# Lincoln - "oln" pronounced "en"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291 "2025-08-19T22:25:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/61 "2025-08-30T21:48:44Z")
I can see a fragrance in honor of Old Abe: Lincologne. It would sell to etymology buffs at least. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/62 "2025-08-31T11:21:07Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > No, falcon is never pronounced “fawken” in standard British English. I’m not sure what would have given you that impression. [Wiktionary](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/falcon) lists two options to pronounce it in RP, one of which it renders as fôʹkən. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/63 "2025-08-31T18:08:47Z")
To me in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, it’s typically _Leengk un_. That’s why “Linkin’ Park” is named that. The vowel is the same. Of course in your dialect, they might also be the same but both short _lin_. Mine it’s _leen_. Just like bowling or walking. When people drop the g it becomes bowlin’ or walkin’. Walkin’ is short and walking is long. King Lincoln has the same vowel to me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/64 "2025-09-01T07:29:15Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > [Wiktionary](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/falcon) lists two options to pronounce it in RP, one of which it renders as fôʹkən. I have never heard speaking standard English saying the latter. If they did they would have to clarify what they meant to me and others. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/65 "2025-09-08T17:03:12Z")
It wouldn’t surprise me if an older upper-crust generation pronounced “falcon” without the L, especially if they were the “huntin’, shootin’, fishin’” type. But I can’t say I’ve ever heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/66 "2025-09-08T17:21:54Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > And then, there are, of course, words like “balm” and “palm”, where AFAIK the pronunciation without the L predominates in both the UK and the US. Weirdly, I pronounce the “L” in both, unless I’m talking quickly (but the pronunciation of a **lot** of words are different if I’m talking quickly). Especially when pronouncing “balmy” which sounds like “ball-me”. ---
**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 8, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/67 "2025-09-08T17:51:23Z")
Me too. I was shocked years ago to find people apparently don’t usually pronounce the “l” in “folk” and even “polka.” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/68 "2025-09-08T18:00:06Z")
How do people pronounce “polka”? Like “poke-a”? That seems really weird to me. (pole-ka) I can understand “folk” better but that is still kind of weird, but I’m sure I’ve heard “foke” before. ---
**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 8, 2025, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/69 "2025-09-08T18:21:12Z")
Both [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) and Merriam-Webster online only list “foke” as the pronunciation of “folk.” They do list both for “polka,” but with the “l” first. I could have sworn years ago it was the other way around, but I very well may be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/70 "2025-09-08T18:22:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I could have sworn years ago it was the other way around, but I very well may be wrong. Weird. Then I guess I pronounce it wrong. Oh well, it’s how I pronounce it (and usually hear it pronounced where I live). ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/71 "2025-09-08T23:48:11Z")
L is an approximate and disappears into certain vowels easily, which happens a lot. Speakers find shortcuts, elisions, and simplifications that make talking more efficient. Consistent within a dialect, these are mutually understood as correct. The only issue is another dialect may have some something different. For me, falcon is pronounced like Weird Al’s name. FAL cn. But some dialects use a vowel more like fall con. That “au” vowel makes the l sound harder to make. Al is with a flatter tongue that can easily flip up to form the l. Au the tongue is rounder into the opening of the mouth, so it has to broaden to make the l. Also, au sounds closer to lll, so its easy to drop the l and still sound very similar. Fall-cn to fau-cn vs fAL-cn to fow-cn. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/72 "2025-09-20T22:34:19Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Weirdly, I pronounce the “L” in both How do you make “bomb in Gilead” jokes? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291/73 "2025-09-29T18:53:06Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > How do you make “bomb in Gilead” jokes? Never heard of those. Reminds me of a joke I read that for a long time didn’t make sense to me. A man in jail yells out, “Guard! Guard!” The jailer yells back, “God is in heaven!” Years later I realized if you use a Boston accent (Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd) then guard and god are homophones. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-oln-pronounced-en/1022291.md?page=3)