# On the pronunciations of bicycle and motorcycle. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-pronunciations-of-bicycle-and-motorcycle/166951 "2003-04-06T23:56:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermann_Cheruscan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-pronunciations-of-bicycle-and-motorcycle/166951/1 "2003-04-06T23:56:08Z")
OK, the reason I post this is because today I had a flashback of my grandmother talking about motorcycles. She pronounced it " motorsickle". As in “those damn motorsickles sure are loud”. To me, way back then, it always sounded sort of “hickish” to pronounce motorcycle as “motorsickle”. But now that I think about it, I have to question why the “cycle” in bicycles and motorcycles is pronounced differently. Could it be that the way my grandmother pronounced motorcycles is correct? ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-pronunciations-of-bicycle-and-motorcycle/166951/2 "2003-04-07T00:24:51Z")
Rule #1 of Descriptive Linguistics: The correct pronunciation is the pronunciation that most native speakers use. Sorry. Not very helpful, I know. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-pronunciations-of-bicycle-and-motorcycle/166951/3 "2003-04-07T01:49:37Z")
Only place I’ve heard that pronunciation was in an [Arlo Guthrie song](http://www.arlo.net/lyrics/motorcycle-arlo.shtml)…