# How is "Ka-Bar" pronounced?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-ka-bar-pronounced/318410>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 24, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-ka-bar-pronounced/318410 "2005-08-24T13:04:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-ka-bar-pronounced/318410/1 "2005-08-24T13:04:49Z")

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Yesterday my friend was telling me about the “ka-BAR” knife he ordered. Is he pronouncing this the right way? As in, ka-BOOM! and not “kay-bar” or “kaah-bar?”

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**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:** [August 24, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-ka-bar-pronounced/318410/2 "2005-08-24T13:34:16Z")

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I have always heard and seen it as K-Bar pronounced KAY-bar. A quick google also shows variants of kbar and kabar, which could reasonably be pronounced k\<schwa\>-BAR.

(scwha is that upside-down e that gives a neutral vowel sound usually used to get from one consonant to another, but I don’t know how to show it on the board.)

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**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-ka-bar-pronounced/318410/3 "2005-08-24T14:07:00Z")

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> [@Argent Towers](#):
>
> Yesterday my friend was telling me about the “ka-BAR” knife he ordered. Is he pronouncing this the right way? As in, ka-BOOM! and not “kay-bar” or “kaah-bar?”

During WW2 we in the Marine Corps were issued Kabar knives as standard equipment for combat troops.

There were two versions--------the second being an improvement over the first.

Later there was an Army Kabar and a Navy Kabar.

It was definitely pronounced as KAY-bar---------it was as simple that.

Wish I still had mine------it was a like miniature machete--------and could de-hull a coconut like cutting through butter!

EZ

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**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-ka-bar-pronounced/318410/4 "2005-08-24T15:50:11Z")

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I always thought a K-bar was a banana. Also known as potassium sticks.

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**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-ka-bar-pronounced/318410/5 "2005-08-24T23:56:12Z")

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Ha Ha Ha!!!