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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU for pronouncing the name Brooke as BrOOKe rather than Bruck

695 replies

MoserRothOrangeandAlmond · 22/07/2025 11:54

I’m a Geordie and pronounce words such as Book, Look and Cook with an oo sound rather than the uck sound.
A family who are from about an hour a way said that her daughter is sick of everyone pronouncing her name incorrectly.

I explained that it’s an accent thing as we pronounce those words with an oo sound rather that uck so it wouldn’t occur to most people to pronounce it that way and they wouldn’t deliberately mispronounce her name!

Just as if I go another part of the country or different country they pronounce my name differently depending on their accent.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Overthebow · 22/07/2025 14:09

butterdish93 · 22/07/2025 14:04

@Overthebowwell I guess a southerner might say it more like ‘lak’

No, southerners say luck with an u, and look with short oo. Lak would be something completely different.

ClairDeLaLune · 22/07/2025 14:07

I’m a northerner and have a southerner friend called Sandra who likes it to be pronounced Sarndra. It’s not natural for me, but I do it because that’s what she prefers to be called. It’s her name. YWBVU to carry on mis-pronouncing Brooke now you know what the preferred pronunciation is.

Overthebow · 22/07/2025 14:07

Butterflytown · 22/07/2025 14:00

I’m originally from the NW, lived in the south for over 20 years, the way I pronounce Brook, truck, book and buck are all the same. All flat vowel sounds. The alternative (which is what I think the Op is saying, as I have geordie family) is to pronounce the OO as a long sound, like in whoo hooo! So I think the family just want the name pronounced in the way someone with a southern accent or some northern accents would naturally pronounce it. Rather than with a long Oo sound which is specific to some (but not all) northern English prononuciation.

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Well no, because in a southern accent look and buck are very different. Whoo hoo is a different sound again. So three different sounds. You’re saying where you are from there’s only two sounds? Look/buck and the long oo.

LizzyEm · 22/07/2025 14:05

Brooke rhymes with look.
Luck rhymes with duck. Not Brooke.

butterdish93 · 22/07/2025 14:04

@Overthebowwell I guess a southerner might say it more like ‘lak’

VintageDiamondGirl · 22/07/2025 14:04

ZoggyStirdust · 22/07/2025 13:12

This sums up the “I’m right everyone else is wrong” opinion some people have on accents.

im guessing this poster is from the south east…

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I am and OK I sit corrected! I have never heard that name pronounced Bruck!

TheOriginalEmu · 22/07/2025 14:03

Chersfrozenface · 22/07/2025 12:05

The common noun 'brook' , the surname Brooke and the transferred given name are all pronounced with a double o sound in standard English and in all the areas I know of.

See the Wiktionary entry
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Brooke

The audio file is of a Southern English speaker.

'bruck' is a very, er, individual pronunciation.

The point is the pronunciation of ‘oo’ varies. Both in different accents, and different words.

When op writes Bruck she means with the short sound in look or book, as opposed to her accent where oo is always long like in fool or spoon.
so /brʊk/ v /bru:k/

Overthebow · 22/07/2025 14:03

butterdish93 · 22/07/2025 14:03

How does look sounds different to luck?
and book sound different to buck?

very confused by this thread.

In the RP/southern accent they are very different sounds.

DisabledDemon · 22/07/2025 14:03

Overthebow · 22/07/2025 13:25

Because they have very different sounds in RP/southern accent. We have a long oo as in food and a short oo as in book.

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Absolutely. Food and book may have the double oo but their pronunciation is completely different. One is a long vowel sound, the other is short.

Anyone who says that 'look' and 'Luke' are the same quite frankly needs their head read. The only way you could justify that would be if you were an American where there is a greater similarity in the pronunciation. In fact, the traditional English pronunciation of 'Luke's is closer to Luk than Look with a very slight y sound.

Overthebow · 22/07/2025 14:03

R0ckandHardPlace · 22/07/2025 14:01

Book isn’t pronounced buck, look isn’t pronounced luck so I’m not sure where you’re getting this from.

Book is pronounced buck and look is pronounced ‘luck’ where I live. How else would they be pronounced?

Look and luck are pronounced very differently in the RP/southern accent. Look is also not pronounced the same as moon, there’s 3 very different sounds.

butterdish93 · 22/07/2025 14:03

How does look sounds different to luck?
and book sound different to buck?

very confused by this thread.

Soggyspaniel · 22/07/2025 14:02

notonthescrx · 22/07/2025 14:01

No, here we say Bruck, exactly the same as Buck.

Yes - that's a different variation like the video I linked above but I don't think that is what the OP meant or what the bulk of the confusion is about.

Oh I see what you mean, sorry. I agree, I think the OP is saying Brooke to rhyme with puke.

R0ckandHardPlace · 22/07/2025 14:01

Book isn’t pronounced buck, look isn’t pronounced luck so I’m not sure where you’re getting this from.

