# How do you pronounce "Paiste"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 8, 2004, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160 "2004-05-08T08:02:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160/1 "2004-05-08T08:02:03Z")

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Mr Babs is a drummer and as one can imagine, the name Paiste is pretty common around the house.

How exactly do you pronounce it?

I heard, for ages: “Paste” or “Paste-ee”.

After looking the name up, I find this to be wrong.

All sources agree that the first part is pronounced “pie” and that the accent is here.

The second part varies. I have seen some say it’s “steh” as in “Stella” while others say “stee” as in “steeple”.

The Paiste website doesn’t say and e-mails remain unanswered.

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160/2 "2004-05-08T10:01:56Z")

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Say “Pie-stee” and you’ll have it right. Great cymbals BTW. Love playing mine.

Quasi

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**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160/3 "2004-05-08T10:04:13Z")

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He should just simplify things and switch to Zildjian! 😛

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**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160/4 "2004-05-08T15:11:55Z")

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Actually, he does use Zildjian cymbals.  
We just always see Paiste stuff.

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**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160/5 "2004-05-08T15:39:04Z")

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I’ll second **Quasi** and say I’ve always heard “pie-stee”. My first set of hihats were Paiste, I traded them in on some Sabians, but the crash/ride was a Zildjian, and the set I just bought is from the Zildjian ZXT line. I think I’ll stick with them.

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-paiste/244160/6 "2004-05-08T16:09:27Z")

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Actually, it’s pronounced “Throat-Warbler Mangrove.”