# Q-pon or coo-pon? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821 "2014-03-04T13:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/41 "2017-04-16T14:00:24Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > There is no “q” in “coupon”. I would just like to point out that there is no “r” in the military rank called “colonel.” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/42 "2017-04-16T14:52:44Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I would just like to point out that there is no “r” in the military rank called “colonel.” Nor is there an “f” in lieutenant. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/43 "2017-04-16T15:38:47Z")
I pronounce it “COO-pon”. The same way that little love God’s name is pronounced: “COO-pid”. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/44 "2017-04-16T16:31:24Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I say it correctly, but my wife doesn’t. I once made the mistake of pointing out the difference, and now she’s really paranoid about saying it wrong and sounding stupid. So how does she pronounce “stupid”? “Stoo-pid” or “Styou-pid”? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/45 "2017-04-16T17:49:22Z")
I didn’t realize anybody pronounced it Q-pon, but then I’m British so maybe it’s just an American thing. I don’t know how it started, there’s no justification for it in the word. Cu- is certainly pronounced Q- in many words, at least by some ( cute, culinary, cucumber, cure, etc) but cou- has no other examples of Q- pronunciation that I know of other than this. We don’t say Q-gar for cougar, Q-th for couth or unQ-th for uncouth for instance. Still there’s no logic in language and on checking I see that OED gives Q-pon as the only American pronunciation and coo-pon for the British one. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/46 "2017-04-16T17:57:57Z")
cue - pon I had to think for a minute. I’ve heard it pronounced coo - Pon with a soft O. Not coo like a baby’s sound. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/47 "2017-04-16T19:09:00Z")
Another Brit here, who says “coo-pon”. Don’t think I’ve ever heard “Q-pon” from a compatriot. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/48 "2017-04-16T19:43:39Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/49 "2017-04-16T23:00:43Z")
First of all, how do you pronounce coup, as in coup d’état? Guess what? it’s Koo. Guess what else is a french word? Coupon. Therefore it is correctly pronounced koo-pon. Only American idiots bastardize it because they can’t bother to learn about other cultures. (I admit I am usually one of those idiots, but not in this, The Most Important Of World Issues Ever) > [@LibrarySpy](#): > > I say cue-pon because I’m from the South. It ain’t right without the drawl. It ain’t right with the drawl either. Nothing is right with the drawl. > [@kopek](#): > > coo-pon but spelled Z-O-M-B-I-E? 😉 DAMMIT! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/50 "2017-04-17T23:16:42Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > First of all, how do you pronounce coup, as in coup d’état? Guess what? it’s Koo. Guess what else is a french word? Coupon. Therefore it is correctly pronounced koo-pon. Only American idiots bastardize it because they can’t bother to learn about other cultures. Coupon, from the French word coupe, meaning cut, because you CUT THE DAMN THING OUT OF THE NEWSPAPER. 😃 Q-pon would appear to be a case of hypercorrection. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/51 "2017-04-18T00:46:14Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > First of all, how do you pronounce coup, as in coup d’état? Guess what? it’s Koo. Guess what else is a french word? Coupon. Therefore it is correctly pronounced koo-pon. Only American idiots bastardize it because they can’t bother to learn about other cultures. (I admit I am usually one of those idiots, but not in this, The Most Important Of World Issues Ever) Well guess what else? Every language alters the pronunciation of borrowed words at least somewhat. The United States is Estados Unidos in Mexico. Ramen is Lo-Mein in China. etc., etc. Anyway, the French word coupon is not pronounced q-pon, but neither is it pronounced koo-pon. Growing up in the 60s, it was rarely pronounced coo-pon unless spoken by children, nearly always q-pon,. In the same vein the red tomato sauce was called catsup by every major company except Del Monte. The “kiddie” pronunciations seemed to start taking over in the late 70s, and early 80s, catsup succumbing to the infamous “ketchup is a vegetable” definition, which prompted all the major catsup manufacturers to change the spelling to ketchup, so as to be eligible to sell to school cafeterias. Koo-pon would appear to be a case of what I call the “kiddification” of spoken language. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/52 "2017-04-18T04:02:19Z")
Both, oddly enough. Just like with data (day-tuh, da-tuh), I occasionally switch with no rhyme or reason. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/53 "2017-04-18T06:05:46Z")
Koo-pon would be the default in these parts. I’ve never heard any local say kew-pon. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2017, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/54 "2017-04-18T09:06:05Z")
Never heard of Grey Pyoopon mustard. Or is it Gray? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/55 "2017-04-18T15:02:53Z")
I grew up saying “Q-pon” because that’s how my parents said it and then I learned the correct way and that is what I say. But language is the ultimate democracy so there are really no wrong answers just less and more popular ones. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821/56 "2017-04-29T20:00:38Z")
I have to wonder if those who say “kyoo-pon” also insisted on calling French fries “freedom fries”. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-pon-or-coo-pon/682821.md?page=2)