# Turbine: 'tur-bin', or 'tur-byne'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 26, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131 "2010-09-26T19:29:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [September 26, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/1 "2010-09-26T19:29:03Z")
When you say ‘turbine’, do you say ‘tur-bin’? Or do you say ‘tur-byne’? (I suppose you could also say ‘tur-been’.) I’ve heard it both ways all my life, and have probably pronounced it both ways. I say ‘tur-bin’, as this was the most common pronunciation as I was growing up. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/2 "2010-09-26T19:32:01Z")
tur-bine. I wasn’t aware of another way of saying it :dubious: ETA: It’s times like this I wish I could draw. I’d draw a wind turban. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/3 "2010-09-26T19:33:05Z")
I try to say tur-byne just to differentiate turbine from turban. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/4 "2010-09-26T19:36:31Z")
Tur-bine here. The tur-bin pronunciation seems most common when it’s used as part of the term “turbine powered.” ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/5 "2010-09-26T19:52:58Z")
Tur-bine. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/6 "2010-09-26T21:18:05Z")
Tur-bine. Any other pronunciation would strike me as wrong, then as a very localised variant. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/7 "2010-09-26T21:33:13Z")
Tur-bine ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/8 "2010-09-26T22:14:12Z")
‘Tur-bin’ when it’s used as an adjective, ‘tur-byne’ when it’s used as a noun. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/9 "2010-09-26T22:21:00Z")
Blarfengar. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/10 "2010-09-26T22:30:42Z")
If worn o n the head ‘turbin’, if used for power creation turbine. of both either one will do 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/11 "2010-09-26T23:11:50Z")
Tur-bin. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/12 "2010-09-26T23:41:32Z")
Tur-byne. Never heard it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/13 "2010-09-27T00:37:35Z")
Tur-byne. It’s the only way I’ve ever heard it. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/14 "2010-09-27T03:27:26Z")
Only ever heard “tur-bine”. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbine-tur-bin-or-tur-byne/555131/15 "2010-09-27T03:38:26Z")
Both. In fact, all three. It depends on the context.