# How do YOU pronounce these words? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761 "2014-03-03T17:32:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 4, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/21 "2014-03-04T02:14:55Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > **Niche** neesh > > **Mature** Ma-ture. There’s a very soft ch sound, but the t is the stronger element. > > **Cache** cash > > **Adirondacks** : addir-RON-dacks > > **Fetish** feh-tish > > **Cthulhu** hell if I know. I usually end up with some form of [Kuhlthau](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Kuhlthau) > > **Et cetera** et cetera > > **February** feb-U-airy > > **Sherbet** sherbert. Can’t help it, have tried to fix it, didn’t work. Same here, pretty much, except my “mature” has a pretty clear “ch,” and “February” has the accent on the first syllable. ETA: Oh, for **Cthulu** I say “KTHOO-loo.” I have no idea how it’s supposed to be pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/22 "2014-03-04T02:53:50Z")
I grew up in central Indiana and never heard mature, furniture, temperature, or literature pronounced without a “ch” sound for the t before the u until I moved to south Georgia. It still grates when I hear people use the hard T sound in those words. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/23 "2014-03-04T02:57:25Z")
Waitaminuute, somebody said “Cthulhu” at the Oscars? I think I better read the OP again. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/24 "2014-03-04T03:05:34Z")
For the record, I pronounce them all _CORRECTLY_. 😛 niche – NEESH mature – ma -TYOUR cache – CASH Adirondacks – add - er - RON - dax fetish – FET - ish Cthulhu – (k)THOOOOOL etcerera – et - SET - er - a February – FEH - broo - air - ee sherbet – SHER - bet except maybe Cthulhu ---
**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 4, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/25 "2014-03-04T04:08:06Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > What’s it to you if he does? Plenty of foreign loanwords are regularized to match existing english phonemic patterns. That would work if he were pronouncing it how it appears in English. But there is no English patter to turn “et” into “ex,” nor can I think of any other foreign word that gets that sort of treatment. Anyways, I say “neesh” because the other pronunciation would be “nitch” “Machoor,” because the “ty” combination always becomes “ch” in my accent. “Cash” because cachet is a completely different word. “Fettish” because, um, that’s the only pronunciation I’ve ever heard, and that’s the way it looks like it should be pronounced? “K-THoo-Loo” for almost the same reasons as above, except that I know that that’s not the original pronunciation. But no one uses that pronunciation because it’s hard to say. “ett setera” because that’s the way it’s spelled, and I saw it spelled way before I ever heard it said. “Febuary” because it’s one of those words where the “correct” pronunciation is seen as elitist and actually confuses kids. Unlike Library or surprise where you can say them correctly. “ShurBAY,” but with a caveat. That’s how I pronounce that particular word when reading it, but I call the actual substance “sherbert” and pronounce it accordingly. As both my usual brand and spell check indicate, “sherbert” is a legitimate word. Bonus: I still say Wensday instead of Wednsday, for the same reasons as February. And I say expresso, a change that is actually common (es -\> ex happens all the time.) ---
**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:** [March 4, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/26 "2014-03-04T04:53:23Z")
Interesting. So there are people who actually pronounce “sherbet” with one “r.” Fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/27 "2014-03-04T05:14:38Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > But I like Burt, he’s a cool guy [That’s not what I heard.](http://bertisevil.tv/evidence.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/28 "2014-03-04T05:16:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Interesting. So there are people who actually pronounce “sherbet” with one “r.” Fascinating. I assume people who pronounce “sherbet” as “sherbert” also pronounce “spaghetti” as “pasketti.” ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/29 "2014-03-04T05:20:57Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That would work if he were pronouncing it how it appears in English. But there is no English patter to turn “et” into “ex,” nor can I think of any other foreign word that gets that sort of treatment. Yeah, it’s absolutely crazy to imagine that a voiceless alveolar stop might become a voiceless velar stop which when followed by a sibilant would sound like the traditional english x. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I assume people who pronounce “sherbet” as “sherbert” also pronounce “spaghetti” as “pasketti.” That’s a stupid thing to assume. ---
**Author:** ![Trick\_Rider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Trick\_Rider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trick_Rider)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/30 "2014-03-04T05:35:20Z")
Niche: neesh Mature: ma-CHUR Cache: Cash Adirondacks: AD-uh-RON-dacks Fetish: FEH-tish Cthulhu: kuh-THOO-loo Et cetera: et SEH-ter-uh February: FEB-u-wary Sherbet: SHER-bet ---
