# Pronunciation of Quebec **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 2002, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223 "2002-12-12T07:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **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:** [December 12, 2002, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/1 "2002-12-12T07:57:30Z")
I saw a commercial tonight with Celine Dion pronouncing it kwa-BEK. Is this correct? I was under the impression that the preferred version is ka-BEK. Does it matter? ---
**Author:** ![whatmove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecc23a/32.png) [@whatmove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatmove)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/2 "2002-12-12T08:43:12Z")
I’ve always just pronounced it “Quebec” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/3 "2002-12-12T11:58:24Z")
I’ve always said “kwe-bek”. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/4 "2002-12-12T12:00:12Z")
ke-bek for me, please. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/5 "2002-12-12T13:12:54Z")
If you’re anglophone, you’re more likely to say “kwe-beck.” But there are plenty who say “ke-bek” (closer to the French version). Francophones (who pay attention to the accent in “Québec”) will say “kay-beck.” Generally the emphasis is on the second syllable. Canada has a lot of different accents, so I’d expect some variations between the Maritimes, priaries and out west though. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/6 "2002-12-12T14:41:24Z")
I was speaking with someone on the phone the other day who lived there, and I pronounced it somewhere in between “ke-bek” and “kay-beck” and she actually corrected me, pronouncing it “KWUH-bek.” ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/7 "2002-12-12T16:57:37Z")
Iunno, **Eats\_Crayons**. I think you’d need to look far and wide for a Quebec anglo who’ll call it “Kweh-bec”. Really, it’s just easiest to say “Ke-bec.” **White Lightning** , that’s super-weird. SUPER-weird. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/8 "2002-12-13T16:54:45Z")
People from Quebec say Kuh-beck. People trying to denigrate it, or overcompensating for the vowel, say Kwuh-bek. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/9 "2002-12-13T18:42:14Z")
There was a young boy from Quebec. Who was froze up in snow to his neck. When asked, “Are you frizz?” He replied, “Yes I is, But we don’t call it cold in Quebec.” Quebecois prefer “kay-beck”, given the aigu accent on the e. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/10 "2002-12-15T04:07:46Z")
My grandparents, who sometimes vacationed there, insisted on calling it “QUEE-beck,” often to the point of “correcting” the natives. I’m sure they were touched by the elderly American couple informing them that they had it wrong all their lives. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/11 "2002-12-15T04:32:56Z")
I say “kay-beck” ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/12 "2002-12-15T05:15:27Z")
I like to torture my roommate, who is French and has lived in Quebec, by pronouncing it “kwuh-beck”. Drives him NUTS, I tell you. Of course, it helps to have a southern drawl when saying it. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-quebec/142223/13 "2002-12-15T14:17:56Z")
- Québec \*, c’est “Kay-Bek”, tabarnak. Non mais ‘sti, c’est quoi vot’ problème! Calisse… 😃