# How do you pronounce "lawyer"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196 "2011-03-18T21:34:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/21 "2011-03-19T02:21:16Z")
I say LOY-er. Of course I’m from Calgry. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/22 "2011-03-19T02:22:27Z")
None of the above. I pronounce it loy-yer. I live in Central Florida but grew up outside Philadelphia, and I lived outside NYC for about 9 years as well. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/23 "2011-03-19T05:16:56Z")
Not to throw too much of a wet blanket on this, but people are typically _horrible_ at accurately reporting what they actually say. It’s a form of the observer effect: The moment you know you’re listening for specific phonemes, you slow down and form them unnaturally relative to your normal speaking voice. That, and relatively few people can adequately describe the various phonemes in the first place, and it’s always more difficult to find something if you can’t adequately characterize it. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/24 "2011-03-19T06:01:13Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > …relatively few people can adequately describe the various phonemes in the first place, and it’s always more difficult to find something if you can’t adequately characterize it. Right. I think this a lot about these pronunciation threads, where people attempt to depict the sounds with plain letters and capitalization. I’ve thought and talked a lot about speech and accents before, but almost entirely in person. I’m certain that the people reading this thread don’t all have precisely the same sounds in mind for each of these choices. It would be nice if we all knew IPA, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/25 "2011-03-19T06:03:29Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > I’m certain that the people reading this thread don’t all have precisely the same sounds in mind for each of these choices. The link to the pronunciation recordings was supposed to help with that. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/26 "2011-03-19T06:07:54Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > The link to the pronunciation recordings was supposed to help with that. Ah–I forgot you’d done that. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/27 "2011-03-19T06:21:46Z")
Neither of those sounds close to right for me–but I had checked “LAW-yer” because that’s what _I_ think I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/28 "2011-03-19T07:05:59Z")
My brother in law is a lawyer. I pronounce it “slimeball”. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/29 "2011-03-19T07:09:01Z")
loix-yur ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/30 "2011-03-19T07:19:07Z")
I picked “LOY-er” but it’s more like loy-yer. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/31 "2011-03-19T09:15:30Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Actually, when saying the word at its normal speed, I can’t tell the difference between LAW-yer and LOY-er. I once had a similar discussion with a woman named “Laura,” and came to the same conclusion. I say law-yer, and interestingly (or not :)), my name is Laura. And yes, it matters to me how it’s pronounced. NOT that I say anything if someone pronounces it incorrectly, but when someone says it right, I do say “thank you”. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/32 "2011-03-19T11:09:21Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > LOY-yer. > > UK. My native accent is RP with a London admixture. > I’ve never heard of people saying the word with “law” as the first syllable. Do they/you also pronounce “sawyer” in the same way? UK too, and I say “law-yer” and “saw-yer”. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/33 "2011-03-19T14:33:44Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > I say law-yer, and interestingly (or not :)), my name is Laura. And yes, it matters to me how it’s pronounced. NOT that I say anything if someone pronounces it incorrectly, but when someone says it right, I do say “thank you”. So what’s correct? Lah-ra? Lorra? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/34 "2011-03-19T15:31:21Z")
LOY-er. It seems like you have to do verbal gymnastics to say it any other way. ---
**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 19, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/35 "2011-03-19T17:06:18Z")
LAW-yer. Also, SAW-yer and NYE-ther. ETA: My dad used to say, ‘EE-ther is OK, but EYE-ther is correct.’ . ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/36 "2011-03-19T17:17:47Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > “Liar” Ha! I was in a community theater production many years ago, one of the lines required me to saw “lawyer.” The director told me when I said it, that my California accent made it sound like “liar.” So I started pronouncing it “loy-er” and it’s been that way ever since. ---
**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 19, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/37 "2011-03-19T17:19:47Z")
> [@Rico](#): > > my California accent Dude! Californian’s don’t have accents! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/38 "2011-03-19T17:42:19Z")
jsgoddess, is this another one of those words that your sweetie can’t pronounce? :dubious: 😛 I say “law-eh-yuh” as any good southern girl should. Three syllables and all that. The “law” part is similar to the “aw” in “y’all”. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/39 "2011-03-19T17:59:19Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > jsgoddess, is this another one of those words that your sweetie can’t pronounce? :dubious: He pronounces it WRONG, but I didn’t know how he pronounced it\* before starting the poll. \*WRONG ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196/40 "2011-03-19T18:01:53Z")
😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-lawyer/575196.md?page=3)