# Pronunciation of 'jaguar' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108 "2002-11-22T05:44:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/1 "2002-11-22T05:44:58Z")
I’ve heard three different pronunciations of the word ‘jaguar’. The most common is jag-wahr; one that I’ve heard on car commercials is jag-yoo-ahr - that I can live with, especially when said with a British accent; the third, and the one that infuriates me, that makes my skin crawl is jag-wire. I started hearing sportscasters using this annoying version when referring to the NFL franchise located in Jacksonville, Fla. Please help! Does this have a regional origin, or is it just the seemingly collective idiocy of of the profession of sportscasting? ---
**Author:** ![Phlint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c89c15/32.png) [@Phlint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlint)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/2 "2002-11-22T05:58:12Z")
Well I can’t really answer as to the idiocy of professional sportscasters, or which of your first two pronunciations is correct, but I can tell you that it’s not the sportscasters’ fault that the way they’re pronouncing the NFL team name sounds ridiculous. IIRC after a few years in the league, I heard various sportscasters say that they had received requests from the team itself to pronounce the team name in the way that you now hear on television. So you can blame the Jacksonville Jaguars themselves, and not the sportscasters for that one. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/3 "2002-11-22T11:44:00Z")
the british pronunciation ( and therefore correct if you’re talking about a car) is jag-YOO-are I’ve noticed before that americans (yes I’m generalising…) pronounce U’s like W’s… one that particualarly annoys me is ‘Josh-Wa’ for ‘Josh-U-a’ ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/4 "2002-11-22T12:01:15Z")
I thought in Britain it was pronounced ha-RUMPH. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/5 "2002-11-22T12:05:18Z")
People, let’s not confuse “British accent” with “English accent”. Scottish and Welsh accents are very different to English ones, which also vary massively based on region. I’d like to clarify that most English people don’t pronounce "R"s on the end of words, so the more correct “Received Pronunciation” phonetic spelling would be “JAG-yoo-uh”. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/6 "2002-11-22T12:16:17Z")
quite right jjimm… i meant English accent - in fact, south-eastern England, just to the southwest of London, to be more precise 😃 I think “Jag-yoo-uh” is more lazy speaking than anything else, but in terms of received pronunciation, as you say, I’d have to agree ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/7 "2002-11-22T12:28:07Z")
Except I believe that the word is Spanish in origin. In which case “hag-wahr” is the correct pronunciation. Which would lead me to believe that “jag-wahr” is the correct English derivation. Unless it’s the car. Then it’s jag-yoo-are because it’s their company and they can pronounce it any darn way they please. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/8 "2002-11-22T12:56:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > **Except I believe that the word is Spanish in origin. In which case “hag-wahr” is the correct pronunciation.** Actually according to the [The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.](http://www.bartleby.com/61/95/J0009500.html) the etymology is as follows: Spanish and Portuguese, from Guarani jaguá, yaguar, dog. Considering the Guarani were an Amazon tribe I would think that the etymology is more like Guarani -\> Portuguese -\> Spanish. The correct Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation would then be scha-goh-ar (with a very soft sch). Note: not ‘oo’, but ‘oh’. Another interesting fact is that the jaguar is not called that in Brazil. It is called ‘onca’ which corresponds to the name of the species: Panthera onca. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/9 "2002-11-22T13:17:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve heard three different pronunciations of the word ‘jaguar’. My dad insisted on pronouncing it “zhag-wah”. I don’t know why. Anyway, there’s a fourth pronunciation for you. Not as annoying as “jag-wire”. My mom almost got an E-type Jaguar back in the '60s, but she needed something with room in the back for me; so she got an MGB instead. I’ve always wanted an E-type. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/10 "2002-11-22T14:06:43Z")
If you’re talking specifically about the car, I worked for a company that had Jaguar as one of their main clients. They sent out a memo stating that Jag-yoo-are was preferred, Jag-wahr was okay (and used by most people we dealt with), and Jag-wire would get you fired. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/11 "2002-11-22T14:08:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*I’ve always wanted an E-type. \*\* Yeah, me too - with Vanessa Kensington in the passenger seat! Just for the sake of it, [here’s what the Jag-lovers internet resource](http://www.jag-lovers.org/books/old-xj-s/pronounce.htm) has to say. Personally, I can’t see any reason to complain about regional/international variations, though. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/12 "2002-11-22T14:10:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jehovah68 \* > \*\*\ the third, and the one that infuriates me, that makes my skin crawl is jag-wire. I started hearing sportscasters using this annoying version when referring to the NFL franchise located in Jacksonville, Fla. \ \*\* It’s not just the sportscasters - that’s how the locals here refer to the home team. Or they shorten it to Jags, which doesn’t grate as badly. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/13 "2002-11-22T14:11:18Z")
A mate of mine has an E-Type. It goes like shit off a shovel, but _dear God_ the brakes are awful. I was not happy to be wobbling diagonally down a country road as he tried to get the speed down from 130mph to 30mph because a village was approaching… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/14 "2002-11-22T15:11:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mycroft Holmes \* > \*\*Another interesting fact is that the jaguar is not called that in Brazil. It is called ‘onca’ which corresponds to the name of the species: Panthera onca. \*\* And in most Spanish-speaking countries it is generally, if incorrectly, known as the _tigre_ (tiger), although the name _jaguar_ is also known. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/15 "2002-11-22T16:12:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*I’d like to clarify that most English people don’t pronounce "R"s on the end of words, so the more correct “Received Pronunciation” phonetic spelling would be “JAG-yoo-uh”. \*\* The Hollywood addendum to RP requires that all r’s be removed and stored for later use at the ends of certain words that do not have them: "That was the fah-stis Jag-gue-wah I evah _sawr_ " Caution: severe glottal trauma may occur when broading theses a’s; check first if the actor’s union will honor a disabilty claim. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/16 "2002-11-22T16:19:46Z")
Spooky. TheLadyLion and I were having this very discussion the other night. While she doesn’t agree with my three syllable pronunciation we both agree that “jag-wire” is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/17 "2002-11-22T16:26:47Z")
Jag-war or jag-u-ar, could they please please pronounce it the same throughout the damn commercial? Pick on, and let’s move on. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/18 "2002-11-22T16:33:34Z")
I think it sounds funniest when said by the Scottish kid from the movie _Rushmore_: “jag-yar.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/19 "2002-11-22T17:15:37Z")
> [@](#): > > “Look, Pooh!” said Piglet suddenly. “There’s something > in one of the Pine Trees.” > > ``` > "So there is!" said Pooh, looking up wonderingly. > > ``` > > “There’s an Animal.” > > ``` > Piglet took Pooh's arm, in case Pooh was frightened. > > "Is it One of the Fiercer Animals?" he said, looking > > ``` > > the other way. > > ``` > Pooh nodded. > > "It's a Jagular," he said. > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108/20 "2002-11-22T17:28:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slithy Tove \* > \*\*The Hollywood addendum to RP requires that all r’s be removed and stored for later use at the ends of certain words that do not have them: > > "That was the fah-stis Jag-gue-wah I evah _sawr_ " > > Caution: severe glottal trauma may occur when broading theses a’s; check first if the actor’s union will honor a disabilty claim. \*\* I think that Hollywood shares these extra Rs with BBC Radio drama, because they pop up in the strangest places when Engish actors are trying to fake American accents: “Thart wars the faasterst Jag-war I erver saw”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-jaguar/138108.md?page=2)