# Pronunciation of 'Submariner'. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 11, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398 "2015-04-11T02:51:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/1 "2015-04-11T02:51:20Z")
Sub-MARE-in-er or Sub-ma-REEN-er? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/2 "2015-04-11T02:55:47Z")
For the military term (crewmen on a submarine), it’s the first. Not sure about the superhero. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/3 "2015-04-11T02:57:31Z")
In my head, the person on a sub (that goes under water) is a “sub mar EEN er”, the watch is a ‘sub MAR in er’ ETA, the person is more like ‘sub MARINE er’ but, I don’t think I’ve ever said that out loud now that I think about it. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had to refer to that person before. But I guess it would make sense, they’re a marine…right? ---
**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:** [April 11, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/4 "2015-04-11T03:01:23Z")
A mariner is a sailor and pronounced MARE-i-ner. It’s the root word for submariner, or an underwater sailor, so sub-MARE-i-ner. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/5 "2015-04-11T04:00:18Z")
Is there actually no formal way to denote an accent or emphasis in the English languge other than CAPS LOCKING an entire four letter syllable ? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/6 "2015-04-11T04:02:01Z")
Namor or **robby**? The Marvel character is MAR. The bubblehead is INE. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/7 "2015-04-11T04:09:07Z")
> [@The\_Niply\_Elder](#): > > Is there actually no formal way to denote an accent or emphasis in the English languge other than CAPS LOCKING an entire four letter syllable ? It’s the standard way, so far as I know. In Spanish you would use an accent mark, but they use that in their normal written language to begin with. Looking at some online dictionaries, it looks like some bold the syllable, some use an accent mark, some didn’t seem to do anything at all. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/8 "2015-04-11T04:17:42Z")
Chaco, I always figured that submariner is pronounced SQUIRT BOATER. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/9 "2015-04-11T06:58:04Z")
In British, it’s sub- MA-riner. Short a. As in hat. ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/10 "2015-04-11T14:31:29Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > In British, it’s sub- MA-riner. Short a. As in hat. Yes, exactly so. Which, again, is the word “mariner” with “sub” tacked on the front - not “submarine” with an “-er” on the end. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/11 "2015-04-11T14:42:05Z")
IANA expert, but I had always heard / read that USN practice was sub-MARINE-er. The rationale being that a sub-MAR-iner would be a second-class mariner (ref subhuman, subsonic, etc.), which they definitely did NOT consider themselves to be. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/12 "2015-04-12T01:06:04Z")
In an essay I read (I think it was in Richard Lupoff’s _All in Color for a Dime_), one writer who read about Prince Namor recalled that all the kids thought his title was pronounced" the sub-ma-REEN-er", and that it was years later that he learned it was intended to be pronounced “sub MAHR-I-ner”, the way people pronounce “The Ancient Mariner” As a kid, that’s how I mentally pronounced “Sub-Mariner” (who had been revived in the early 1960s), too. I learned about “MAHR-uh-ner” as a pronunciation later. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/13 "2015-04-12T01:16:18Z")
Sub MARE iner. Source: married to one. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/14 "2015-04-12T01:48:30Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Sub MARE iner. Source: married to one. This is true. Source: I was one. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/15 "2015-04-12T01:54:04Z")
Hydrostatic Wrangler ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/16 "2015-04-12T02:24:22Z")
> [@The\_Niply\_Elder](#): > > Is there actually no formal way to denote an accent or emphasis in the English languge other than CAPS LOCKING an entire four letter syllable ? The “formal” way to denote pronunciation is by using the International Phonetic Alphabet, in which primary stress is shown with a mark that looks something like a straight apostrophe preceding the syllable. So the two pronunciations at issue are: [sʌb ˈmæ rɪ nɚ] and [sʌb mə ˈri nɚ] ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/17 "2015-04-12T15:33:06Z")
> [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > Yes, exactly so. Which, again, is the word “mariner” with “sub” tacked on the front - not “submarine” with an “-er” on the end. Yeah, for this reason the second one just sounds silly and juvenile to me. To simply add the suffix “-er” to any word to denote an enthusiast. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/18 "2015-04-12T16:47:03Z")
I just call one of my watches a ‘Sub’. (I never asked the correct pronunciation of ‘Submariner’.) ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/19 "2015-04-12T17:14:22Z")
Although a pitcher who throws those crazy low sidearm pitches is definitely a sub-ma-REEN-er. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398/20 "2015-04-12T18:15:35Z")
Having served on both diesel submarines and nuclear submarines as a sonarman. I can tell you we don’t call each other anything except maybe, “Hey you stink” or other pet names men earn when they serve with other men. Someone is constantly picking on someone on a submarine. But the bar girls now they are a different breed … they would call us sub-marine-er’s and say things like, “Hey you stink like diesel fuel” You must be a sub-marine-er" Then they would charge us more due they new we made hazard duty pay for being on submarine. We call the topside navy surface craft pukes and they call us bubble heads and ping jockeys. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-submariner/717398.md?page=2)