# The pronunciation of Iodine **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 14, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285 "2011-02-14T05:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/1 "2011-02-14T05:38:11Z")
We have Flour-een Chlor-een Bro-meen and then we have: Io-dine shouldn’t it be Io-deen? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/2 "2011-02-14T06:10:51Z")
FWIW, I’ve heard “bromine” pronounced both ways. I suspect all of them have seen variation. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/3 "2011-02-14T07:06:28Z")
It\* is\* “Iodeen” where I come from. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/4 "2011-02-14T13:49:05Z")
Monkey? Donkey? English is full of such examples. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/5 "2011-02-14T13:59:04Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > shouldn’t it be > Io-deen? It is. (In British English at least) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/6 "2011-02-14T14:59:25Z")
I say “io-dine” like most Americans, but the Thais all follow the British style and say “io-deen.” There is no Thai word for it; “io-deen” is used by all. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/7 "2011-02-14T15:38:15Z")
“The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.” – James Nicoll I think expecting regularity of pronunciation in English is a bit much to ask. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/8 "2011-02-14T15:52:05Z")
Both pronunciations are listed in M-W, and I’ve heard both in my life. What struck me as odd, though, was that it also listed “I-O-d’n”, which I’ve never heard. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/9 "2011-02-14T16:16:16Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Monkey? Donkey? > > English is full of such examples. What exactly is this pair of words an example of? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/10 "2011-02-14T16:19:01Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > What exactly is this pair of words an example of? Similar spellings with different pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/11 "2011-02-14T16:33:25Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > …Flour-een… Sounds like a rationing-era food extender. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/12 "2011-02-14T17:17:29Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Similar spellings with different pronunciations. …unless “monkey” and “donkey” rhyme where **acsenray** comes from. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/13 "2011-02-14T18:10:26Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > …unless “monkey” and “donkey” rhyme where **acsenray** comes from. Or anywhere else, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/14 "2011-02-14T18:29:14Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > What exactly is this pair of words an example of? The poster is referring to the beginning of those words, same spelling but different pronunciations, rather than the ending. My first reaction was the same as yours since the OP was referring to the endings of the words and that’s where I looked first and scratched my head for a second. Then did the basic :smack: ---
**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:** [February 14, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/15 "2011-02-14T18:36:16Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > The poster is referring to the beginning of those words, same spelling but different pronunciations, rather than the ending. My first reaction was the same as yours since the OP was referring to the endings of the words and that’s where I looked first and scratched my head for a second. Then did the basic :smack: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/16 "2011-02-14T18:55:23Z")
Didn’t “donkey” used to be pronounced “dunkey”? Or was that just a lie that QI told me? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/17 "2011-02-15T02:36:48Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > …unless “monkey” and “donkey” rhyme where **acsenray** comes from. When Thais try to speak English, those two words do usually rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/18 "2011-02-15T05:42:15Z")
I hate pronunciation guides, and find them less than intuitive or illuminating. Is there any difference between i-o-dine and io-dine? I mean “io”? How the hell do you pronounce _that_? > [@spark240](#): > > FWIW, I’ve heard “bromine” pronounced both ways. I suspect all of them have seen variation. Wait, are people saying “bro-meen” and “bro-mine” saying the same word? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/19 "2011-02-15T07:32:57Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > The poster is referring to the beginning of those words, same spelling but different pronunciations, rather than the ending. My first reaction was the same as yours since the OP was referring to the endings of the words and that’s where I looked first and scratched my head for a second. Then did the basic :smack: Not only word with the same endings, but the names of elements in the same column of the periodic table. Seems like there should be some consistency. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pronunciation-of-iodine/571285/20 "2011-02-15T07:52:03Z")
Also: It’s _Fronkensteen_