# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/81 "2014-03-07T20:58:23Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Well, anyone who pronounces words differently than I do _should_ be ashamed! I am very A-shuh-MED. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/82 "2014-03-07T21:01:06Z")
Niche – Nitch Mature – Muh-chur Cache – “Cash” if it’s a place where something is stored. “Cash-ay” if it is synonymous with high status. (wait, is that spelled the same? Now I’m not sure) Adirondacks – adder-ON-dax Fetish – feddish Cthulhu – Ka-thoo-loo Et cetera – Et Sedder-ah February – Feb-ROO-airy (I hate this word. Both ways make me cringe) Sherbet – sher-bet. Fixed this when I was about 13. CARIBBEAN: Kuh-RIB-bee-un as a place, but I used Care-uh-BEE-in if it’s a descriptive word, like “Caribbean Cruise” CHIC: Sheek COCAINE: co-CAIN CULINARY: KYOO-lin-ar-y DATA: DAY-ta GONDOLA: GON-duh-luh GRATIS: GROT-is IMPIOUS: im-PIE-us VERSION: VER-zhun VIKING: VIE-king ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/83 "2014-03-07T21:07:40Z")
- Niche: Usually nitch, especially in a phrase like “\ market”. Sometimes neesh if it’s on its own - Mature: Ma-chure - Cache: cash - Adirondacks: \-durr-ahn-dacks - Fetish: Feh-tish - Cthulhu: choo-too-loo, but I only ever say it in my head and I know it’s wrong - Et cetera: et set-er-ah - February: Feb-you-\ - Sherbet: sure-bit CARIBBEAN: \-ruh-BE-in CHIC: Sheek COCAINE: co-cain CULINARY: cuh-lin-ar-y DATA: Day-ta GONDOLA: GON-doe-luh GRATIS: \-iss IMPIOUS: im- **PIE** ous but I know it’s wrong VERSION: ver-zhun VIKING: vie-king ---
**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 7, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/84 "2014-03-07T21:12:08Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > How I pronounce these: > > CARIBBEAN: KAIR-uh-BEE-unn or Kuh-RIB-bee-un (interchangeably) > CHIC: Sheek > COCAINE: co-CAIN > CULINARY: KYOO-lin-ar-y > DATA: DAY-ta > GONDOLA: GON-duh-luh > GRATIS: GROT-is > IMPIOUS: im-PIE-us (oops, thought it was referring to imps, not piety. fixed) > VERSION: VER-zhun > VIKING: VIE-king I’m similar, except I do “CULL-in-airy” for “culinary.” (Although, I will sometimes go with your pronunciation. Depends on my mood.) I will also say “IMP-ee-us” for “impious,” but that’s the primary pronunciation in the dictionaries I looked at. So I’m a little surprised at **dougie\_mountie** ’s list and Robert Ripley’s claim, as there doesn’t seem to be any big “gotchas” on there that would suggest only 1 in 100,000 would pronounce those as he thinks right. (Except maybe for /ˈvɜːʒən/, which is only “correct” in a non-rhotic accent.) ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/85 "2014-03-07T21:45:18Z")
I don’t pronounce those words. I find them morally unacceptable. Maybe some judge will order me to do so. LOL ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/86 "2014-03-08T05:10:01Z")
Non-rhotic? 😕 ---
**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 8, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/87 "2014-03-08T16:18:39Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Non-rhotic? 😕 “Non-rhotic” means where you don’t pronounce the “r” in certain cases, like in the stereotypical English accent or in Boston accents. The pronunciation given here: > [@](#): > > version: /ˈvɜːʒən/ Has no “r” sound in it. American accents pronounce the “r” there. The quoted pronunciation is the “correct” pronunciation for these types of non-rhotic accents, but not for what you might call the general American accent, where the “r” is definitely pronounced (i.e. is rhotic), and the pronunciation is /ˈvɜrʒən/ or possibly /'vɜrʃən/. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/88 "2014-03-08T19:27:48Z")
> **[Free Online English Pronunciation Dictionary | Howjsay | Learn to Pronounce...](https://howjsay.com/index?browse=1&let=Z)** > > Learn How to Pronounce English Words | Natural Recordings by Native Speakers my favourite spell and speak, you spell, it speaks. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/89 "2014-03-08T19:54:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “Non-rhotic” means where you don’t pronounce the “r” in certain cases, like in the stereotypical English accent or in Boston accents. > > The pronunciation given here: > > Has no “r” sound in it. American accents pronounce the “r” there. The quoted pronunciation is the “correct” pronunciation for these types of non-rhotic accents, but not for what you might call the general American accent, where the “r” is definitely pronounced (i.e. is rhotic), and the pronunciation is /ˈvɜrʒən/ or possibly /'vɜrʃən/. Forgive me; I’m from central Indiana, as Midwestern as they come–and we pronounce the “r” very clearly. Rhotic through and through. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/90 "2014-03-08T20:16:35Z")
**Niche** _neesh_ **Mature** _mah-chyoor_ **Cache** _kash_ **Adirondacks** I don’t think I have ever said this word aloud. **Fetish** _feh-tish_ **Cthulhu** _kuh-thoo-loo_ (how weird is it that I have said this aloud, but not Adirondacks?) **Et cetera** _et set-er-uh_ **February** _feb-roo-airy_ **Sherbet** _sher-bet_ **CARIBBEAN** _ka-rib-ee-un_ **CHIC** _sheek_ **COCAINE** _ko-kain_ **CULINARY** _kul-uh-nairy_ **DATA** _day-tuh_ (It’s how he prefers it.) **GONDOLA** _gon-duh-luh_ **GRATIS** _grat-is_ (the first syllable vowel sound is the same as the first syllable vowel sound in _crap_) **IMPIOUS** I have never said this word aloud. **VERSION** _ver-zhun_ **VIKING** _vy-king_ (the first syllable vowel sound is the same as the first person singular pronoun, _I_) ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761/91 "2014-03-08T20:30:30Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Because there are english speakers who pronounce them expresso and sherbert which makes them correct english pronunciations. Espresso and sherbet are also correct english pronunciations. As someone who has admitted to pronouncing sherbet as sherbert, I disagree. Even though my brain seems to think the word ends in ert, doesn’t make it right. It’s also a word I use so very seldom that I haven’t been able to cure myself of the failing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-these-words/682761.md?page=4)