# POLL: How do you pronounce the word "mushy"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716 "2022-02-18T01:20:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [February 18, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/41 "2022-02-18T16:22:39Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I took the complaint to mean that it was _not_ a matter of opinion–that there was a right way to pronounce it and any other was wrong. I disagree. Yeah, there’s always someone, in matters of language, who says THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY AND THIS WAY IS RIGHT, AND IT HAPPENS TO BE MY WAY AND THE WAY I WAS TAUGHT!! and they are always wrong. Always. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/42 "2022-02-18T16:51:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I know many of us hate IPA… I don’t hate IPA. I hate the fact that when I was in college I knew it, but those brain cells have died. Probably due to all the drinking I did in the early 80s. > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Oh I like option 5. 🙂 Thank you. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, there’s always someone, in matters of language, who says THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY AND THIS WAY IS RIGHT, AND IT HAPPENS TO BE MY WAY AND THE WAY I WAS TAUGHT!! and they are always wrong. Always. I figured that’s what you were thinking. 🤨 ---
**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:** [February 18, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/43 "2022-02-18T16:54:19Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I figured that’s what you were thinking. 🤨 Eh? I don’t understand the raised eyebrow. I’m not commenting on you – I don’t think you think there’s only one way to pronounce the word, hence the poll. Or am I misunderstanding? (And I should amend my statement – it’s not always one person – it’s often many people, as dialect and idiom threads on the Dope have shown in the past.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/44 "2022-02-18T16:55:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, the Wikipedia article seems to think so. In terms of North American English ah, the map in your cite threw me, I thought you were talking speciically about the UK. USA english may well be different, I’ll bow to wiki’ssuperior collective knowledge. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/45 "2022-02-18T16:56:57Z")
Yeah, it’s one of those pronunciations that when I hear it, I have a reasonable idea of where in the world the English speaker is from, even if I don’t know the particulars of the sundry British accents. It’s like how I can spot a Canadian accent a mile away (if they have the merest hint of Canadian raising in their accent.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/46 "2022-02-18T16:59:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Isn’t that the vowel sound we’re talking about? The “u” in “buck” vs the “oo” in “book” is the “oo” in Option 1 vs the “uh” in option 2. Well I don’t really know, that’s sort of the problem. The words used in options 1 and 2, to me at least, aren’t as obviously distinguishable as the different ways of pronouncing book. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/47 "2022-02-18T17:04:54Z")
The video that’s linked by **Grrr** has the two vowel sounds/pronunciations we’re talking about. Or here’s an American “push”: > **[How to pronounce push in English - Definition and synonyms of push in English](https://forvo.com/word/push/#en_usa)** > > How to pronounce push in English. The definition of push is: the act of applying force in order to move something... And here’s an American “slush”: > **[How to pronounce slush in English - Definition of slush in English](https://forvo.com/word/slush/#en_usa)** > > How to pronounce slush in English. The definition of slush is: partially melted... Those are two distinct vowels to me and represent the vowels in the OP, but it’s possible you don’t hear the distinction as much, since your dialect treats them as an allophone. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/48 "2022-02-18T17:05:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > (I suspect @Novelty\_Bubble says it closer to the first than the second.) Indeed I do, the pronounciation designated as “UK male” is by no means the standard in my experience. It is common enough but not ubquitous. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/49 "2022-02-18T17:05:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Eh? I don’t understand the raised eyebrow. I’m not commenting on you – I don’t think you think there’s only one way to pronounce the word, hence the poll. Or am I misunderstanding? I got the impression that you thought THIS thread was going to be one of those situations where I would wait for poll results then categorically state that only one of the options was correct and everyone who didn’t choose that one was wrong. IOW you seemed to be braced for a fight here: > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Where do I file a protest about this question being a matter of opinion? “File a protest” (presumably with me, the OP) struck me as unnecessarily belligerent. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/50 "2022-02-18T17:08:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I got the impression that you thought THIS thread was going to be one of those situations where I would wait for poll results then categorically state that only one of the options was correct and everyone who didn’t choose that one was wrong. No, I did not think you were going to do that at all. Why would I? My response was a follow-up to **Hari** ’s interpretation of **kaylasdad** ’s post, basically as a way of agreeing with him and saying “there’s always one in every crowd.” ---
