On a site called WordGenius, we learn of different pronunciations by region in these United States. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and my pronunciations are, if not ‘all over the map,’ mostly of the North or West:

Lawyer

Lawyer has a pronunciation distinction between the South and the North. In the North it’s generally pronounced LOY-yer, whereas in the South it’s pronounced LAW-yer. Both pronunciations are valid and will get you legal help from the appropriate sources.

I pronounce it as Northerners do.

Roof

In the eastern part of the United States, roof is pronounced with a long double-o sound, like how it’s spelled. In the western part of the country, particularly noticeable in California, it’s pronounced more like ruff.

“Ruff”? The double-o gets the kind of ‘u’ sound, from me, as in “put.”

Egg

This is a representation of the Northern Cities Shift in vowel pronunciation, which is found in northern cities that may have some contact with Canada and Canadian accents. Some people pronounce egg with a short “e,” whereas some others pronounce it with a long “a” sound, like “ague.”

Rhymes with “renege.” And “beg.” And “leg.” And “Craig”!

Caramel

In the Northeast, caramel is usually pronounced with three syllables and an “ay” sound on the first syllable. In the Midwest and the West, it’s most often pronounced with two syllables and a “car” sound at the beginning.

First syllable is “Care.”

Pajamas

Pajamas is another term with a West/Midwest and an East distinction. In the West and Midwest, it’s pronounced a short middle “a” (like jam), whereas in the East it’s pronounced with a long middle “a” (like father).

I am a man of the West on this. And this site’s pronunciation cues suck: “ague” and “father” are both described as sporting a long ‘a.’ Ugh.

Aunt

This word has a South vs. North distinction. In the Northeast, the word is pronounced with a long “ahh” sound, while the South make the word sound like the insect, ant.

In my family, it is pronounced like it is spelled, but, oddly, “auntie” is pronounced “ANT-ee.”

Pecan

This word has no regional distinction. It’s all over the place, and everyone thinks their pronunciation is correct. Roughly 45 percent of Southerners and 70 percent Northerners say pee-can, while the inverse say pe-cahn. Either way, pecan pies are delicious.

I am with 70 percent of Northerners, but the accent is on the second syllable.

Crayon

Like pecan, crayon has no real distinction on how to pronounce it — but there are two general camps people fall into regarding it. Some people say cray-on, others say cray-awn.

Accent on first syllable. What the article is telling us here I do not know.

Picture

Like pecan and crayon, picture has some variation that isn’t bound by regional differences. People tend to drift into two groups: one pronounces the word with two distinct syllables, like pick-chur, and the other group pronounces the word shorter and quicker, like pitcher. Both are correct, but one is a little slower and clearer, and owes its roots to a British accent. 

A fast “pitcher”? Barbarism!

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is the last of the words that are pronounced differently all over the place. It can be pronounced in two different ways: with three syllables (may-oh-nays) or two (may-nays).

It is three syllables, but I tip my hat to the lazy ways by pronouncing the middle syllable as a schwa. I assume every three-syllable English speaker does this, contrary to WordGenius’s bizarre indication of “oh”!

Been

Been is a word that changes the further north you go. In the more southern areas of the United States, it’s longer sounding and stresses the double “e” in the word. The closer you get to Canada, however, you pronounce it like the name Ben.

Let’s sing it: “Ben, the two of us need look no more. . . .”

Syrup

Syrup is a Northeastern creation in the United States; it only stands to reason that it’s pronounced differently there than anywhere else. In the Northeast corridor, people say sear-up. Everywhere else, they say sir-rup.

The Northeasterners are right on this one, and the first syllable should be pronounced as is the first syllable in my last name. Maybe I should change the spelling: “Vyrkkala.”

Bowie knife

The pronunciation of Bowie is usually “bow-ie.” In Texas, however, it’s pronounced boo-wie. Good to know if you ever go hunting in Texas!

The Texans should know, you would think, the Alamo and all. But I pronounce it to rhyme not with “Hooey” but with “Zoë.”

Bagel

Bagels are everywhere, although the best bagels are made in New York City. Most people say bay-gull when they’re describing the delicious treat, but for some reason Midwesterners say bah-gull. Either way, though, we’ll take ours toasted with cream cheese.

I am definitely not a Midwesterner on this.