Do you pronounce ‘kilometer’ as ‘kill-AH-mi-ter’, or ‘KILL-uh-me-ter’? (Audio links here.)
I took a lot of German classes when I was younger, so the way I pronounced it was similar to ‘KEE-lo-may-tah’. Well, I’ve forgotten most of my German; but I still pronounce it ‘KILL-uh-me-ter’ – sometimes with ‘KEEL’ instead of ‘KILL’. Since I live very near Canada, I hear a bit of Canadian radio and watch a bit of Canadian television. They say ‘kill-AH-mi-ter’, as most people here in the U.S. do. Since the German-influenced pronunciation has stuck over the years, that pronunciation sounds a little strange.
Actually, trying it out a bit more, I think what I say is most like “kill-LOM-muh-der,” which even I can recognize as being a result of a pretty broad American accent.
I don’t think Johnny’s quite got the Western Canadian pronunciation down, though - it’s more like “kil-LOM-it-er,” with the last syllable almost swallowed.
Midwest pronunciation: ki-LOM-et-er, but the kilo- prefix isn’t pronounced the same for kilobytes or kilobits, or it would be ki-LOB-ites and ki-LOB-its.
I heard a few Canadians pronounce it KILL-oh-mee-ter when I was in Canada, so I assumed that was how it was supposed to be pronounced, although I’ve never pronounced it like that on purpose.
My logic is that a speedometer (speed-AHM-a-ter) and odometer (o-DAHM-a-ter) and altimeter (al-TIM-a-ter) don’t have the “meter” part pronounced because they’re measuring devices that don’t necessarily have anything to do with the “meter” unit of measure. The millimeter, centimeter and kilometer should have “meter” pronounced in it because it’s a unit of measure involving the meter.
I stress the second syllable, even though this is illogical and inconsistent, since I stress the first syllable in words like “centimeter,” “millimeter,” “kilogram,” and “kilowatt.” I guess I’m just doing it the way I’ve heard other people pronounce it, but I don’t know why they pronounce it that way.
Maybe because it follows similar stress patterns to other two-syllable prefixed “-meter” words: thermometer, altimeter, micrometer (the measuring tool), telemeter, etc.
When speaking in a technical context, I stress the first syllable, but when referring to maps or vehicle speeds, I stress the second. As an American, though, I pretty much only refer to maps or vehicle speeds in SI units when speaking with people visiting the USA from overseas, when overseas myself, or when on the phone with Europeans.