# Melee is pronunced may-lay, not mee-lee. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 26, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348 "2004-06-26T20:17:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/1 "2004-06-26T20:17:01Z")
I thought this was just in my gaming group, and I was willing to let it slide for the sake of group happiness. But, on G4TechTV last night, I heard it again. Mee-lee. MEE LEE combat. Gamers, please, hear my cry. Say the word correctly! ☹☹☹☹☹ ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/2 "2004-06-26T20:20:58Z")
Not according the the announcer from Super Smash Brothers Mee-Lay! I’m pretty sure its Mee-Lay, not Mee-Lee, or May-Lay. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/3 "2004-06-26T20:22:47Z")
The pronunciation guide on [m-w.com](http://m-w.com) has some weird mix between mee lay and may lay. Regardless… meelee makes my ears bleed. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/4 "2004-06-26T20:25:21Z")
i know, but perhaps the spelling should be ‘meley’ then? otherwise i have hopes that the ‘melee’ pronounciation would gain status by popular usage. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/5 "2004-06-26T21:02:49Z")
The first time I ever saw the word I thought it was muh-lee but my brother has the same IT’S MAY-LAY! reaction so now I just say mee-lee because it’s the one that hacks him off the most :D. (And honestly, may-lay is probably correct but it just doesn’t sound right.) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/6 "2004-06-26T21:28:26Z")
Pedantic and picayune rant: I give it 3 on a scale of 10. However, did you take into account that the person may have been speaking dialectal English or ESL? Perhaps he is from the Melee Peninsula (which runs from Siam to Singapore)! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/7 "2004-06-26T21:46:32Z")
> [@](#): > > **Melee is pronunced may-lay, not mee-lee.** Sorry, both pronounciations are incorrect. The correct pronounciation is mell-ay, in my part of the world anyway. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/8 "2004-06-26T22:51:30Z")
I prefer to both spell and pronounce it _mêlée_. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/9 "2004-06-27T01:05:16Z")
Haven’t these people played Monkey Island? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/10 "2004-06-27T01:17:28Z")
It’s pronounced _mxyzptlk_. ---
**Author:** ![Imran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Imran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imran)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/11 "2004-06-27T01:21:15Z")
Those who don’t recognize the awesomeness that is Super Smash Bros. Melee do not deserve to speak, anyway. Also, stop watching G4. It sucks. – Imran ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/12 "2004-06-27T01:38:13Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > It’s pronounced _mxyzptlk_. It’s fra-gee-lay. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/13 "2004-06-27T01:46:22Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > It’s pronounced _mxyzptlk_. Clever. Didn’t they have to get him to say that 3 times or backwards or something? And they always did… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/14 "2004-06-27T02:53:44Z")
To refer to an older game medium – in Monopoly, the name of the railroad is pronounced “Redding,” not “Reeding.” /hijack ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/15 "2004-06-27T03:09:25Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > Clever. > > Didn’t they have to get him to say that 3 times or backwards or something? And they always did… Backwards. For an all-powerful being from an alternate dimension, he was kinda dumb, wasn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Hauky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@Hauky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hauky)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/16 "2004-06-27T03:29:18Z")
I’m pretty sure it goes Suuuuper Smash Broooothers Maay-laay!!! I felt bad because I’d been pronouncing it wrong for years. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/17 "2004-06-27T03:34:52Z")
I’m not sure if I’d consider the American release of a Japanese video game’s pronunciation of a French word as being in any way definitive. “All your meelees belong to us” and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Imran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Imran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imran)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/18 "2004-06-27T03:52:41Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m not sure if I’d consider the American release of a Japanese video game’s pronunciation of a French word as being in any way definitive. “All your meelees belong to us” and all that. In all fairness, the game was very well translated, boasting an impressive amount of text. I’m pretty sure the game was originally written in both English and Japanese, as well. – Hero of Time ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/19 "2004-06-27T04:04:35Z")
It would be a shame if y’all got into a fight over this and had a melee over mel…oh never mind. ---
**Author:** ![theckhd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@theckhd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theckhd)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348/20 "2004-06-27T04:53:40Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > To refer to an older game medium – in Monopoly, the name of the railroad is pronounced “Redding,” not “Reeding.” /hijack Since i grew up in Reading, i never had this problem. Everyone i played with already knew the correct pronunciation. And i was always under the impression it was may-lay. Of course i still say “eee-light” instead of “eeee-leeeet” (elite), so perhaps i’m not the best person to be picking on mispronunciations. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melee-is-pronunced-may-lay-not-mee-lee/252348.md?page=2)