# It's iron, not iorn and siren, not siern!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 31, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659 "2002-05-31T01:22:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/1 "2002-05-31T01:22:24Z")
Why are these words said like that? Is it right, or another manipulation of the english language?
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### Author:  [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/2 "2002-05-31T01:34:23Z")
Depends where you’re from.
I like iorn and siern, personally. Meerr instead of mirror, too.
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### Author:  [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/3 "2002-05-31T01:45:38Z")
I say iurn, with the “u” being almost non-existant. I have never heard anyone say i-run, and it’s not in [m-w.com](http://m-w.com), so there, nyah.
However, I do say sigh-run
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### Author:  [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/4 "2002-05-31T01:51:44Z")
Actually, the word “iron” _is_ pronounced i-urn, according to the pronunciation authorities. This reversal is a phonetic process fairly common in the English language, which is why we no longer say _thrid_ for “third” and _thurh_ for “through”.
But “irony” and “ironic” are pronounced i-ruh-nee and i-ron-ik, and “siren” is correctly pronounced sigh-run.
Now where’s that darn pedant smiley?
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### Author:  [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/5 "2002-05-31T02:05:29Z")
Just to complain about pronunciation, I work with a woman who pronounces errer “arrow”. Not even “era” - “arrow”
Since she is my tester, the word comes up a lot.
It drives me nuts.
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### Author:  [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/6 "2002-05-31T03:00:08Z")
You wanna talk about annoying pronunciation, why do people from Cincinnati all think that the “l” on the end of Pepto Bismol is silent?
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### Author:  [@Dirty\_Earthworm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dirty_Earthworm)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/7 "2002-05-31T03:01:04Z")
What about “every” instead of “ever”? It’s been driving me nuts _ever_ since I heard someone mispronounce it.
-Dirty
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### Author:  [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/8 "2002-05-31T03:03:15Z")
Here in Tennessee, your tire is a “tar”, fire is a “far”, and kind of is pronounced “kindly”.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/9 "2002-06-01T02:31:22Z")
No. It’s arn.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/10 "2002-06-01T03:17:42Z")
Iron = I-earn
Siren = Sigh-rin
It’s fingernails-on-a-chalkboard to hear “Strength” & “length” pronounced WITHOUT sounding the “g”.
Also:
Pecan = Pee-can NOT peh-con
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### Author:  [@BigGiantHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigGiantHead)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/11 "2002-06-01T03:26:25Z")
And, I swear to Many Unholy Things, I want to pull someone’s eyebrows off their face every time I hear:
“Nook-_yuh_-ler.”
FertheluvaPete! It doesn’t look anything LIKE that!
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### Author:  [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/12 "2002-06-01T03:47:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \*
> \*\*Iron = I-earn
> Siren = Sigh-rin
>
> It’s fingernails-on-a-chalkboard to hear “Strength” & “length” pronounced WITHOUT sounding the “g”.
>
> Also:
>
> Pecan = Pee-can NOT peh-con \*\*
Absolutely, positively, amen, brotha
[sup](except for that pee-can thing. PeeCON doesn’t rhyme with toucan in my neck of the woods!)
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### Author:  [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/13 "2002-06-01T04:27:28Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Ruby \*
> \*\*
>
> Absolutely, positively, amen, brotha
>
> [sup](except for that pee-can thing. PeeCON doesn’t rhyme with toucan in my neck of the woods!) \*\*
I go positively “nukleer” when I hear someone say “strenth” and “axe”, as in “Kin I axe you a question?”
And it is “pah-con”, not “pee-can”.😛
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### Author:  [@funions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funions)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/14 "2002-06-01T04:35:09Z")
And as long as we’re on the subject, it’s filbert, not hazelnut. 😉
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### Author:  [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/15 "2002-06-01T06:14:31Z")
Ath-uh-leet
On-vel-ope
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### Author:  [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/16 "2002-06-01T06:20:31Z")
I just wanna say, that was the hardest subject line I’ve ever tried to interpret.
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### Author:  [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/17 "2002-06-01T10:27:13Z")
Ok, It’s **Less-ter** Square, not Lie-cess-ter.
😃
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/18 "2002-06-01T20:19:31Z")
And don’t get me started on Worcestershire.
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### Author:  [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/19 "2002-06-01T20:44:09Z")
And the strip of grass in the center of the interstate is a “median”, not a “medium”.
And when you poop, you’re taking a “dump”, not taking a “dunk”.
And you’re bellybutton is your “navel”, not your “nabel”.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-iron-not-iorn-and-siren-not-siern/111659/20 "2002-06-01T21:19:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Lyllyan \*
> \*\*…And it is “pah-con”, not “pee-can”.😛 \*\*
Only them high-falutin’ city folks say “pah-con”. 😃
Seriously, though. I’ve lived in Savannah my entire life and I’ve heard it pronounced “pee-can” by nearly everyone. Unless they were trying NOT to sound Southern.
BTW, I do not have a noticable “Southern” accent.
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