# How do you pronounce "mayonnaise"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229 "2017-03-28T16:56:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/61 "2017-03-29T14:08:17Z")
With three syllables. No real emphasis on either: perhaps a wee bit on the final syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/62 "2017-03-29T14:11:19Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > A vowel in an unaccented medial syllable is often elided in English. > > In my fam-lee, by pref-rence we have sev-ral veg-ta-blz prac-tic-ly ev-ry eev-ning, and we’re gen-ra-ly happy. > > In your fam-i-ly, by pref-e-rence you have sev-e-ral veg-e-ta-blz prac-tic-a-ly ev-e-ry eev-e-ning but then you can’t enjoy them because you’ve wasted all your time pronouncing all those extra syllables. I’ll bet you surf the inner-net, too. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/63 "2017-03-29T14:17:02Z")
on the rare occasions when I utter the complete word, MAYnaze, usually just mayo, Don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone actually pronounce it May-o-naze. I’ve heard pronounce May-on-aze once. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/64 "2017-03-29T14:56:39Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > With three syllables. No real emphasis on either: perhaps a wee bit on the final syllable. This is what I had in mind when I created the poll but I don’t think I described it correctly. [QUOTE=bibliophage] Quote: Originally Posted by panache45 View Post This. Why pronounce it any differently? A vowel in an unaccented medial syllable is often elided in English. In my fam-lee, by pref-rence we have sev-ral veg-ta-blz prac-tic-ly ev-ry eev-ning, and we’re gen-ra-ly happy. In your fam-i-ly, by pref-e-rence you have sev-e-ral veg-e-ta-blz prac-tic-a-ly ev-e-ry eev-e-ning but then you can’t enjoy them because you’ve wasted all your time pronouncing all those extra syllables. [/QUOTE] Dropping the the middle syllable I can kind of get, but where the heck does the “man” pronunciation come from? ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/65 "2017-03-29T15:39:46Z")
Whenever possible I say “Miracle Whip!” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/66 "2017-03-29T17:51:00Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > As another true atheist [sic], I have no trouble with Satan’s ejaculate. Right! Yes, thanks for that, not only for the i before e exception, but yes, mythical beings ejaculate, just not in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/67 "2017-03-29T18:05:56Z")
Fans of Doctor Demento will remember the pronunciation used by Big Daddy in their song, _Hamster Love_: Hamster sandwich, hamster and cheese. Hamster sandwiches with mayoneeze, are delicious, and so nutritious. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/68 "2017-03-29T22:30:39Z")
I pronounce it may-oh-nayse, with a slight hardness on the last syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/69 "2017-03-29T23:21:52Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > This is what I had in mind when I created the poll but I don’t think I described it correctly. > > Dropping the the middle syllable I can kind of get, but where the heck does the “man” pronunciation come from? It’s a very easy sound shift from “mayo” to “man” of you’re speaking quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/70 "2017-03-30T01:45:54Z")
MAN-aze. I’m in Texas. Apparently may-uh-naze is a Midwesterner thing? What about the west and east coasts? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/71 "2017-03-30T02:35:05Z")
I went with the second option (MANaze) but the first pronunciation (MAY on naze) seems just as natural to me, and if I’m not in a hurry while speaking I think I might lean a little toward #1. I have never been a mayo fan, but recently, to my surprise, I developed a taste for mac salad, just because I encounter it so often (it is an essential part of a Hawaiian plate lunch, and I’ve had lots of those over the past few years). So, I now keep a jar of mayo in the house so I can make mac salad. I’m not proud of myself, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/72 "2017-03-30T06:36:16Z")
may uh NAYS. Texas ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/73 "2017-03-30T12:54:19Z")
It’s MANaize, but I can fall back a bit into the more hillbilly “mayun” for that first syllable. (Think the not-Jessica-Rabbit from the Roger Rabbit movie). But it’s still a triphthong, not a separate syllable. Though, most often, I just say “mayo.” MAE-(y)oh: the (y) is sorta there. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/74 "2017-03-30T12:56:41Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > This is what I had in mind when I created the poll but I don’t think I described it correctly. > > Dropping the the middle syllable I can kind of get, but where the heck does the “man” pronunciation come from? Vowel narrowing. We probably say “man” differently than you do. It’s not the same vowel as in cat. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/75 "2017-03-30T13:13:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Vowel narrowing. We probably say “man” differently than you do. It’s not the same vowel as in cat. Now I’m intrigued. I swear, the things I’ve learned about language here . . . If it’s not the same sound as “cat” and it doesn’t sound like the month of May, how would you describe it? And, is it only for multi syllable words that contain “man” or do you pronounce the actual word “man” in some other way? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/76 "2017-03-30T13:41:30Z")
Actually in my experience the “man” in “man-aze” is exactly the same vowel as in “cat” for that speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/77 "2017-03-30T15:41:17Z")
Obviously, it’s MAY-o-NAYS. Otherwise, lyrics to the song “TV Set” by the Cramps would never work. _Oh baby I see you in my Frigidaire Yeah baby I see you in my Frigidaire Behind the mayonnaise, way in the back I’m gonna see you tonight for a midnight snack_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/78 "2017-03-30T16:21:41Z")
I’m saddened that there aren’t more votes for “Satan’s Ejaculate”. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/79 "2017-03-30T17:59:06Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Obviously, it’s MAY-o-NAYS. > > Otherwise, lyrics to the song “TV Set” by the Cramps would never work. > > _Oh baby I see you in my Frigidaire > Yeah baby I see you in my Frigidaire > Behind the mayonnaise, way in the back > I’m gonna see you tonight for a midnight snack_ > > :eek: Which I assume was inspired by the commercial for something or other where the man is searching for something and says "there it is, back behind the may-o-naaaize (?) Now that I think about it, I occasionally still use that expression. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229/80 "2017-03-30T21:28:03Z")
> [@Skypist](#): > > MAN-aze. I’m in Texas. Apparently may-uh-naze is a Midwesterner thing? Well, this Midwesterner (born in Ohio, now an Indiana resident) has never been to Texas, and yet says “MAN-aze”. [This map](http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6/#we-are-a-nation-divided-over-mayonnaise-8) may be of interest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-mayonnaise/783229.md?page=5)