# How do you pronounce "Sherbet"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 14, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805 "2008-10-14T00:31:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/21 "2008-10-14T01:58:08Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I pronounce it the right way (i.e., shure-bet). You see, the word “sherbet” only has one R in it. Therefore, I pronounce it with one R. I don’t know if it’s apocryphal but the story I heard goes like this… Woman: I just realized that “sugar” is the only word in the English language where the “s” is pronounced “sh.” George Bernard Shaw: Are you sure? ---
**Author:** ![lunar\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lunar\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lunar_elf)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/22 "2008-10-14T02:04:12Z")
On a [kid’s show](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_and_Ruby-_Season_1#2._Max.27s_Bath), one of the main character said SHER-Bit. I thought it was kind of odd. Otherwise, Sher-bert ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/23 "2008-10-14T02:28:30Z")
I say SURE-bit but only because a girl I had a crush on in high school (who worked at an ice cream store) pointed out that SURE-bit was the proper pronunciation. Everyone I know says SURE-bert. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/24 "2008-10-14T04:12:24Z")
It’s a SHURE-BET that it’s SHURE-bert here in the midwest. SorBAY. pffft. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/25 "2008-10-14T04:50:19Z")
Sher-bit. When I was a little kid, most of my family pronounced it “sher-bert”, which was a complete 😕 for me because there was clearly only one ‘R’ in the word. Don’t know why I stuck to my guns on that one while conceding on February and the like, but I did. Glad to see I’m not alone. Sorbet, on the other hand, is a whole different animal in spelling, pronunciation (sor-bay), and substance. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/26 "2008-10-14T05:02:32Z")
“SHURE-bet” is correct, and how my family always said it. “SHURE-bert” is easier to say quickly than “SHURE-bet” because the tongue and jaw have to move to get from the “bert” position to the “bet” position. It’s fairly common, but it’s still a mispronunciation. “sor-BAY” (note the stress is on the second syllable) is one pronunciation of **sorbet** ; the other is “SOR-bit,” which obviously is quite similar to “SHURE-bet” and can contribute to some confusion (note that sherbet and sorbet are similar products, but are not the same). But are you seriously suggesting that people see the written word **sherbet** and pronounce it “SOR-bay?” That boggles my mind. [ETA:] Unless it’s on the British sitcom “Keeping up Appearances.”🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/27 "2008-10-14T05:16:45Z")
_nods_ Sherbet does not equal sorbet. Two different things. My family always pronounced it “sher-bert,” so I did too, until I actually saw it written and realized there was no second R. I pronounce it correctly now, which is to say, exactly how it’s spelled. **Sher** -bet. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/28 "2008-10-14T05:55:28Z")
SHURE-bet. (And NUKE-lee-ur. And NUP-sh’l.)😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/29 "2008-10-14T06:10:29Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Woman: I just realized that “sugar” is the only word in the English language where the “s” is pronounced “sh.” > > George Bernard Shaw: Are you sure? My Grade 5 teacher told us this one, but wasn’t amused when one kid popped up his hand and reminded the teacher that “surety” was another such word. Apparently, the kid’s father was a surety underwriter for the construction industry, and the kid had seen the word often enough on papers and whatnot his Dad brought home from work. Anyway, I pronounce it “SHER-bit.” Unless it’s spelled _sorbet_; in which case, I pronounce it “SOR-bay.” ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/30 "2008-10-14T08:11:01Z")
Another vote for SHER-bit, and I learned it from my mum, who learned it on the mean streets of Glasgow - or at least she learned it at the Tallies in Glasgow and they were very nice, even if they didn’t give credit for sweeties. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/31 "2008-10-14T08:26:14Z")
> [@Ace309](#): > > SHERb’t. Yeah, that’s how I pronounce the word as well. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/32 "2008-10-14T12:55:10Z")
Sher-bit. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/33 "2008-10-15T13:17:06Z")
Do people really pronounce the first syllable as “Sure”/“Shore”, i.e. to rhyme with “your”? That seems odd - the vowel is an “e”, and I’ve only every heard it pronounced to rhyme with “her”. I say “SHER-buht”, with a schwa in the second syllable. I was going to say, sherbet and sorbet are totally different things, but on looking in my dictionary I see that “sherbet” is also an American name for what we in the UK call sorbet (i.e. water ice, usually fruit-flavoured). Over here, sherbet is white fizzy powder, or a drink or sweet made with said powder. One thing I did not know is that both words are related and originally come from the Turkish word şerbet - but sorbet comes via French and so gets the “SOR-bay” pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/34 "2008-10-15T13:27:51Z")
Sher-bit. I also come from a family that pronounced it Sher-bert. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/35 "2008-10-15T14:13:55Z")
SHER-bet. English has silent letters but AFAIK does not have \*invisible \*letters. 🙂 (However, I think SHER-bert is simply an error that became so widespread that nobody realized it was an error. Another example is the common use in Baltimore of the word “lozenge” to inexplicably be pronounced “lozenger.” Whether it is still an error is debatable, but I maintain the pronouncing a letter that was never there is an error. Interestingly [one online dictionary](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=sherbet&searchmode=none) shows that the etymology is from Turkish. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/36 "2008-10-15T14:19:57Z")
Ha ha, my wierd family also tried to infect me with _lozenger_ . In Texas by the way. Anyone for a sang-gwich? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/37 "2008-10-15T14:24:25Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > (However, That should be (However, some foreign imports might get weird treatment, like “colonel.”) And I’ve never had a sang-gwich but I’ve had a few sam-wiches. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/38 "2008-10-15T14:28:56Z")
SURE-bət. Just to be extra accurate. (And because if I pronounce the e instead of a schwa it invariably comes out “bert”.) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/39 "2008-10-15T14:35:05Z")
If you’re under 10 years old I’ll give you a pass and let you call it Shure-bert. But after that you start sounding silly pronouncing it wrong. Kind of like saying you’re going to the li-berry to study. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/40 "2008-10-15T15:31:36Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Do people really pronounce the first syllable as “Sure”/“Shore”, i.e. to rhyme with “your”? That seems odd - the vowel is an “e”, and I’ve only every heard it pronounced to rhyme with “her”. I don’t think so. “Sure” rhymes with “her” in my dialect. And it’s not an “e” sound in “sure,” but rather what’s called an “r-controlled vowel” in American English. [Examples of the sounr.](http://www.pronuncian.com/sounds.aspx?sound=22+4) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805.md?page=3)