# Pronunciation: "read"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748 "2008-02-08T01:27:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/1 "2008-02-08T01:27:04Z")
Context: **He was a Belgian (read: idiot).** I run across this occasionally, and I never know whether to pronounce it like “red” or “reed.” I could see it going either way: “The previous passage should be **read** the following way…” (_conditional perfect aspect_ - rhymes with “dead”) or “I intend for you to **read** that passage in the following way…” (_infinitive_ - rhymes with “knead”) similarly “Please **read** that passage the following way…” (_second person present_ - also rhymes with “knead”) I’m looking for a GQ answer, but if none exists, I will gladly accept IMHO ones. Apologies to any Belgians. Especially if any of them can answer the question or correct my verb classifications. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/2 "2008-02-08T01:31:19Z")
I would say it “reed”, because I’d consider that to be in the imperative. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/3 "2008-02-08T01:37:44Z")
Imperative. “Reed.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/4 "2008-02-08T01:38:08Z")
Seconded Thirded\*, by analogy. Which sounds more correct? He was a Belgian (see: beer monkeys) He was a Belgian (saw: beer monkeys) He was a Belgian (seen: beer monkeys) I think your (read: XXX) is comparable to (see: XXX), and is in the imperative. \*I’m really slow and I don’t know how to do strikeout. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/5 "2008-02-08T01:39:59Z")
“Reed.” Such as, “He was a Belgian. (read [this as meaning he was an]: idiot.” ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/6 "2008-02-08T01:41:12Z")
Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/7 "2008-02-08T01:42:25Z")
[QUOTE=Randy Seltzer] “Please **read** that passage the following way…” [/QUOTE] I, too, agree with this interpretation. (I did some Googling. It’s easy to find this meaning of ‘read’, but not the associated pronounciation.) ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/8 "2008-02-08T02:00:12Z")
> [@](#): > > He was a Belgian (read: idiot). That’s taken as read. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/9 "2008-02-08T02:20:36Z")
I’m so glad this isn’t about [the library’s new program](http://plcmc.org/Programs/paint_the_town_read/). ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/10 "2008-02-08T02:40:08Z")
[QUOTE=Dr. Drake] [COLOR=Red] \*I’m really slow and I don’t know how to do strikeout. [/QUOTE] [del]text you want stricken[/del] Just remove the spaces. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/11 "2008-02-08T02:50:27Z")
[QUOTE=Inner Stickler] [del]text you want stricken[/del] Just remove the spaces. [/QUOTE] Thanks [del]for nothing[/del] a lot! Now can you fix my being slow? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/12 "2008-02-08T02:57:02Z")
Thanks y’all! I was expecting more of a debate, but I guess I was reading too much into it. (Gotta love the Google ads: three are “Learn English Grammar Online!” and one is “Want a HOT Date?”) ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/13 "2008-02-08T02:57:32Z")
More importantly, what have the Belgians ever done to you? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/14 "2008-02-08T03:09:06Z")
This is one of those questions that I am a little concerned that it was even asked. It is clearly “reed”. “Red” makes no sense whatsoever. The closest I can come is: “He was a Russian (red: idiot)”. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/15 "2008-02-08T03:24:00Z")
**WoodenTaco** Hoegaarden. Blech. **Shagnasty** : “He was like a Belgian to an SAT analogy writer (red: green).” ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/16 "2008-02-08T04:23:07Z")
I’ve always read it as “red,” m’self, but have had the same doubt as the OP. Using the imperative seems impolite, whereas {red} is much nicer in character: “He was from Michigan ({red}: intelligent).” Whereby {red} is direction, “that’s read as…”. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/17 "2008-02-08T08:02:51Z")
So it’s really as matter of whether you see “read” as an order, or a polite request? I definitely take it as an imperative, it’s the voice of **author** ity, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/18 "2008-02-08T09:06:02Z")
I’ve always taken it as “red” myself, with no doubt, not for any particular reason except that I take it as an abbreviation of “This phrase is read as…” or “This phrase is to be read as…”, but the evidence is that overwhelmingly, people use (and thus probably intend, if the thought comes before their mind) “reed” (analogous with, as pointed out above, “see”). ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/19 "2008-02-08T09:12:57Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] (I did some Googling. It’s easy to find this meaning of ‘read’, but not the associated pronounciation.) [/QUOTE] I think I’ve actually tried to find information on this construct before, with little search engine success. Are you saying it’s easy to find examples of this use in the wild, or easy to find pages describing this use? If the latter, could you point me towards some? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748/20 "2008-02-08T09:21:55Z")
“To read” is being used in different ways in those sentences, **Balthisar**. (English really needs a better infinitive form. Spanish with “leer” is much more elegant than clunky ol’ “to read”.) **He was from Michigan (read: intelligent).** Here it’s imperative. The reader is being told to read into the matter, look between the lines – not that “Michigan” is said the same as “intelligent”. The sense of the sentence is lost if “read” functions as an adjective. You generally don’t see “read” used in that non-literal, metaphorical sense as an adjective. **That’s read as . . .** Here, it’s being used as as an adjective. Written out fully, the sentence is “That is read as . . . .” So it goes: Pronoun / “to be” third person singular / adjective / preposition / descriptive phrase. OR Subject / verb / adjective / preposition / descriptive phrase. Even if you pull it out fully – “That is to be read as . . .” – “read” is still functioning as an adjective, and it is always pronounced {red} when used as an adjective. The read books, the unread books. It only seems polite because it’s more roundabout than a direct command, which are usually reserved for subordinates in American English. So you can give your dog, your kids, and your assistant direct commands, but you word them differently for equals and superiors. A direct command doesn’t have that connotation in some other languages or even in all places where English is spoken. There’s nothing rude about using the imperative. You can read an implied “please” in there if you like, but the imperative isn’t rude in itself. It’s just a verb form/mood. Even if you identify “read” as an adjective in the original phrase, it’s still a command in the sense that you’re asking someone to modify their beliefs/behavior. In either the Michigan or Belgian examples, the definitions of words are being recast, which is a bit of an imposition. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-read/436748.md?page=2)