# Word thing: Quay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-thing-quay/293893 "2005-03-10T20:20:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-thing-quay/293893/41 "2005-03-13T17:29:04Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Until this thread, I’d never heard it pronounced any other way than ‘key’. ‘Kay’ sounds to me like possible Spanish/Hispanic adaptations of the pronunciation. And ‘kway’ just sounds silly 😉 Until this thread, I’d never heard it, period. I’ve lived all over the southeast US, by the way. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-thing-quay/293893/42 "2005-03-14T15:13:23Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > [www.dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com) gives ‘pier or wharf’ as one of several definitions of dock. The term “strictly speaking” presumes that the dictionary may offer contradictory, ambiguous, or confusing alternative definitions. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-thing-quay/293893/43 "2005-03-14T15:44:21Z")
About Ireland, you’re right about the song lyrics, but in Dublin, the big roads going along the edges of the river Liffey are the Quays…pronounced Keys. Outside of the gaeltacht and people speaking Irish, the word "Quay " is always pronounced “Key”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-thing-quay/293893.md?page=2)