# Porcupine- how do you say it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070 "2004-11-10T19:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/21 "2004-11-10T20:59:42Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > When I hear someone pronounce it “pork-eee-pine” I think of the South, in a bad, less-than-intelligent kind of way. > > “Pork-you-pine” is correct. Yeah, what she said. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/22 "2004-11-10T21:08:38Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > When I say both in my head, they actually sound the same. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ayesha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c0e974/32.png) [@Ayesha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ayesha)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/23 "2004-11-10T21:15:08Z")
Pork you pine ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/24 "2004-11-10T21:25:13Z")
Pork you pine. Never heard porky-pine before that I’m aware of, but I can see where a blending of the two might exist such that it’s indistinguishable. ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/25 "2004-11-10T21:34:35Z")
Pork you pine. Never heard it pronounced any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/26 "2004-11-10T21:39:26Z")
> [@Whammo](#): > > from [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) > > por·cu·pine ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pôrky-pn) Some of the characters from the [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) page didn’t paste in to your post properly, making that pronunciation misleading. On the [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) page, there is a schwa after that ‘y’. So, they are actually endorsing a pronunciation something like “pork - yuh - pine”. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/27 "2004-11-10T21:41:10Z")
Porkey-Pine? (I’ll have to look it up next time I’m at the li-berry, it must but some kind of am-in-al.) ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/28 "2004-11-10T22:02:51Z")
Pork ya pine. I’ve hear porkey pine and pork you pine. But I grew up with pork ya pine. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/29 "2004-11-10T22:11:14Z")
I always pronounced it “platypus.” ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/30 "2004-11-10T22:12:45Z")
Pork - you - pine. I’ve never heard any other variation. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/31 "2004-11-10T23:49:25Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > There are a couple folks here at my workplace that say porky-pine. > > What’s the nice way to say this…? > > Not the sharpest knives in the drawer. The subject of porcupines comes up a lot at your work? ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/32 "2004-11-10T23:57:22Z")
> [@Pork Rind](#): > > The subject of porcupines comes up a lot at your work? Ha ha, “Thompson have that Porcupine report on my desk by 3:00 or you’re fired!” I would say porky pine if I ever said it but I don’t. Also, I would say it fast so no one would notice how stupid it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/33 "2004-11-11T00:04:31Z")
I just turned to my husband and said, “How do you say the name of the mammal with the quills.” He said, “Hedgehog!” I said, “The other one.” He said, “Porkypine.” And then I laughed. He’s from Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/34 "2004-11-11T00:05:47Z")
Like most people I know, I say “porkypine.” And y’all can kiss my grits. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/35 "2004-11-11T00:47:20Z")
“Pork-cue-pine.” I’m from California. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/36 "2004-11-11T01:07:00Z")
Concubine. All right. Pork-you-pine. Though I actually have heard people say porkypine. I don’t personally like it, or associate it with sharp knives, but if the dictionary says so, well, what more can I say? (Except that the dictionary also has the word “ain’t”… _shudder_) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/37 "2004-11-11T01:16:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Porcupine- how do you say it? Usually it’s "Yes, [dear](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?username=porcupine). You are so very right. [/quote] ---
**Author:** ![GillianBoardman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GillianBoardman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GillianBoardman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/38 "2004-11-11T01:33:37Z")
Grew up in SouthEast PA, and I say porkypine. Everyone I knew said porkypine, and if it were a not too bright thing to say, my mother would have made my life a misery, so I’m thinking it’s standard there. [hi-jack]My best friend as a very small girl was called DANI-elle by her family. My mother insisted I call her dan-YELL. To this day, I wonder how anybody can tell somebody else how to pronounce their name. I know what the standard, correct, whatever, french pronunciation is. But it was HER name! Could the mother and father who gave it to her pronounce it wrong? I think, by definition, they can’t![end hi-jack] ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/39 "2004-11-11T01:40:43Z")
I say it in my head as ‘por-cue-pine’, but if I were to say it out loud I would almost assuredly say ‘por-key-pine’. I guess that’s what I get for living with hicks. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070/40 "2004-11-11T01:45:32Z")
I usually say por-cue-pine. When I’m being silly, I will say porky-pine; however, I do that knowing it’s a deliberate mispronunciation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porcupine-how-do-you-say-it/274070.md?page=3)