# Why is Wednesday pronounced the way it is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279 "2002-11-18T05:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/21 "2002-11-19T05:42:28Z")
Tibetan is the world champion for spelling/pronunciation mismatches. e.g. _sprul.sku_ (pronounced tulku) Most Tibetan words are cockeyed like that. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/22 "2002-11-19T06:49:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*But it’s _spelt_ **pronunciation**. > > Personally, I pronounce the name of the week Weddens-day (with a very weak schwa in the second syllable), and the month Feb-ru-ah-ee (more or less). Anything else is just laziness of the tongue or copy cat mispronunciation. \*\* What **everton** said. Except that it’s _spelled_ **spelled**. Oh, wait. You’re in Merrie Olde Englande, are you not?\* Never mind. \*[sub]_Please_ don’t Pit me. I don’t _really_ think you’re quaint.[/sub] ---
**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:** [November 19, 2002, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/23 "2002-11-19T12:48:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > **But it’s _spelt_ pronunciation.** I like to say: “You pronounce ‘pronunciation’ _pronunciation_ and not _pronounciation_, even though you pronounce ‘pronounce’ _pronounce_ and not _pronunce._” ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/24 "2002-11-19T13:20:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*“You pronounce ‘pronunciation’ _pronunciation_ and not _pronounciation_, even though you pronounce ‘pronounce’ _pronounce_ and not _pronunce._” \*\* **Let’s call the whole thing off** ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/25 "2002-11-19T16:26:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*I’ve seen Americans on TV try their best to pronounce ‘Worcestershire Sauce’ they pronounce the literal word correctly, but have got the proper pronounciation completely wrong - it’s ‘wooster sauce’ > \*\* Really? I always thought it was pronounced Whats-this-here sauce. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/26 "2002-11-19T16:41:50Z")
I’m actually from Worcester (uk) and can’t pronounce it any other way.\* Neither can the rest of england, AFAIK. But it might have been a smart move to respell the sauce name for the larger market. to the extent that I wasn’t going to specify than what, but for the record it’s quite definately ‘wooster’ with the ‘oo’ a short ‘oo’ if you see what I mean ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gretchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Miss\_Gretchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gretchen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/27 "2002-11-19T20:14:04Z")
OK, but what about “Tuesday”? Why do I hear so many people saying it like “Chewsday”? I’ve never heard of the same people going to the store for a can of chewna fish or a chewb of chewthpaste. Am I crazy, or has anyone else heard this? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/28 "2002-11-19T20:52:18Z")
Miss Gretchen, I’m sorry to have to tell you, you’re crazy.😃 ---
**Author:** ![micilin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@micilin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micilin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/29 "2002-11-19T21:18:55Z")
**Miss Gretchen** I hear it all the time. To American ears, Irish people definitely - and probably Brits - sound like they’re saying ‘Chewsday’. ‘chewna’ and ‘chewb’, but not ‘chewthpaste’: that’s just silly! There’s a different sound to the long ‘tu’ than ‘too’ usually. Thats why Americans sound like they’re saying ‘toosday’, ‘toona’, and ‘toob’ to us, which believe it or not sounds silly. To illustrate: One time when I was ordering breakfast in the States the conversation went like like this: Me: I’d like a tuna sandwich please. Waitron: A Chicken sandwich? Me: No, a tuna sandwich, thanks. Waitron: Chicken? Me: Ah, make it a Pastrami. And don’t get me started on Irish pronunciation/spelling. **micilin** (pronounced MICK-uh-LEEN by the way) ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gretchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Miss\_Gretchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gretchen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279/30 "2002-11-19T22:02:29Z")
micilin - Don’t get _me_ started on Irish/not Irish english pronunciation! The only place on the planet where people apparently couldn’t understand me was Dublin. I had to write stuff down in order to be understood. Or maybe they understood just fine and were just jerks. Or maybe, like **Gary T** they undestood that I was crazy and possibly dangerous.😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-wednesday-pronounced-the-way-it-is/137279.md?page=1)