# How do you pronounce 'Kilometer'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105 "2010-03-28T14:34:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [March 28, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/1 "2010-03-28T14:34:05Z")
Do you pronounce ‘kilometer’ as ‘kill-AH-mi-ter’, or ‘KILL-uh-me-ter’? ([Audio links here](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilometer).) 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. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/2 "2010-03-28T14:42:03Z")
I say “kill-AH-mi-ter.” FWIW, I’ve been living outside the US for some time, and have no idea where I picked up this pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/3 "2010-03-28T14:45:26Z")
ehr… keel-oh-MEE-ter, but then, in my native language it’s kee-LOH-meh-troh (with my best attempt at phunics, I do know I suck at phunics) ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyMac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@JohnnyMac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyMac)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/4 "2010-03-28T14:46:41Z")
kih-LOM-mih-tuh. “kill-AH-mi-ter” reads in a very strong American accent, to me ;). Kiwi, here. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/5 "2010-03-28T14:50:04Z")
Coming from the Spanish (for me) and french it is Ki-Lo-me-ter Short “ki” not kill “from kilo- (Prefix meaning a thousand) + mètre (meter)” ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/6 "2010-03-28T14:56:02Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I say “kill-AH-mi-ter.” FWIW, I’ve been living outside the US for some time, and have no idea where I picked up this pronunciation. Same for me. Western Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![nicole1912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@nicole1912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicole1912)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/7 "2010-03-28T15:06:41Z")
> [@JohnnyMac](#): > > kih-LOM-mih-tuh. “kill-AH-mi-ter” reads in a very strong American accent, to me ;). Same here - I’m a Brit. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/8 "2010-03-28T15:10:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/9 "2010-03-28T15:10:59Z")
> [@JohnnyMac](#): > > kih-LOM-mih-tuh. “kill-AH-mi-ter” reads in a very strong American accent, to me ;). > > Kiwi, here. Same pronunciation, same observation. UK. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/10 "2010-03-28T15:21:01Z")
> [@EmAnJ](#): > > Same for me. Western Canadian. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/11 "2010-03-28T15:25:01Z")
I put kil-AH-meh-ter, but really I pronounce it more as a three syllable word than four. The first vowel gets swallowed up, so it’s KLOM-eh-ter. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/12 "2010-03-28T15:25:07Z")
ki-LOM-i-ter. But I always get confused when I try to convert it to quarts. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/13 "2010-03-28T15:27:48Z")
Ki-LAW-mәtr would be closest, though kә-LAW-mәtr would also be a valid transcription. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/14 "2010-03-28T15:37:25Z")
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. Can’t figure out why. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/15 "2010-03-28T15:40:03Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > but the kilo- prefix isn’t pronounced the same for kilobytes or kilobits, or it would be kil-OB-ites and kil-OB-its. I’ve heard Brits say ‘ALTEE-meter’, which makes sense in the scheme you refer to. But I say ‘al-TIM-i-ter’. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/16 "2010-03-28T15:49:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/17 "2010-03-28T16:09:08Z")
Kill a meter. ETA: You never hear anyone say “sen TIMM uh ter” or mil LIMM ih terr" do you? Why would you say kill OMM it ter? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/18 "2010-03-28T16:19:37Z")
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. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/19 "2010-03-28T16:29:44Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Kill a meter. > > ETA: You never hear anyone say “sen TIMM uh ter” or mil LIMM ih terr" do you? Why would you say kill OMM it ter? Maybe because it follows similar stress patterns to other two-syllable prefixed “-meter” words: thermometer, altimeter, micrometer (the measuring tool), telemeter, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/20 "2010-03-28T16:37:16Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105.md?page=2)