# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/41 "2008-10-15T15:33:07Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > 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. Agreed. Why would you pronounce it wrong? I understand that there are some words that are difficult to pronounce, but sherbet certainly isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/42 "2008-10-15T15:37:23Z")
Sure, but well, the “but” part is more closed & clipped off… Sure, b’t ---
**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, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/43 "2008-10-15T15:40:34Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Agreed. Why would you pronounce it wrong? Because that’s my dialect. Because that pronunciation is not “wrong” in my dialect. Because if I said “SURE-bit,” everybody would look at me as if I were some kind of freak. I have never heard anyone around here say anything but “SURE-bert.” It’s like the word _bruschetta_. Depending on the situation and company, I will either pronounce it correctly, with a “k” sound, or colloquially, with the “sh” sound. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/44 "2008-10-15T15:54:34Z")
I had no idea until now that there is only one R in sherbet. My father always said SHER-bert, and he was the one who ate the stuff. -shugar ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/45 "2008-10-15T17:03:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Because that’s my dialect. Because that pronunciation is not “wrong” in my dialect. Because if I said “SURE-bit,” everybody would look at me as if I were some kind of freak. I have never heard anyone around here say anything but “SURE-bert.” It’s like the word _bruschetta_. Depending on the situation and company, I will either pronounce it correctly, with a “k” sound, or colloquially, with the “sh” sound. I don’t agree, though. Pronouncing “ask” as “ax” and “author” as “arthur”, may very well be dialectic, but it’s also absolutely wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/46 "2008-10-15T17:17:49Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > I don’t agree, though. Pronouncing “ask” as “ax” and “author” as “arthur”, may very well be dialectic, but it’s also absolutely wrong. Well, I guess you are entitled to your opinion… ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/47 "2008-10-15T17:44:13Z")
> [@sugar\_and\_spice](#): > > I had no idea until now that there is only one R in sherbet. My father always said SHER-bert, and he was the one who ate the stuff. Me too! Never occurred to me until this thread. Ignorance fought. ---
**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, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/48 "2008-10-15T17:52:54Z")
See we all attend or have the opportunity to attend free public schools. In the US I mean. And there we are taught to speak Standard American English. We are not taught to say _ax_ when we mean _ask_. We are not taught to say _mis-chee-vee-us_ when we mean _mis-chi-vus_. Why is it so wrong to speak as we are taught in school. I have to agree that some language is just plain wrong. Whether it’s laziness, rebellion even ignorance you have to admit that inaccuracy is inaccuracy. Ever hear someone say " He has such a wonderful command of the language"? That’s a very legitimate evaluation to make. So you have to concede that it’s also legitimate to say " Sheesh, how far did he get in school?" in the case of someone speaking poorly. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/49 "2008-10-15T17:53:21Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Sherbert as in “Ernie do you know where my pants are?”, “Sure, Bert!” Uh… yeah. Like that. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/50 "2008-10-15T18:03:05Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > I don’t agree, though. Pronouncing “ask” as “ax” and “author” as “arthur”, may very well be dialectic, but it’s also absolutely wrong. It is non-standard. Linguists generally refrain from referring to dialects as “wrong”. ---
**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, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/51 "2008-10-15T18:10:38Z")
That’s being PC. And we don’t approve of that. Do we? ---
**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, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/52 "2008-10-15T18:23:18Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > I don’t agree, though. Pronouncing “ask” as “ax” and “author” as “arthur”, may very well be dialectic, but it’s also absolutely wrong. Also, remember that there is a variant spelling, “sherbert.” Who’s to say when we say “sherbet” we’re not really saying “sherbert”? Like I said, I have never in my life heard anyone say “sher-bit.” ---
**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, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/53 "2008-10-15T18:28:09Z")
See, that’s just people spelling it the way they mispronounce it. Like how _ect._ is popping up lately for _etc._ ---
**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, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/54 "2008-10-15T18:33:34Z")
> [@jimpatro](#): > > That’s being PC. And we don’t approve of that. Do we? It’s not being PC, it’s being aware of how language differs from dialect to dialect. Do you harp on about how the Brits stick an “f” in Lieutenant, or how Americans don’t pronounce the “h” in herb? And why in the heck do people want to stick an “r” in the name Goethe and make it sound like “GAIR-tuh”? My dialect (and many dialects, as this thread demonstrates) insert an extra “r” sound into “sherbet.” So what? I’m not using the “correct” pronunciation because it will sound odd to people in my dialect, just like if I started pronouncing “herb” with the “h.” Or when I’m telling somebody to go to Goethe Street in Chicago, I have to say “GAIR-tuh,” because using the “correct” pronunciation will get blank stares from me. ---
**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, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/55 "2008-10-15T18:37:48Z")
It’s fine to pronounce the _h_ in _herb_. An _r_ is sometimes inserted into _Goethe_ because non-German speakers can’t pronounce the umlaut. Why are you so afraid to speak differently from everyone else? Hey, isn’t that how dialects are supposedly born? ---
**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, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/56 "2008-10-15T18:46:46Z")
> [@jimpatro](#): > > Why are you so afraid to speak differently from everyone else? Because that’s not my natural speech pattern. I speak in different registers and slightly different dialects depending on who I am speaking with, and to. Most good communicators understand this. For example, I use some Britishisms when I visit my friends in Budapests, because the local dialect there among English speakers converged to a British-American amalgam, and my natural speech patterns changed based on this. When I moved back to America, I had to consciously revert back to American English and stop using words like “lift” and phrases like “at university” which had become a natural part of my vocabulary. Only if I am speaking in a formal register will I take care to pronounce words in their standard versions, and be careful with using “whoms” (notice, I used “who” in my second sentence, even though I know “whom” is more “correct,” because I’m speaking in an informal register), subjunctives, and the such. ---
**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, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/57 "2008-10-15T18:53:30Z")
> [@jimpatro](#): > > It’s fine to pronounce the _h_ in _herb_. The “h” pronunciation is most definitely non-standard in America. ---
**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, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/58 "2008-10-15T18:58:43Z")
Good communicator here. Nope don’t understand this. Your examples, _lift_, _at university_ aren’t really in the same ballpark as “sherbert”. Do you really think someone in your present surroundings is not going to understand what you mean if you say _sher-bit_ or _sher-but_ instead of _sher-bert_? And is _whom_ or _who_ really going to confuse someone if they aren’t aware of the correct usage anyway? If I’m hanging out at a biker bar or yuppie bar or speaking in English to a Hispanic with limited English, I’m still me. And someone just might learn something. I might adjust my vocabulary, but not my pronunciation or grammar. ---
**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, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/59 "2008-10-15T19:03:47Z")
> [@jimpatro](#): > > Good communicator here. Nope don’t understand this. > Your examples, _lift_, _at university_ aren’t really in the same ballpark as “sherbert”. Do you really think someone in your present surroundings is not going to understand what you mean if you say _sher-bit_ or _sher-but_ instead of _sher-bert_? I do think people will look at me funny here if I said “shure-bit,” yes, just like people would look at me funny when I say “broo-skett-uh” instead of “brooshetta,” even though it’s obvious what both words mean. As I said several times, my natural speech pattern is to use the “sher-bert” pronunciation. Why should I change it just because it’s not “correct,” according to you? It’s correct for where I am. It’s how I naturally speak. Why should I affect an unnatural hypercorrect language when that’s not my dialect? ---
**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, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805/60 "2008-10-15T19:07:13Z")
Hypercorrect? Are you serious? Anyway, of course you’re entitled to speak as you wish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sherbet/467805.md?page=4)