# pronunciation question: kilometer

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 3, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858 "2004-11-03T22:09:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858/21 "2004-11-04T20:39:25Z")

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Oh, wait, I guess a scale could be a newton meter, as in a meter that measures newtons. But in that mode of usage, a torque wrench would be a newton-meter meter.

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858/22 "2004-11-04T20:46:35Z")

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Look at the word “micrometer”. (I use the US spelling here.)

Pronounced ‘mi-KROM-i-tur’, it’s the measuring instrument.  
Pronounced ‘MIKE-ro-mee-tur’, it’s the unit of length.

Same for ‘KILL-oh-mee-tur’. I remember being specifically taught that pronunciation when I was a kid–we had a tendency to say ‘kill-OM-i-tur’ as well.

Using the international spelling of ‘metre’ for the unit of length gives a further distiction between the two.

Um, I guess **shillabus** said it first.

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858/23 "2004-11-04T21:01:59Z")

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> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> Same for ‘KILL-oh-mee-tur’. I remember being specifically taught that pronunciation when I was a kid–we had a tendency to say ‘kill-OM-i-tur’ as well.

Sorry, just because you were taught something doesn’t mean it’s correct. We’ve already had exception to this supposed rule, and it seems pretty clear that there’s regional differences at play as well. Sure, it would be _nice_ if it were as logical as the way you were taught - but it seems less confusing to use odometer instead.

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**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858/24 "2004-11-04T21:20:15Z")

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> [@shillabus](#):
>
> Following the same train of thought… how do you pronounce centimeter? I’ve _never_ heard people try to pronounce CENT-i-meter as cen-TIM-iter, so why do people pronounce KIL-i-meter as ki-LOM-iter?

I _have_ heard people say cenTImeter. Also milLImeter.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858/25 "2004-11-04T23:11:39Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Look at the word “micrometer”. (I use the US spelling here.)
> 
> Pronounced ‘mi-KROM-i-tur’, it’s the measuring instrument.  
> Pronounced ‘MIKE-ro-mee-tur’, it’s the unit of length.

I always pronounce it “graduated C-clamp” (to the horror of my brother the engineer).

(He says “mi KROM-i-tur”.)

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-kilometer/272858/26 "2004-11-05T22:21:11Z")

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Scientists I know who learned to drive in the US where motorists think in terms of miles usually say KILometer.

Most other people say kilOMeter.

European engineers will sometimes start saying KILometer in especially nerdy conversations.

Small sample set, though…

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