# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/21 "2010-03-28T16:59:57Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > 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. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > 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. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Maybe because it follows similar stress patterns to other two-syllable prefixed “-meter” words: thermometer, altimeter, micrometer (the measuring tool), telemeter, etc. Yes. I say “KILL-oh-Mee-dur” for the unit of measure, similarly to “SENN-ih-Mee-dur” (centimetre), “MILL-ih-Mee-dur” (millimetre), “MIKE-roh-Mee-dur” (micrometre). On the other hand, I pronounce _micrometer_, the measuring instrument, as “mi-KROM-ehh-dur”. The micrometer measures in micrometres. Different spelling, different pronunciation. 🙂 When I was a kid, we promounced kilometre as “kill-OMM-e-dur”, but we were explicitly told sometime in public school that this stressing was wrong, and so say it similarly to cenimetre, millimetre, etc. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/22 "2010-03-28T17:14:22Z")
Something like kil-lom-eter. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/23 "2010-03-28T17:19:28Z")
kih-LOM-ih-ter, which is inconsistent with centimetre (sen-tee-mee-ter) and millimetre (mill-ee-mee-ter). I’m like **Sunspace** in that the measuring instruments (meters) don’t get the same spelling and pronunciation as the unit of measure (metres) “The micrometer measures in micrometres”. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/24 "2010-03-28T17:38:10Z")
kil-LOM-it-er for speed in a car or distance on a map. Kil-o-meter for math questions in a book. I don’t know why. I just do it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/25 "2010-03-28T18:21:11Z")
‘Click.’ ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/26 "2010-03-28T20:37:29Z")
I clicked “other”. I don’t pronounce the “i” at all - it comes out more like “k’law-mit-er”. If I’m talking really fast, it turns into a two-syllable word: “k’lawm-itr” Western Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/27 "2010-03-28T20:38:57Z")
I pronounce it “Sicks tenths ov a Mile” ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/28 "2010-03-28T21:54:17Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > I pronounce it “Sicks tenths ov a Mile” But you should say “Faahv eights ov a Mile”! ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/29 "2010-03-28T22:03:05Z")
I say Kilos and Meters so when I combine it, it naturally comes out as key-low-mee-ter ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/30 "2010-03-28T22:19:59Z")
I’m taking medical transcription and noticing that many dictators pronounce cm as “sauna-meter.” What’s up with that? ---
**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, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/31 "2010-03-28T22:33:17Z")
They’re using a French accent? ---
**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, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/32 "2010-03-28T22:56:26Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > 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. You are right! That is closer to how I pronounce it. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/33 "2010-03-28T23:16:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > They’re using a French accent? They’re pretty much American speakers, with no other words accented. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/34 "2010-03-29T00:26:03Z")
I stress the second syllable. At first when I started thinking about this, I wanted to blame this on my stints as an expat, but now that I think about it, at least in Bulgarian, the accent is actually on the _third_ syllable (“kee-lo-MET-ri”). It would be quite weird if I transferred that into English. So I don’t know. ---
**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 29, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/35 "2010-03-29T01:46:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > They’re using a French accent? There’s definitely a different pronunciation of “centimeter” for those in the medical profession. I’ve noticed a good number of nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff, pronounce centimeter as something like “SAWN-timeter.” I do believe it derives from the French, but I’m not sure what the exact story is. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/36 "2010-03-29T04:34:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There’s definitely a different pronunciation of “centimeter” for those in the medical profession. I’ve noticed a good number of nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff, pronounce centimeter as something like “SAWN-timeter.” I do believe it derives from the French, but I’m not sure what the exact story is. It’s a curious thing. My mom’s oncologist uses this pronunciation as well. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/37 "2010-03-29T05:24:52Z")
Someone on the board pointed out the international standard is always to pronounce the prefix the same. So KIL-o-meter. Since then, that’s the way I’ve pronounced the word the few times I’ve used it. But if I had to use it a lot in casual situations, I’d like to use the military slang “klik”. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/38 "2010-03-29T06:01:10Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > I’m taking medical transcription and noticing that many dictators pronounce cm as “sauna-meter.” Castro? Chavez? Ahmadinejad? 😃 Sorry, couldn’t resist. But seriously, can anyone tell me if French speakers pronounce it that way? Scientists? TV and radio correspondents? The average _homme_ on the _rue_? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/39 "2010-03-29T06:30:18Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I stress the second syllable. At first when I started thinking about this, I wanted to blame this on my stints as an expat, but now that I think about it, at least in Bulgarian, the accent is actually on the _third_ syllable (“kee-lo-MET-ri”). It would be quite weird if I transferred that into English. > > So I don’t know. Huh. Same in Hebrew: ki-lo-MEH-ter, san-ti-MEH-ter, mi-li-MEH-ter; but, interestingly, KILO-grahm, MILLI-grahm. Dunno what’s up with that… 😕 I don’t speak English (as opposed to writing it) often enough to really be able to say how it would come out of my mouth if it were to come up… Probably KILL-a-meter, to go with CENTI-meter and KILO-gram (and KILL-a-byte, MEGA-byte, JIGA-byte. Yes, I’m a geek :o) but I’m not sure! So – “other.” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105/40 "2010-03-29T06:38:31Z")
> [@Ace309](#): > > ‘Click.’ Same here. I used kms when I lived in Spain, everything was measured in kms and the cars also had kph instead of mph. Every English-speaking person said clicks instead of kilometers, and I got into the habit of using that term myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-kilometer/534105.md?page=3)