# Poll: Pronunciation of chamomile
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 23, 2008, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831 "2008-02-23T07:56:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/1 "2008-02-23T07:56:37Z")
How do you pronounce chamomile?
1. chamo-mile (where mile is pronounced like the measure of distance)
2. chamo-meal (where meal is pronounced like the portion of food)
It would be also be great if you could add what part of the country/world you were raised in (to see if there are regional variations)
---
### Author:  [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/2 "2008-02-23T08:36:01Z")
I pronounce it chamo_mile_, with a hard C rather than a Ch (as in Chicken) sound. IOW, Camomile, no meal or Chooks allowed.
I’m from Australia.
---
### Author:  [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/3 "2008-02-23T08:41:57Z")
CAM-o-mile: hard c at the start, last syllable the same as the “mile” that is a measure of distance.
Raised in Scotland.
---
### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/4 "2008-02-23T08:45:00Z")
chamo as in “camouflage,” maybe with a bit less of a schwa, or “cam” with an o.
mile as in 5,280 feet.
Raised in Northern California.
---
### Author:  [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/5 "2008-02-23T08:45:45Z")
KAM-uh-meal
Sydney.
---
### Author:  [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/6 "2008-02-23T08:48:46Z")
CAM (like ham) - o - (1.609334 km)
ETA: Indian living in London
---
### Author:  [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/7 "2008-02-23T09:04:16Z")
KAM oh meel. So Cal.
---
### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/8 "2008-02-23T09:04:30Z")
Meal - West coast US
---
### Author:  [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/9 "2008-02-23T09:11:06Z")
[QUOTE=PaulParkhead]
CAM-o-mile: hard c at the start, last syllable the same as the “mile” that is a measure of distance.
[/QUOTE]
Same. Adelaide, Australia.
---
### Author:  [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/10 "2008-02-23T10:02:39Z")
I’ve used both pronunciations but I’ll go with cam-ah-mile. Australia.
---
### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/11 "2008-02-23T10:45:08Z")
Cam-o-mile.
Born and bred Auckland Enzedder.
---
### Author:  [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/12 "2008-02-23T12:18:19Z")
Cam-o-mile. Victoria, Australia.
---
### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/13 "2008-02-23T12:59:30Z")
KAM-uh-meel.
Ohio
---
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/14 "2008-02-23T13:10:02Z")
[QUOTE=panache45]
KAM-uh-meel.
Ohio
[/QUOTE]
Ditto.
Pennsylvania.
---
### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/15 "2008-02-23T13:11:23Z")
I first learned of this tea through Beatrix Potter’s _Tale of Peter Rabbit_, where Peter is given some medicinally at the end. I pronounced it in my head all sorts of ways. Then I saw an animated production of it, narrated by Meryl Streep (not that I knew who she was at the time, but I can remember the sound of the narrator’s voice from the production and match it up now), who pronounced it “KAM-o-myle”.
I pretty much never hear the word “on the street” so that’s it, that’s how I think the word is pronounced.
---
### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/16 "2008-02-23T13:14:48Z")
[QUOTE=panache45]
KAM-uh-meel.
Ohio
[/QUOTE]
Ditto. Born/raised kindasorta near Chicago.
---
### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/17 "2008-02-23T13:17:58Z")
cam-o-mill (hard c, no “ch”, no units of distance, no meals)
Saskatchewan
---
### Author:  [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/18 "2008-02-23T13:21:39Z")
[QUOTE=panache45]
KAM-uh-meel.
Ohio
[/QUOTE]
Me too.
NY
My grandmother says it the other way, and is from Georgia.
---
### Author:  [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/19 "2008-02-23T13:35:26Z")
KAM-uh-meal.
Raised in Florida by Yankie parents.
---
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831/20 "2008-02-23T13:55:14Z")
[QUOTE=panache45]
KAM-uh-meel.
Ohio
[/QUOTE]
Yeah me too.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-pronunciation-of-chamomile/438831.md?page=2)