# How should you pronounce "Iranian"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2005, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757 "2005-09-15T10:11:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/21 "2005-09-16T08:57:48Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#): > > I’ve learned that its pronounced i-ran, with the initial “i” like the “i” in the English word “bit”. Um, I’m pretty sure I know you. Do you drive an old truck you bought from your sister and have a whole bunch of toys on your desk at work? [sub]don’t freak out, I’m not a stalker. [/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/22 "2005-09-16T12:29:55Z")
> [@Atticus Finch](#): > > I’ve never heard Farsi being called Persian. I’ve often heard people, when speaking English, referring to teh language as “Persian.” Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition: Persian adj. of Persia, ancient _or modern_, or its people, _language_, or culture – n. 1 a person born or living in Persia 2. _Farsi_ … In my view, using “Farsi” instead of “Persian” when speaking or writing English is akin to using “Deutsch” or “Francais” instead of “German” or “French.” It’s not wrong, but it’s not English. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/23 "2005-09-16T15:45:10Z")
I believe one of the reasons for using ‘Farsi’ is to enable a distinction between Persian dialects, such as Dari. Anecdotally, I’ve seen my mother’s lists of her pupils’ first languages (as identified by the families themselves) use the two terms separately. ---
**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:** [September 16, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/24 "2005-09-16T16:33:27Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#): > > I’ve learned that its pronounced i-ran, with the initial “i” like the “i” in the English word “bit”. I’ve also heard this pronunciation quite commonly around here. ---
**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:** [September 16, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/25 "2005-09-16T16:35:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve also heard this pronunciation quite commonly around here. Addendum: In fact, if you look at the **American** Heritage Dictionary, it’s the first pronunciation given. The second is ih-RAHN. The third is eye-RAN. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/26 "2005-09-16T17:58:26Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Iranian: I pronounce this as _Persian_. There’s a big difference there. Being “Iranian” means that you are from Iran, the country. Being “Persian” means that you have ancestry predating the formation of the country currently called Iran. A Persian friend of mine explained that he is proud of his Persian heritage (which predates the nation called Iran), but despises everything that Iran is and represents. He considers himself an American by residence and a Persian by birth. Don’t call him Iranian. On the flip side, there are Iranian people whose heritage does not go back to Persia. They would properly be called Iranians. As for the OP, I (and my Persian buddy, who speaks Farsi) say eh-RAHN-ee-an, with that “eh” being a schwa. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi-Ian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc348/32.png) [@Kiwi-Ian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi-Ian)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/27 "2015-05-07T10:06:11Z")
40 years ago, Brits, Americans and Iranians all pronounced Iran and Iranian the same way i-rahn (sometimes i-ran) and i-rahnian with the ‘i’ being as in bit. Iraq and Italy were the same. Then in 1979 the Iranians overthrew the Shah and instituted a radical regime not friendly to the Americans. About that time eye-ran appeared in the American media. When Saddam Hussein came to power, the same happened to Iraq and it became eye-rack. Fortunately there are so many Italians in the US that it will never be eye-tally and will always be Iddly. It makes one wonder if the new American pronunciation is a result of subliminal propaganda or just plain ignorance. But since even Americans used to pronounce it i-rahn we can assume that that is the correct way. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/28 "2015-05-07T11:25:52Z")
> [@Kiwi-Ian](#): > > 40 years ago, Brits, Americans and Iranians all pronounced Iran and Iranian the same way i-rahn (sometimes i-ran) and i-rahnian with the ‘i’ being as in bit. Iraq and Italy were the same. > > Then in 1979 the Iranians overthrew the Shah and instituted a radical regime not friendly to the Americans. About that time eye-ran appeared in the American media. > > When Saddam Hussein came to power, the same happened to Iraq and it became eye-rack. > > Fortunately there are so many Italians in the US that it will never be eye-tally and will always be Iddly. > > It makes one wonder if the new American pronunciation is a result of subliminal propaganda or just plain ignorance. But since even Americans used to pronounce it i-rahn we can assume that that is the correct way. Or maybe it’s simply that eye-ran is the pronunciation closest to what passes as pronunciation rules in English and big events like that caused a lot of people to use the word who weren’t habituated to the “correct” pronunciation. And do you have any decent evidence that ee-rahn was standard English pronunciation fourty years ago? Or did you resurrec a ten year old thread to post your personal opinon? PS: With so many Italians in the US you’d think they would have managed to avoid the pronunciation eye-talians as well if your theory had much merit. ---