**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:** [February 18, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/51 "2022-02-18T17:11:20Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Indeed I do, the pronounciation designated as “UK male” is by no means the standard in my experience. It is common enough but not ubquitous. Well the map hows you where it’s supposed to be standard and where it’s not. The “UK Male” pronunciation, I presume, is supposed to be RP English. Most of my English friends are from the London area or south, so they pronounce it as in the video. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/52 "2022-02-18T17:12:12Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “File a protest” (presumably with me, the OP) struck me as unnecessarily belligerent. If things get any more heated, I’d be happy to hold onto anyone’s’ glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/53 "2022-02-18T17:22:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well the map hows you where it’s supposed to be standard and where it’s not. The “UK Male” pronunciation, I presume, is supposed to be RP English. Most of my English friends are from the London area or south, so they pronounce it as in the video. I’m sure they do, but of course the vast majority of the area that sits outside of that would bristle at any suggestion that “RP” is a definitive representative of how british english is spoken ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/54 "2022-02-18T17:27:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > No, I did not think you were going to do that at all. Why would I? My response was a follow-up to **Hari** ’s interpretation of **kaylasdad** ’s post, basically as a way of agreeing with him and saying “there’s always one in every crowd.” > [@kayaker](#): > > If things get any more heated, I’d be happy to hold onto anyone’s’ glasses. I apologize to everyone. I got confused. Sorry. Going through some sad events. Not an excuse, but possibly an explanation for my mushy-headedness. Pronounce it any way you want to. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/55 "2022-02-18T17:32:44Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Damn. I knew someone was going to bring in IPA. Right? I prefer to _drink_ IPA. This secret code stuff just makes me feel like I wasted my time learning Braille when I could have been learning IPA instead. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/56 "2022-02-18T17:40:03Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “File a protest” (presumably with me, the OP) struck me as unnecessarily belligerent. Well, I like you too much as a poster to get in an argument about it, so let me just apologize for my clumsy attempt at humorous faux arrogance. I shall endeavor to improve and do better in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/57 "2022-02-18T17:42:02Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m from SW Durham in the UK and my wife is from Yorkshire and we both go for option 3. I can’t even understand what distinction those first two options are trying to make and none of the replies have so far clarified it either. Here are the pronunciations of pushy and slushy in U.S. and southern England accents, which are similar: [How to pronounce PUSHY in English](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/pushy) [How to pronounce SLUSHY in English](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/slushy) But in the N of England, the distinct vowel sound of southern slushy does not exist - it is pronounced the same as pushy above. The slightly idiosyncratic one in England is indeed the word mushy, which in the south I think would otherwise tend to be pronounced like slushy, but out of familiarity with mushy peas as a traditional northern dish, often tends to be pronounced in the northern manner. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/58 "2022-02-18T17:43:24Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m sure they do, but of course the vast majority of the area that sits outside of that would bristle at any suggestion that “RP” is a definitive representative of how british english is spoken Oh, absolutely. Y’all are such a hodgepodge of dialects and accents all tightly compacted – it’s pretty awesome. I love listening to all the flavors and colors. (My favorite is Glaswegian. There’s just something so delightfully musical about it.) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/59 "2022-02-18T18:29:31Z")
I like the way Nick Yemana said it. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716/60 "2022-02-18T18:42:37Z")
I’m the exact opposite - mushy peas start with moo, otherwise it’s option 2 IIRC, Giles in BtVS pronounced mushy peas “mooshy” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-pronounce-the-word-mushy/959716.md?page=4)