How do you pronounce kilometre?

[announcements]

This issue links in very well to the world of railways as we are increasingly describing distances and speeds in metric. But how do you pronounce kilometre? Does it vary depending on whether you are saying a distance (km) or speed (km/h)? Do you avoid the word completely and simply say 'clicks'?

I prefer the traditional option 1 which puts stress on the first syllable. This is the BBC's recommended pronunciation. This is for two reasons:
1) consistency with other units e.g. millimetre, centimetre, kilogram, kilobyte etc.
2) it is a unit, not a measuring instrument. Measure instruments have stress placed on the second syllable like 'thermometer, barometer, anemometer' etc.

Option 2 (stress on the second syllable) seems to be becoming increasingly common in Britain, even though many view it as an American/Canadian pronunciation and/or one that isn't accurate. Conversely, this American poster on YouTube certainly doesn't approve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZVG9Ji08xg !

 

[Trog]

Fiff-ty chh-ains.

 

[Heinz57]

I pronouce it in the second way.

Along with quite a few other words I pronounce it in the american way.

I'm not one bit American but pronounce alot of words that way. Think I've been watching too many American TV programes!

 

[Lampshade]

One-point-six-mi-les.

 

[90019]

One-point-six-mi-les.

It's 0.62

 

[wintonian]

≈ 3.24×10−14 parsecs apparently.

 

[Eagle]

"Kay".

 

[Lampshade]

It's 0.62

Urgh, I meant a mile is 1.6km

 

[Temple Meads]

I pronounce the second way, despite knowing I should be saying it the first way..

 

[chris89]

Ranges for me what way i pronouce it

Mostly though is the first way to.

Chris

 

[es373]

Clicks......or k's.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I must confess that I use the first one, but I understand that, as it emanates from the French, there are those who have Anglicised the pronunciation to the second one.

 

[Grantham]

I take a thousand steps and pronounce it to be a kilometre.

 

[Schnellzug]

"Keelo metre" sounds so pretentious.

 

[announcements]

"Keelo metre" sounds so pretentious.

This is quite a rare one as most say 'killer metre'!

---

For those of you who watch Top Gear, you'll notice that James May favours option 1 and Richard Hammond favours option 2. As for Jeremy Clarkson, I've only ever heard him use miles!

 

[Grantham]

"Keelo metre" sounds so pretentious.

How would you pronounce kilogramme or kilobyte?

 

[Yew]

Personally I prefer 588.2 smoots..

 

[GB]

Its an odd one. I pronounce it the second way but fully aware the first is the technically correct.

 

[90019]

Personally I prefer 588.2 smoots..

Nah, 3589.38 Pie is the way to go.

 

[announcements]

Would anyone agree with the assumption that people are increasingly saying "kil-OM-iter" because it rolls off the tongue better and/or sounds 'cooler'? This is the impression I get anyway.

 

[Eagle]

Would anyone agree with the assumption that people are increasingly saying "kil-OM-iter" because it rolls off the tongue better and/or sounds 'cooler'? This is the impression I get anyway.

Does it sound cool to say "sen-TIM-iter" or "mi-LIM-iter" too?

 

[Crispy75]

Speed-oh-meter, anyone?
English pronunciation is variable - deal with it

 

[Eagle]

Speed-oh-meter, anyone?
English pronunciation is variable - deal with it

That's not a unit of measurement though, that's a meter (different concept, different spelling).

If I was being really mean I'd say that you shouldn't say speedometer, which is an awkward portmanteau of a word, but say tachymeter which is the "proper" term.

 

[90019]

Nvm, got mixed up

 

[SS4]

≈ 3.24×10−14 parsecs apparently.

≈6.187×10^37 Planck lengths

option 2 for me

 

[Barrett M95]

The best way (as someone has said) is think of kilogram. Or kilovolt. There is your answer.

 

[Schnellzug]

Ah, but that can then be confused with tachometer

And easily confused with a graph of sales of the Sun.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Units of measurement such as kilometre have the emphasis placed upon the first syllable in pronounciation.

Units of measurement instrumentation such as barometer, thermometer and micrometer, have the emphasis placed upon the later syllable in pronounciation.

 

[announcements]

Does it sound cool to say "sen-TIM-iter" or "mi-LIM-iter" too?

One would certainly stand out from the crowd! As many will know, it is particularly important to pronounce micrometre (the unit) with stress on the first syllable in order for it not to be confused with micrometer (the measuring instrument).

Units of measurement such as kilometre have the emphasis placed upon the first syllable in pronounciation.

Units of measurement instrumentation such as barometer, thermometer and micrometer, have the emphasis placed upon the later syllable in pronounciation.

Hear hear!

 

[SteveP29]

Neither of the options for me.

I pronounce it kill-o-metter