counter will first pretend not to understand you, then give you a withering stare and pronounce it exactly the opposite way. On the other hand, a sandwich this good is worth the humiliation. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/15 "2000-07-03T03:51:19Z")
Yeeeeeero. And the coney island restaurants around here (it’s what the greek folks call their diners here, and they all serve coneys) also make a chicken gyro, which I guess defeats the whole purpose for you lamb fans, but damn it’s tasty. ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/16 "2000-07-03T03:56:38Z")
Gear-row. But I know that’s not correct - just common place. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/17 "2000-07-03T07:17:11Z")
Of course it’s yearo. A few years ago, I went to New York, and there was a Gyro vendor on the street (although, he didn’t look Greek). I ordered a gyro, and he looked at me as if I was speaking greek. I said a “yeeeaaaar-oooh” slowly and carefully a second time. He put something in a bag and handed it to me. I walked a couple of blocks and sat down to eat. I opened the bag and found he had sold me a “Yahoo” drink. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/18 "2000-07-03T07:28:50Z")
I pronounce it khyrohss (with the first consonant being a soft guttural sound, like a Spanish “jota”). ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/19 "2000-07-03T07:33:48Z")
Hasn’t anyone here seen those ads in various hamburger places (the ones mostly owned by Greeks) that have the blonde with a Gyro and it says “Yee-Roo”? ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393/20 "2000-07-03T08:18:54Z")
Kasuo - Yes. The poster is kind of faded from being in the sun for 15 years? I know that one. Anyway, I think the common pronounciation is “year-o”, but I don’t really like saying that, so I prononce it “jy-row”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gyro/24393.md?page=2)