**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:** [March 4, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/31 "2014-03-04T06:46:40Z")
Niche: Nish. Mature: Ma-CHUR. Cache: Cash. Adirondacks: Add-uh-RON-dacks. Fetish: FET-ish. Well, maybe not “ish” so much as a cross between “ish” and “esh.” Let’s call the vowel a schwa. Cthulhu: No idea. I never say it, I never need to say it, and I’ve never heard anybody say it in real life. I get that it’s some kind of Lovecraftian monster, but I also never need to say “King Kong” or “Dracula” or “Godzilla,” unless I’m referring to the movies. Et cetera: Et SET-uh-rah. Not quite as clipped and enunciated as Yul Brynner in “The King and I,” but close. February: FEB-u-ary in colloquial speech; FEB-ru-ary in more formal speech Sherbet: SHER-bet. My ex-wife (an American) used to throw the second R into it, and I never understood why. This thread may help explain. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2014, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/32 "2014-03-04T08:58:40Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > What’s it to you if he does? Then what the hell is this thread about? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/33 "2014-03-04T09:38:48Z")
British RP, well, mine, at least. Using ə to represent a schwa, and ɜ: for the sort-of long schwa, otherwise not using IPA: neesh neesh mach-OO-wə cash I’ve never had the need to say Adirondacks. I’d probably say ad-I (like eye)-rən-dax. FEH-tish kə-THOOL-hoo et SEH-ter-ə FEB-yə-ry - just three syllables. The a dissapears as well as the first first r. If I’m emphasising the word, the a comes back. SHɜ:-bət. As if there were an r turning the ‘e’ into a schwa, like at the end of the name Robert. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Yeah, it’s absolutely crazy to imagine that a voiceless alveolar stop might become a voiceless velar stop which when followed by a sibilant would sound like the traditional english x. Yeah, it’s et followed by s that’s the issue, not et in itself. We have plenty of words that start with ex and no other common words that start with ets. Sherbet is a different thing in the UK to the US; it’s a child’s sweet (though I still like it and have some in my cupboard now) that is basically sugar with some sort of weird flavouring. You usually eat it by either dipping a lolly or a licorice stick in it. Like so: [http://sweetsfortreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dip-dab-1024x682.jpg](http://sweetsfortreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dip-dab-1024x682.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/34 "2014-03-04T11:05:33Z")
**Niche** neesh **Mature** Mat-yewer or Mat-chewer. I can’t decide and it’s stopped making sense when I say it. **Cache** kaysh. What? Shut up, I’m Australian. 🙂 **Adirondacks** : I’ve never said this word in my life. **Fetish** fet-tish **Cthulhu** k-THOOL-oo **Et cetera** et setera **February** feb-U-airy **Sherbet** sher-b’t. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/35 "2014-03-04T12:34:50Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > mach-OO-wə The way that’s written, I’m now hearing it as spoken by Adelaide from “Guys and Dolls” - “yoo-wə so mach-OO-wə, Nathan”. Or possibly Marisa Tomei in “my Cousin Vinnie”. I used to say “sher-bert” growing up but I’ve training myself to say “sher-b’t” now. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/36 "2014-03-04T14:15:03Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Then what the hell is this thread about? I would assume sharing our various pronunciations in a positive and affirmational manner as mature and secure adults rather than mocking people who happen to speak a different dialect than we do. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/37 "2014-03-04T14:28:07Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I assume people who pronounce “sherbet” as “sherbert” also pronounce “spaghetti” as “pasketti.” Of course not, silly. But I’ve honestly never heard “sure-bit.” Not that I get into a lot of conversations about sherbet, but the ones I do with the people I do with always include the “r” in the second syllable. Dachshund is always an interesting one, too. I say DOCKS-und, but most people around me say “DASH-und” or “DASH-hound,” even people who own them. ---
**Author:** ![OurLordPeace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@OurLordPeace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OurLordPeace)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/38 "2014-03-04T14:39:22Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I would assume sharing our various pronunciations in a positive and affirmational manner as mature and secure adults rather than mocking people who happen to speak a different dialect than we do. There are different dialects, and then there are _errors_. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/39 "2014-03-04T14:45:00Z")
Only to people who don’t understand how language works. (I mean, there are errors but expresso and sherbert are not examples of them.) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/40 "2014-03-04T14:52:59Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The way that’s written, I’m now hearing it as spoken by Adelaide from “Guys and Dolls” - “yoo-wə so mach-OO-wə, Nathan”. Or possibly Marisa Tomei in “my Cousin Vinnie”. > > I used to say “sher-bert” growing up but I’ve training myself to say “sher-b’t” now. Well, my pronunciation of mature is more of a London thing than RP, really, and I’ve always noticed a few similarities between the stereotypical accents of London and New York. So there’s that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761.md?page=3)