# Pronunciation of "parmesan" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2026, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593 "2026-03-19T21:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/21 "2026-03-20T02:47:23Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Do we all pronounce it with a “zh”? I say “PAR-meg-zahn “par-meh-ZAHN” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/22 "2026-03-20T02:49:10Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > boozhwah Johanna - You spoke French! – John Astin as Gomez Addams. 🤪 ---
**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:** [March 20, 2026, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/23 "2026-03-20T02:50:26Z")
Interestingly, [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) gives various accent patterns and different vowels, but no “zh” variation: > **[PARMESAN Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/parmesan)** > > PARMESAN definition: of or from Parma, in northern Italy. See examples of Parmesan used in a sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/24 "2026-03-20T04:39:00Z")
FWIW, Merriam-Webster has it ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/25 "2026-03-20T08:46:21Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I cannot think of another English word where we pronounce an “s” like that when it is followed by “a” Courtesan ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/26 "2026-03-20T11:02:11Z")
I thought so too, but I couldn’t find a dictionary entry that actually corroborated this. I always pronounced it like parmesan, but the dictionaries all had the final syllable “san” rhyming with “fan”… ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/27 "2026-03-20T11:12:37Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > the dictionaries all had the final syllable “san” rhyming with “fan”… Here we go again. 🙂 As I learned on the Dope years ago (from @hibernicus), the “a” vowel in Romance languages doesn’t exist in English. It’s halfway between the English sound in “pan” (ae) and the English\* sound in “hot” (ah). The standard British approximation is the “ae” sound. The standard American approximation is the “ah” sound. Neither is more right — nor more wrong — than the other. \*Well, the common American sound in “hot,” anyway, especially in California (but not just there). That is, without any lip rounding. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2026, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/28 "2026-03-20T11:25:06Z")
Yeah that’s one I never heard. Parmesan with a “zh,” yes. Never heard it in “courtesan,” but it’s not like that word comes up a lot. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/29 "2026-03-20T11:39:46Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > We pronounced the last syllable like Mr. Van Damme’s first name. “Please pass the parmesanclod”. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/30 "2026-03-20T11:47:31Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > the sort of thing pretentious boozhwah English speakers keep coming up with. Sometimes we pretentious English speakers just like to zhuzh things up a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/31 "2026-03-20T12:05:10Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > As I learned on the Dope years ago (from @hibernicus), the “a” vowel in Romance languages doesn’t exist in English. It’s halfway between the English sound in “pan” > (ae) and the English\* sound in “hot” (ah). > > The standard British approximation is the “ae” sound. The standard American approximation is the “ah” sound. Neither is more right — nor more wrong — than the other. I’m afraid this is just wrong. For one thing, when you say English, you seem to mean American English. Both pronunciations of “a” exist in English as it is spoken in England. The problem for American English seems to be the lack of a proper “o” sound (because, as you say, of not rounding the lips). I suspect that what’s going on with the American pronunciation of Parmesan is that there’s apparently a trend to performatively attempt to pronounce a random selection of loan words in something approaching their original pronunciation. The issues are that this is not how English conventionally treats loan words, Parmesan is not an Italian word, and if it were, Italians wouldn’t pronounce it like that. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/32 "2026-03-20T12:37:16Z")
> [@solost](#): > > > [@Johanna](#): > > > > the sort of thing pretentious boozhwah English speakers keep coming up with. > > Sometimes we pretentious English speakers just like to zhuzh things up a little bit. And sometimes we keep things cazh. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/33 "2026-03-20T12:42:18Z")
We pronounce it “Romano”. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/34 "2026-03-20T13:47:49Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > My cou **s** in, who is a pre **s** ident, owns a bu **s** iness, where she listens to mu **s** ic with her hu **s** band and eats rai **s** ins. They have done this about a thou **s** and times, until he poi **s** ened her and now she thinks it is mi **s** erable. Little did she know but this was by de **s** ign where she would lo **s** e him. Little did she know that the antidote was parme **s** an. > [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > Courtesan I don’t think you guys are understanding the question. **None** of those words are pronounced with a “zh” sound as in Parmesan. Like the word _zhuzh_. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/35 "2026-03-20T14:14:20Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > I’m afraid this is just wrong. For one thing, when you say English, you seem to mean American English. Both pronunciations of “a” exist in English as it is spoken in England. Both pronunciations of “a” exist in American English as well. I believe > [@JKellyMap](#): > > The standard British approximation is the “ae” sound. The standard American approximation is the “ah” sound. Neither is more right — nor more wrong — than the other. refers only to the “a” in parmesan. The British pronunciation uses a different vowel than the American pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/36 "2026-03-20T14:25:02Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > **None** of those words are pronounced with a “zh” sound as in Parmesan. Like the word _zhuzh_. I think this is one of those situations where it’s hard to convey pronunciation in text without using [IPA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet) proper (or even if you do, most people wouldn’t know how to read it, myself included… it looks like a weird mix of ancient foreign alphabets and math notation). I knew what the OP meant, but only because I’d _heard_ “parmesan” spoken the American way before. If I just saw “zhan” written out in a text, I’d have assumed it’s pronounced “zan”, with a silent “h”, rather than a mix of “Sean” and “John”. And _zhuzh_ looks like “zoo, uh?” to me. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/37 "2026-03-20T14:28:44Z")
I believe it’s pronounced par-mee-zee-an by everyone in the universe ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/38 "2026-03-20T14:29:52Z")
Parmesan from the Parisians, duh. Makes total sense to me! 😅 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/39 "2026-03-20T14:31:36Z")
We’re arguing over the French pronunciation of “Jean” (zhan) or the American pronunciation of the first syllable of Xanadu (zan), right? I’ve only heard the former for the last syllable of Parmesan. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593/40 "2026-03-20T14:42:06Z")
I think so. But many Americans wouldn’t know the French pronunciation of “Jean” either, I think? At least judging by the number of times I’ve heard “John-Clod Van Damn”. I think it’s the sound in the middle of mea **su** re or vi **si** on or at the end of lava **ge**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-parmesan/1028593.md?page=3)