# What's with the spelling of 'Wednesday'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788 "2003-07-25T02:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/1 "2003-07-25T02:51:00Z")
Because it’s pronouced: Whens-day, not: Wed-ness-day. What gives? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/2 "2003-07-25T02:58:44Z")
From [m-w.com](http://m-w.com): Main Entry: Wednes·day Pronunciation: 'wenz-dE, -(")dA; British also 'we-d&nz- Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wOdnesdæg (akin to Old Norse Othinsdagr Wednesday); akin to Old English WOden Odin and dæg day Date: before 12th century English words are often not pronounced the way their spelled. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/3 "2003-07-25T05:13:11Z")
Ever consider that the spelling is right but the current pronunciation of it is not? ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/4 "2003-07-25T05:23:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by \*\*Earl Snake-Hips Tucker \*\* > English words are often not pronounced the way **their** spelled. and they’re often (mis)spelled the way they’re pronounced. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/5 "2003-07-25T05:23:54Z")
Most days of the week are named after Norse deities. Sunday and Monday: self-evident (sun and moon) Tuesday: Tiw/Tyr Wednesday: Wodan/Odin Thursday: Thor Friday: Freya or Frigg [Citey McCiteington](http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/origin_days.html) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/6 "2003-07-25T10:33:09Z")
I’d just like to say that my parents, and many other people in the south of England, pronounce the d to some extent, and so do I if I’m making a conscious effort to speak properly. It’s difficult to describe, not a hard d but kind of half-swallowed, just a kind of flick of the tongue against the roof of the mouth before you get to the n. It’s still not pronounced “Wednesday”, though - more like “Wedunsday”. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/7 "2003-07-25T11:44:37Z")
Weddings-Day. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/8 "2003-07-25T13:30:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ParentalAdvisory \* > **Because it’s pronouced: Whens-day, not: Wed-ness-day.** You mean **you** pronounce it Whens-day. Just like some pronounce it Toosday, or Satterday. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/9 "2003-07-25T13:41:48Z")
Actually, in the US, the _-day_ part of the days of the week is typically pronounced “dee” and is practically unstressed, as opposed to “day” with a secondary stress. This doesn’t seem to apply to broadcasters, though, and regionally the secondary pronunciation might be more common. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/10 "2003-07-25T14:45:43Z")
Whenussday ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/11 "2003-07-25T14:56:09Z")
So why are our days named after Norse gods, and our months are named for Roman gods/emperors? And what did Romans use for day-names, if anything? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/12 "2003-07-25T15:03:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > \*\*You mean **you** pronounce it Whens-day. Just like some pronounce it Toosday, or Satterday. \*\* Nobody I know pronounces Wednesday “Toosday” or “Satterday”. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/13 "2003-07-25T15:09:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shoeless \* > \*\* And what did Romans use for day-names, if anything? \*\* The Romans numbered their days. The Roman month was made up of three specific days, the “Nones”, the “Ides” and the “Kalends”. So if the Romans wanted to talk about a certain date, they’d say something like “Two days after the Ides of October” or whatever. But the Romans didn’t have the concept of “days of the week”. ---
**Author:** ![Tarantula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e274bd/32.png) [@Tarantula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarantula)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/14 "2003-07-25T15:18:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Captain Amazing \* > **…the “Nones”, the “Ides” and the “Kalends”…** In case anyone wanted to know, that’s where the word “Calendar” comes from… ---
**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:** [July 25, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/15 "2003-07-25T16:17:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker \* > \*\*Actually, in the US, the _-day_ part of the days of the week is typically pronounced “dee” and is practically unstressed, as opposed to “day” with a secondary stress. This doesn’t seem to apply to broadcasters, though, and regionally the secondary pronunciation might be more common. \*\* I would say the “dee” pronunciation is a regional thing. I, and most of my friends, say “day”. And we don’t have accents.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wet\_marble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e0b2c6/32.png) [@wet\_marble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wet_marble)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/16 "2003-07-25T16:27:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker \* > \*\*Actually, in the US, the _-day_ part of the days of the week is typically pronounced “dee” and is practically unstressed, as opposed to “day” with a secondary stress. \*\* No one in NY says “dee” when referring to days of the week by name and I haven’t heard it in common usage in any of the North Eastern states or in FL, LA, MS, TN, CA and several other states I’ve been to. I would guess that “dee” is probably a regional pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/17 "2003-07-25T16:35:14Z")
Have to agree with **John Mace** and **wet marble** here: [Regional pronunciation of the final vowel in “MondAY” etc.](http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~golder/dialect/staticmaps/q_19.html) ---
**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:** [July 25, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/18 "2003-07-25T16:39:10Z")
::jerking thumb upwards at M-W C&P:: Oh yeah? _Nyaaa_ ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/19 "2003-07-25T16:59:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker \* > \*\*Actually, in the US, the _-day_ part of the days of the week is typically pronounced “dee” and is practically unstressed, as opposed to “day” with a secondary stress. This doesn’t seem to apply to broadcasters, though, and regionally the secondary pronunciation might be more common. \*\* I see that you’re from South Carolina. Once you get out of the South, you’ll find that that’s not the case. Haj ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788/20 "2003-07-25T18:41:08Z")
Two little ol’ ladies on a park bench. “Sure is windy today, isn’t it?” says Sadie. “It’s not Wednesday, it’s Thursday!” replies Maude. “I’m thirsty, too,” says Sadie. “Let’s go get a drink.” \ Sorry about that – I couldn’t resist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-spelling-of-wednesday/190788.md?page=2)