**Author:** ![Willcross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Willcross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willcross)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/29 "2015-05-07T11:53:47Z")
> [@Large\_Marge](#): > > Um, I’m pretty sure I know you. > > Do you drive an old truck you bought from your sister and have a whole bunch of toys on your desk at work? > > [sub]don’t freak out, I’m not a stalker. [/sub] I’m disappointed there was never any closure on this. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/30 "2015-05-07T11:57:49Z")
I pronounce it “ihron” short i, and the a like “ahhh” ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/31 "2015-05-07T15:54:57Z")
I grew up pronouncing them “I ran” and “I rack”, but when I was stationed in Iraq a few years before this thread started, I learned that the locals pronounced it “i rock” with the “i” as in “his” (not like the Camaro). Then I just started saying “Iran” the same way (“i” as in “his” and Ron, like Mr. Swanson). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/32 "2015-05-07T17:30:18Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > I pronounce it “ihron” > > short i, and the a like “ahhh” I pronounce it to rhyme with Fronkensteen. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi-Ian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc348/32.png) [@Kiwi-Ian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi-Ian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/33 "2015-07-21T03:38:31Z")
It’s several years since this question was first posed and the American media have really gone for eye-ran and eye-rain-ians, and eye-rak and eye-rackies. Worse, much worse, non-Americans have been saying this too because it’s “cool” to be American. OK, maybe soon you’ll start speaking of eye-tail-ians from eye-taily. For heaven’s sake, i-rahn-ians come from ir-ran, and i-rackies come from ir-rack. Anything else is just Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/34 "2015-07-21T03:54:31Z")
In California, it’s pronounced [EYE-ran]. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/35 "2015-07-21T04:14:21Z")
I think ih-rahn, ih-ran, and eye-ran are all perfectly fine. Pronunciations change over time and sometimes different groups of people pronounce words differently. That’s how language works. We can’t even agree on whether pin and pen or dawn and don are pronounced differently, let alone decide on how to talk about whole foreign countries. > [@Kiwi-Ian](#): > > OK, maybe soon you’ll start speaking of eye-tail-ians from eye-taily. I don’t think it was ever common enough to be standard, but people actually used to say eye-talian (maybe some still do). ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/36 "2015-07-21T06:18:44Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Or maybe it’s simply that eye-ran is the pronunciation closest to what passes as pronunciation rules in English. . . I don’t think it is, actually. The only English word I can think of which starts with “ira-” is “irascible”, and that gets a short ‘i’. And then we have iridescent, iridium, etc. 'Ire-" words get a long ‘i’ - ire, Ireland - but that’s the influence of the silent ‘e’. I would have thought that standard English conventions would assign a short ‘i’ to words constructed like “Iran” and “Iraq”. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/37 "2015-07-21T06:39:08Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > In California, it’s pronounced [EYE-ran]. …by people who don’t particularly mind being wrong. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/38 "2015-07-21T08:09:55Z")
Irrr-Ahn. Thats how Pakistanis pronounce it. The Irr is the same as in Irrigation. Iranian tend to pronounce it as eee—rahn. Eye-Rack and Eye-Ran are not half an annoying as Bag-Dad. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/39 "2015-07-21T12:31:09Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Irrr-Ahn. Thats how Pakistanis pronounce it. The Irr is the same as in Irrigation. > > Iranian tend to pronounce it as eee—rahn. > > Eye-Rack and Eye-Ran are not half an annoying as Bag-Dad. “Bag-dad” is pretty much as close as most Anglophones can get to it. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757/40 "2015-07-21T12:56:55Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Or maybe it’s simply that eye-ran is the pronunciation closest to what passes as pronunciation rules in English and big events like that caused a lot of people to use the word who weren’t habituated to the “correct” pronunciation. > > And do you have any decent evidence that ee-rahn was standard English pronunciation fourty years ago? Or did you resurrec a ten year old thread to post your personal opinon? > > PS: With so many Italians in the US you’d think they would have managed to avoid the pronunciation eye-talians as well if your theory had much merit. > [@UDS](#): > > I don’t think it is, actually. The only English word I can think of which starts with “ira-” is “irascible”, and that gets a short ‘i’. And then we have iridescent, iridium, etc. > > 'Ire-" words get a long ‘i’ - ire, Ireland - but that’s the influence of the silent ‘e’. I would have thought that standard English conventions would assign a short ‘i’ to words constructed like “Iran” and “Iraq”. I just checked the dictionary (Webster’s unabridged 1994) and there aren’t many “ira-” words. But is that how the brain works? “Hmm, Iran, what is a “ira-” word I can pattern this on?” Ire- isn’t the only long ‘i’ ir-‘prefix’ either. Iron and words starting with iron also have the long ‘i’, as do iris, Irish and irisation, and the majority of ir- words with a short ‘i’ start with irr. Besides, my post was really not meant to put this forth as a solid idea, just to counter Kiwi-Ian’s bombastic thread resurrection, which he’s now added to by bumping the thread again with practically no additional information, and responding to none of the other participants in the thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-you-pronounce-iranian/321757.md?page=3)