# "Pedophile"...the correct pronunciation?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 10, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271 "2004-04-10T03:33:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271/21 "2004-04-11T16:46:00Z")

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> [@Mr Creosote](#):
>
> Am I the only one that assumes that pedophile is someone with a (reasonably) healthy love of feet whilst paedophile is something entirely more icky.
> 
> Perhaps that’s just a slightly warped British point of view though.

Warped indeed! Mixing Latin and Greek roots… now that’s perverse.

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**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271/22 "2004-04-11T17:19:43Z")

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> [@Mr Creosote](#):
>
> Am I the only one that assumes that pedophile is someone with a (reasonably) healthy love of feet whilst paedophile is something entirely more icky.
> 
> Perhaps that’s just a slightly warped British point of view though.

I think that would be a **podophile** (as in podiatrist). I’m at a loss to explain a _pedicure_, though.

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**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271/23 "2004-04-11T17:38:06Z")

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> [@qwest](#):
>
> I think that would be a **podophile** (as in podiatrist). I’m at a loss to explain a _pedicure_, though.

Easy. “Ped-” is Latin and “pod-” is Greek.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271/24 "2004-04-11T17:38:42Z")

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> [@Starving Artist](#):
>
> Btw, how’d you get that “ae” thing in your post? I’ve been wishing I could do that since I started this thread.

I’m on an iMac: option + ’ key.

Dunno about them PC things.

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**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271/25 "2004-04-11T19:25:48Z")

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> [@Northern Piper](#):
>
> I’m on an iMac: option + ’ key.
> 
> Dunno about them PC things.

Yeah, thanks, you lucky Mac guy/girl. I love Macs and in a perfect world I’d have one. :rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedophile-the-correct-pronunciation/239271/26 "2004-04-20T16:59:25Z")

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On a PC: Alt+0230

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