Judi’s Reviews > There is No Zoo in Zoology, and Other Beastly Mispronunciations: An Opinionated Guide for the Well-Spoken > Status Update
Judi
is on page 43 of 182
diesel DEE-zuul, not DEE-suul.
DEE-suul has been listed in most dictionaries since the 1960s, but is not preferred.
Diesel comes from Rudolph Diesel, a German automotive engineer. Webster 2 (1934), notes that in German the letter S is pronounced "like Engish S in rose at the beginning of a word...and before a vowel." We should follow this rule when we say diesel (DEE-zuul), for it breaks no rule of English nor ...
— Aug 10, 2026 06:46AM
DEE-suul has been listed in most dictionaries since the 1960s, but is not preferred.
Diesel comes from Rudolph Diesel, a German automotive engineer. Webster 2 (1934), notes that in German the letter S is pronounced "like Engish S in rose at the beginning of a word...and before a vowel." We should follow this rule when we say diesel (DEE-zuul), for it breaks no rule of English nor ...
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Judi’s Previous Updates
Judi
is on page 49 of 182
elephantine EL-uh-FAN-teen or EL-uh-FAN-tin or EL-uh-FAN-tyn.
EL-uh-FAN-teen is preferred by most current dictionaries, including Webster's Ninth, Webster's New World, and Random House II. EL-uh-FAN-tin is my favourite; it is the preference of older American dictionaries, and is till listed first in several of my recent sources. EL-uh-FAN-tyn is originally British (a long I as in wine, for the suffix -ine is the ...
— 11 hours, 39 min ago
EL-uh-FAN-teen is preferred by most current dictionaries, including Webster's Ninth, Webster's New World, and Random House II. EL-uh-FAN-tin is my favourite; it is the preference of older American dictionaries, and is till listed first in several of my recent sources. EL-uh-FAN-tyn is originally British (a long I as in wine, for the suffix -ine is the ...
Judi
is on page 49 of 182
eleemosynary EL-i-MAHS-i-ner-ee.
Standard word division treats the EE in eleemosynary as one syllable, not two, and the pronunciation follows by assigning it only one sound. The alternative pronunciation EL-ee-uh-MAHS-i-ner-ee, which adds a syllable to the word, is listed in most dictionaries, but is not preferred.
— Sep 30, 2026 06:49AM
Standard word division treats the EE in eleemosynary as one syllable, not two, and the pronunciation follows by assigning it only one sound. The alternative pronunciation EL-ee-uh-MAHS-i-ner-ee, which adds a syllable to the word, is listed in most dictionaries, but is not preferred.
Judi
is on page 49 of 182
e-LEK-tuh-ral, not EE-lek-TOR-al.
The accent is on the second syllable *(-LEK-). See mayoral, pastoral, pectoral.
— Sep 27, 2026 01:53PM
The accent is on the second syllable *(-LEK-). See mayoral, pastoral, pectoral.
Judi
is on page 48 of 182
either EE-thur.
Though both EE-thur and NEE-thur (EE and NEE rhyming with see) nd EYE-thur and NY-thur (EYE and NY rhyming with high) occur in American and British speech, all sources agree that EE-thur and NEE-thur are the prevailing and customary American pronunciations, and EYE-thur and NTY-thur are preferred in contemporary standard British speech.
Webster 2 (1934) notes that EYE-thur "is more prevalent in ...
— Sep 26, 2026 04:33PM
Though both EE-thur and NEE-thur (EE and NEE rhyming with see) nd EYE-thur and NY-thur (EYE and NY rhyming with high) occur in American and British speech, all sources agree that EE-thur and NEE-thur are the prevailing and customary American pronunciations, and EYE-thur and NTY-thur are preferred in contemporary standard British speech.
Webster 2 (1934) notes that EYE-thur "is more prevalent in ...
Judi
is on page 47 of 182
ebullient I-BUHL-yent or i-BUUL-yent. Not i-BOOL-yent or i-BYOO-lee-ent.
Ebullient should be pronounced in three syllables In the second, accented syllable (-BUL-), the U may have the sound of the U in bulk or bull.
— Sep 15, 2026 05:27AM
Ebullient should be pronounced in three syllables In the second, accented syllable (-BUL-), the U may have the sound of the U in bulk or bull.
Judi
is on page 47 of 182
duty DYOO-tee.
DYOO-tee,, the traditional pronunciation, is preferable to DOO-tee, which is commonly heard today. See dew.
— Sep 14, 2026 07:04PM
DYOO-tee,, the traditional pronunciation, is preferable to DOO-tee, which is commonly heard today. See dew.
Judi
is on page 46 of 182
ducat DUHK-it (like duck + it).
A ducat is a type of coin, usually made of gold, formerly used by various European countries. Ducats figure prominently in tales and movies about marauders ion the bounding main. Don't be misled by Errol Flynn or ny other Hollywood swashbucklers who mispronounce this word DOOK-it or DYOOK-it. DUHK-it is the only recognized pronunciation.
— Sep 13, 2026 04:55PM
A ducat is a type of coin, usually made of gold, formerly used by various European countries. Ducats figure prominently in tales and movies about marauders ion the bounding main. Don't be misled by Errol Flynn or ny other Hollywood swashbucklers who mispronounce this word DOOK-it or DYOOK-it. DUHK-it is the only recognized pronunciation.
Judi
is on page 45 of 182
drowned DROWND.
This word has one syllable. The pronunciation DROWN-ded is nonstandard.
— Sep 12, 2026 05:53AM
This word has one syllable. The pronunciation DROWN-ded is nonstandard.
Judi
is on page 45 of 182
dour DOOR
Properly, dour should rhyme with poor, not with hour. This is the marking of the NBC Handbook (1984)j; Webster 2 (1934); the OED (1928); Funk & Wagnalls New Standard (1980); the Century (1914) and New Century (1927); and W.H.P Phyfe (1926). Dour is the same as the archaic word dure, hard, severe, which goes back through Middle English to the Latin durus (DOO-ruus), hard. The pronunciation DOOR (rhyming,,,
— Sep 07, 2026 06:29AM
Properly, dour should rhyme with poor, not with hour. This is the marking of the NBC Handbook (1984)j; Webster 2 (1934); the OED (1928); Funk & Wagnalls New Standard (1980); the Century (1914) and New Century (1927); and W.H.P Phyfe (1926). Dour is the same as the archaic word dure, hard, severe, which goes back through Middle English to the Latin durus (DOO-ruus), hard. The pronunciation DOOR (rhyming,,,
Judi
is on page 45 of 182
dissect di-SEKT.
The alternative pronunciations dy-SEKT and DY-sekt (with the first syllable pronounced like the word die) were not recognized by dictionaries before the 19670s. In 1961, Webster 3 labeled them "unacceptable to many." Most current dictionaries list but do not prefer them, and Webster's New World Guide (1984) and the NBC Handbook (1984) give only di-SEKT.
It is the double S in dissect that ...
— Sep 06, 2026 09:29AM
The alternative pronunciations dy-SEKT and DY-sekt (with the first syllable pronounced like the word die) were not recognized by dictionaries before the 19670s. In 1961, Webster 3 labeled them "unacceptable to many." Most current dictionaries list but do not prefer them, and Webster's New World Guide (1984) and the NBC Handbook (1984) give only di-SEKT.
It is the double S in dissect that ...