Book is pronounced buck and look is pronounced ‘luck’ where I live. How else would they be pronounced?

notonthescrx · 22/07/2025 14:01

No, here we say Bruck, exactly the same as Buck.

Yes - that's a different variation like the video I linked above but I don't think that is what the OP meant or what the bulk of the confusion is about.

Butterflytown · 22/07/2025 14:00

Overthebow · 22/07/2025 12:20

That’s just wrong, there’s no way Brooke rhymes with truck. It also doesn’t sound like food or mood though, that’s a different sound too. Brooke rhymes with look and book, food rhymes with mood and rude, luck rhymes with truck and muck. 3 completely different sounds.

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I’m originally from the NW, lived in the south for over 20 years, the way I pronounce Brook, truck, book and buck are all the same. All flat vowel sounds. The alternative (which is what I think the Op is saying, as I have geordie family) is to pronounce the OO as a long sound, like in whoo hooo! So I think the family just want the name pronounced in the way someone with a southern accent or some northern accents would naturally pronounce it. Rather than with a long Oo sound which is specific to some (but not all) northern English prononuciation.

PluckyChancer · 22/07/2025 13:59

Of course it’s pronounced Bruck. Same as Look is pronounced Luck not Luke. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Soggyspaniel · 22/07/2025 13:59

notonthescrx · 22/07/2025 13:56

I think people have got mixed up by the Bruck attempt to write it phonetically to convey a shorter uh. Like someone else say the composer Bruchner (brook) not Bruck to rhyme with Buck.

The difference is

Northern book/brooke with an OOO sound so it would rhyme with puke (pewk) - don't pewk in the brewk. Brook said in this way will rhyme with puke.

Southern book/brooke with a shorter vowel sound that is like the composer Bruchner - this wouldn't rhyme with puke.

If you click on the play icon just below the word here, this is the standard RP pronounciation that has the shorter vowel that some people I think I trying to write as bruck but it is more of an uhhh short sound:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/brook

Show quote history

No, here we say Bruck, exactly the same as Buck.

ScouserInExile · 22/07/2025 13:57

LizzyEm · 22/07/2025 13:55

This. I've never in my life heard of the name BrOOOOke pronounced Bruck Confused

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If you search pronounce names on YouTube, none of them sound like Broooooke, they all sound closer to Bruck.

TheBewleySisters · 22/07/2025 13:57

When you say they pronounced it 'bruck', is that the same sound as duck, muck, truck?

notonthescrx · 22/07/2025 13:56

Queenofkittens · 22/07/2025 13:43

So my name is Brooke and I wouldn't care if u pronounced it as brOOKe because of your accent I know the word book is pronounced like that.

In all my 36 years I have never ever been called Bruck. Like wtf? That's hideous and I wouldn't respond to that! It's Brooke as in.....Brooke lol.

I think people have got mixed up by the Bruck attempt to write it phonetically to convey a shorter uh. Like someone else say the composer Bruchner (brook) not Bruck to rhyme with Buck.

The difference is

Northern book/brooke with an OOO sound so it would rhyme with puke (pewk) - don't pewk in the brewk. Brook said in this way will rhyme with puke.

Southern book/brooke with a shorter vowel sound that is like the composer Bruchner - this wouldn't rhyme with puke.

If you click on the play icon just below the word here, this is the standard RP pronounciation that has the shorter vowel that some people I think I trying to write as bruck but it is more of an uhhh short sound:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/brook

brook

1. a small stream: 2. to not allow or accept something, especially a…

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/brook

WimbyAce · 22/07/2025 13:55

LushLemonTart · 22/07/2025 13:54

No
Duck as in luck

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Yeah but they make it more of an oo sound not uh. Like we way luhk, they say look for luck.

LizzyEm · 22/07/2025 13:55

Chersfrozenface · 22/07/2025 12:05

The common noun 'brook' , the surname Brooke and the transferred given name are all pronounced with a double o sound in standard English and in all the areas I know of.

See the Wiktionary entry
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Brooke

The audio file is of a Southern English speaker.

'bruck' is a very, er, individual pronunciation.

This. I've never in my life heard of the name BrOOOOke pronounced Bruck Confused

LushLemonTart · 22/07/2025 13:54

WimbyAce · 22/07/2025 13:53

I am wondering if there is confusion in the "uck" sound as up north they say ook don't they? So not duck for example but dook.

No
Duck as in luck

LushLemonTart · 22/07/2025 13:53

Michele09 · 22/07/2025 13:01

Buck and book are the same in Yorkshire. I cant even imagine how they are different so it's not true to say no one pronounces book as bruck. To me they are both buk.

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Same for us north east.

I'd pronounce Brook as bruck.

WimbyAce · 22/07/2025 13:53

I am wondering if there is confusion in the "uck" sound as up north they say ook don't they? So not duck for example but dook.