# How do you pronounce "read:"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352 "2005-04-02T02:20:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/1 "2005-04-02T02:20:26Z")
As in, “He was reading an adult magazine (read: porn).” Is it pronounced reed, or red? I need to know for my “inner-pronunciation” in my head. Also, is there a name for this thing? Am I making sense with these questions? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/2 "2005-04-02T02:28:24Z")
Present tense: reed. Past tense: red. He was reeding an adult magazine (red: porn). ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/3 "2005-04-02T02:35:39Z")
Bad example. I think you might see what I’m getting at, but a better example might be “His girlfriend decided they needed some time apart (read: he was dumped).” ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/4 "2005-04-02T02:36:47Z")
In the present tense: I read the newspaper every morning - pronounced to rhyme with _feed_. In the past tense: Yesterday I read the newspaper - pronounced to rhyme with _head_. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/5 "2005-04-02T02:40:21Z")
When used to mean “which really means”- read is reed, present tense. Even if the actions described occured in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/6 "2005-04-02T02:40:28Z")
I say “reed” as in, “reed that last bit as:”. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/7 "2005-04-02T02:40:28Z")
I read (read: (whatever)) as “reed”. As in a command to read the previous statement in a particular way. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/8 "2005-04-02T02:42:56Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > Bad example. I think you might see what I’m getting at, but a better example might be “His girlfriend decided they needed some time apart (read: he was dumped).” OK, well I see what you mean, but I’ve always assumed that that was past tense. Maybe not exactly past tense, I’m not an expert, but this is how I see it: His girlfriend decided they needed some time apart (should be read: he was dumped). ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/9 "2005-04-02T02:44:33Z")
I can tell there is a groundswell of support for me being wrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bitwise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@bitwise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bitwise)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/10 "2005-04-02T02:45:54Z")
I think I can give a better example than the OP, since I’ve had this question myself. ``` The symbol "+" (read "plus") is used to denote addition. ``` In the above sentence, is “read” an imperative or a past participle. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/11 "2005-04-02T02:47:50Z")
I can see pronouncing it either in the command form, or the “to be read” form. Hence my dilemna. Something makes me think there’s a proper way to say it. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/12 "2005-04-02T04:15:34Z")
This isn’t very helpful, but I think it’s “red” and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it spoken as “red.” But you know how it is with those things, you always feel sure you’ve heard it your way til you hear it the other way and then you can’t believe you’ve been backwards your whole life. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/13 "2005-04-02T04:24:52Z")
I pronounce it “reed.” (Note: my opinion only.) Perhaps a reference book would be helpful. (See: style and usage guide.) As it’s note and see, not noted or saw, the parallelism leads me to support _reed_, not _red_. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/14 "2005-04-02T05:27:08Z")
I consider it the command form, thus “reed.” ---
**Author:** ![Sofis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Sofis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/15 "2005-04-02T08:06:53Z")
For what it’s worth: An identical construction is used in Swedish, and in that case the imperative is used. So I tend to read ‘read’ as ‘reed’. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/16 "2005-04-02T15:25:37Z")
It’s direction to the reader (imperative), hence “reed”. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/17 "2005-04-02T15:29:24Z")
Another vote for pronouncing it as “reed” - it has never occurred to me that it could be otherwise. Bah - Straight Dope - not only answers I would never have known, but now questions I had never thought of! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JasonFin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JasonFin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JasonFin)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/18 "2005-04-02T22:12:24Z")
I’ll also go for “reed.” But when the colon is omitted, as in **bitwise** ’s example “The symbol ‘+’ (read ‘plus’) denotes addition,” I think you need to use the past tense, pronounced as “red,” because the imperative interpretation really doesn’t hold up in that case. ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/19 "2005-04-02T22:32:30Z")
Ok, but is a “read receipt” a “reed receipt” or a “red receipt”? ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352/20 "2005-04-02T23:11:29Z")
I can state categorically that the answer to the OP is “red”. Of course, I have no cite :o , but my reasoning is that the usage signifies the past-tense because the passage follows the original text. If the clarification preceded the text, then it would be “reed”. Regardless of the majority opinion, I will always read read as read. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-read/297352.md?page=2)