# Pronunciation of "months" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992 "2010-12-05T02:35:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [December 5, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/21 "2010-12-05T16:52:14Z")
Do you pronounce the “th” in “month” or “monthly”? I pronounce it in all three words, but, as noted, it varies according to region and dialect (and maybe according to whether or not you’ve been drinking). Anyway, there are exceptions, but English words rarely change their spellings to match their pronunciations. This is because (1) The way a word is spelled in English is based not only on the way it’s pronounced, but also on the word’s origin, history, and relationship to other words. (2) Pronunciations can vary widely between countries, regions, and subcultures. (3) Spelling stability is a good thing. If lots of words changed their spelling, it would make it hard to read things written 20, let alone 200, years ago. (4) It is, as the OP noted, hard to get people to change things they learned in childhood. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/22 "2010-12-05T17:23:48Z")
I wonder how the OP pronounces the singular month? Mun? The th is very evident when I say either the plural or singular. Of course, I learned the word many years ago in S Cal. My two sons who are in their late 30s/early 40s pronounce the th; they were born and raised in N Cal. Perhaps the variation is a regional thing, cultural thing and age thing… ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/23 "2010-12-05T17:37:25Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > I’ve often wondered this too. I figure it’s a leftover from when we actually pronounced words correctly. In written english, munts doesn’t look good. We still write and pronounce month the right way, but two months looks correct on the written page, even though in our heads we usually hear “munts”. > > I still try to say months (as in 5 \*\*months \*\*from now), and it takes a conscious effort. Whipping through and saying munts is easy… and lazy. > > I think it fits into the same lazy speech that gives us such gems as “Boaf” (for both) and “axe” (for ask). I don’t think spelling for lazy speech actually changes to mimic the speech. Boaf is still spelled both, and axe is still spelled ask when written. > > Unfortunately, munts has made it into the mainstream, and is used by just about everyone. When, exactly,do you think it was that we “pronounced words correctly”? Do you pronounce the word “word” to rhyme with “bird” or “board”? ---
**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:** [December 5, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/24 "2010-12-05T18:23:51Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Do you pronounce the word “word” to rhyme with “bird” or “board”? [Haven’t you heard?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184) ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/25 "2010-12-05T18:23:55Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > I wonder how the OP pronounces the singular month? Mun? > > The th is very evident when I say either the plural or singular. Of course, I learned the word many years ago in S Cal. My two sons who are in their late 30s/early 40s pronounce the th; they were born and raised in N Cal. > > Perhaps the variation is a regional thing, cultural thing and age thing… I pronounce one month as “month”, though the “th” sound is softer, more like the sound in “_th_at” than like the sound in “brea_th_”. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/26 "2010-12-05T18:31:34Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you pronounce the “th” in “month” or “monthly”? I pronounce the “th” in both “month” and “monthly.” For me, it’s “months” that will get the “th” clipped to a “t” in rapid spontaneous speech. It’s hard for me to determine whether I always do it, or only sometimes do it. When I say “months” aloud now, I have a “th” there, but I’m fairly certain most of the time I’ll change it to “munce” in regular conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/27 "2010-12-05T18:33:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > [Haven’t you heard?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184) I am not fool enough to click that link. The usual threats. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/28 "2010-12-05T18:38:23Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#): > > I pronounce one month as “month”, though the “th” sound is softer, more like the sound in “_th_at” than like the sound in “brea_th_”. Just so you know, you’re talking about the difference between the voiced dental fricative ð and its voiceless counterpart, θ. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/29 "2010-12-05T19:38:54Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Just so you know, you’re talking about the difference between the voiced dental fricative ð and its voiceless counterpart, θ. And he clearly has the comparison backwards. I doubt he pronounces the “th” in month" like the “th” in “that”. And **Stink Fish Pot** … there is no such thing as “lazy speech”, just different accents and dialects. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/30 "2010-12-05T19:59:08Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And he clearly has the comparison backwards. I doubt he pronounces the “th” in month" like the “th” in “that”. I agree that it’s standard to not voice the \*th \*at the end of _month_. I’ll even grant that it’s likely that **SoulFrost** was mistaken. At the onset of a syllable, ð and θ are difficult to distinguish, but in the coda they’re quite distinct; since SF didn’t know the precise terms, s/he might easily have confused them. Comparing _breath_ and _breathe_ would have been more apt. But I have to take implication with the implication that _no one_ ends “month” with a ð. I’ve heard persons from Mississippi voice the ending fricative in words when I would not. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/31 "2010-12-05T20:02:16Z")
Month with a voiced dental fricative at the end would sound very strange. In fact, it’s rather difficult for me to say. Though I suppose it might work depending on what words you say after it. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/32 "2010-12-05T20:06:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And he clearly has the comparison backwards. I doubt he pronounces the “th” in month" like the “th” in “that”. > > And **Stink Fish Pot** … there is no such thing as “lazy speech”, just different accents and dialects. How about we let me decide what I mean? In casual speech, I pronounce the word with a softer “th” sound. It’s not quite as soft as the sound in “that”, but it’s fairly close. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/33 "2010-12-05T20:07:44Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I pronounce it mon **th** s, with the th clearly heard, and everyone I know says it the same way. As do I. Never heard it pronounced any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/34 "2010-12-05T20:14:47Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#): > > How about we let me decide what I mean? > > In casual speech, I pronounce the word with a softer “th” sound. It’s not quite as soft as the sound in “that”, but it’s fairly close. I’m a little bit confused by that explanation, since there are two versions of ‘th’ and on is definitely soft (as in - thank, thought) and one is voiced, and therefore harsher (then, thine, that). I’m immensely curious exactly how you pronounce it though. If you have a microphone, temporary online recording available [here](http://www.vocaroo.com/). ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/35 "2010-12-05T20:35:35Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > I’m a little bit confused by that explanation, since there are two versions of ‘th’ and on is definitely soft (as in - thank, thought) and one is voiced, and therefore harsher (then, thine, that). > > I’m immensely curious exactly how you pronounce it though. If you have a microphone, temporary online recording available [here](http://www.vocaroo.com/). No mic, sorry. “Soft” is a poor description, after all. I pronounce it (in casual speech) more like–but not exactly like–the “th” in “the” or “they”. In third grade, the teacher called that a “soft th”, as opposed to the “hard th” of “thing”. I guess we had different teachers. My pronunciation of just the word, without being part of a sentence, has it somewhere between the two sounds. I’ve just said the word about 400 times, and the sound seems to have more to do with tongue-placement than with voice. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/36 "2010-12-05T21:45:09Z")
I apologize for being snarky earlier, **John Mace**. Hangovers suck. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/37 "2010-12-05T21:59:33Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#): > > I apologize for being snarky earlier, **John Mace**. Hangovers suck. No worries. But honestly, if you really pronounce “month” that way, I think you’re the only person in the world to do so. Now that’s an interesting combo: month that. When I say those two words, both “th” sounds get the voiceless dental fricative. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/38 "2010-12-05T22:02:48Z")
So… I have been using “hard th” and “soft th” wrongly for most of my life (not that I’ve had occassion to use them often, mind). Thanks for setting me straight, everyone. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/39 "2010-12-05T22:07:38Z")
I could be wrong, but I don’t think “hard” and “soft” are the words to use. “Voiced” and “voiceless” are correct. For instance, the hard and soft “g” sounds are both voiced, so you can’t really use “hard” as a substitute for “voiced”. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992/40 "2010-12-05T22:11:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > No worries. But honestly, if you really pronounce “month” that way, I think you’re the only person in the world to do so. > > Now that’s an interesting combo: month that. When I say those two words, both “th” sounds get the voiceless dental fricative. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one; I’m just probably not explaining myself well. When I say “month that”, they both get the unvoiced fricative, too. Odd. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-months/562992.md?page=3)