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Original poster

Pronouncing Katherine

81 replies

YogiYogiBear · 23/01/2024 22:36

How would you pronounce Katherine?
Kath-ur-rine or Kath-rinn

I prefer the pronunciation Kath-rinn but not sure if the Katherine spelling is right for that.

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eleanorwish · 24/01/2024 22:59

@Longdarkcloud , yes I remember those times, Neighbours has a lot to answer for!

Bernieee · 24/01/2024 22:57

Cayth rine

Emma8888 · 24/01/2024 22:55

Longdarkcloud · 24/01/2024 16:02

@eleanorwish I agree re the change in pronunciations. It’s like life is gas lighting one. Can you remember the time before every statement didn’t end in a rising inflexion like a question. I can remember the very first time I heard this and thought “how odd”. Then it spread all through Australasia to the UK.
Come back in a hundred years and you’ll need a translator.

In terms of gaslighting, try telling someone younger that Caitlin / Kaitlin is the same pronunciation as Kathleen. They swear blind it was never so!

Cramps23 · 24/01/2024 22:25

tarheelbaby · 24/01/2024 20:35

Mainly, I pronounce Katherine and Catherine the same with about 2.5 syllables: Kath'er'in - Being from the US, I pronounce R but that middle syllable is swallowed a bit. And that's true amongst my southern UK rellies who named her.
With other spellings, I am more careful to say what is spelled so Kathryn = Kath-rin or Cathrine/Katrine as per the French. I've learned that Catriona/Katronia is pronounced Ka treen' ah but I think of it as Ka tree oh nah.

Cat ree oh na is fairly common in Scotland, or certainly what some Catrionas choose to be called.

tarheelbaby · 24/01/2024 20:35

Mainly, I pronounce Katherine and Catherine the same with about 2.5 syllables: Kath'er'in - Being from the US, I pronounce R but that middle syllable is swallowed a bit. And that's true amongst my southern UK rellies who named her.
With other spellings, I am more careful to say what is spelled so Kathryn = Kath-rin or Cathrine/Katrine as per the French. I've learned that Catriona/Katronia is pronounced Ka treen' ah but I think of it as Ka tree oh nah.

KirstenBlest · 24/01/2024 20:25

I much prefer the Catherine spelling. I don’t like the Kathryn spelling.
Me neither. It seems a bit 1960s.
I think Cathy is due a comeback.

I like Katherine and Katharine.

Holidayhell22 · 24/01/2024 20:09

3 syllables for me. The middle one is short, this may lead to it being missed by some.
I much prefer the Catherine spelling.
I don’t like the Kathryn spelling.

KirstenBlest · 24/01/2024 19:58

@puffylovett1 , I didn't know it was a Stoke thing. I don't really wish to say where I'm from but I think there's a large village near where I'm from with a strong link with Stoke.

The Stoke accent to me has eh sounding like ah. Kerry and Carrie sounding the same.

puffylovett1 · 24/01/2024 18:42

@KirstenBlest oh god I get Cathreeeeen all the time. It’s a Stoke thing! It’s the only location I’ve ever had my name pronounced that way!

Original poster
YogiYogiBear · 24/01/2024 18:17

Thanks all. Think we'll go for Katherine as that seems to be the expected spelling. I'm not fussed about pronunciation, I pronounce all three Kath-rinn unless told otherwise but didn't want to screw up and name the baby something and then pronounce it wrong.
It seems the general consensus is it's pronounced the same (or it's such a subtle difference it doesn't matter)

OP posts:
Marmite27 · 24/01/2024 17:05

We’ve been listening to the music from Six! All three of the Catherine’s pronouncement Kath-rin in their songs.

LulooLemon · 24/01/2024 17:04

Three syllables with the middle one being quite light.

Westwindworries · 24/01/2024 16:19

Cath-eh-rinn. But the "eh" is very short, so it sounds almost like Cath-rinn.

Longdarkcloud · 24/01/2024 16:02

@eleanorwish I agree re the change in pronunciations. It’s like life is gas lighting one. Can you remember the time before every statement didn’t end in a rising inflexion like a question. I can remember the very first time I heard this and thought “how odd”. Then it spread all through Australasia to the UK.
Come back in a hundred years and you’ll need a translator.

CaptainMyCaptain · 24/01/2024 15:30

Username123343 · 23/01/2024 22:51

However it’s spelled - Catherine, Kathryn, Katherine - I pronounce them all the same.

Kath-rin.

Same here.

pinkspeakers · 24/01/2024 15:30

I'm a Katherine. I pronounce it with two syllables and so does almost everyone else I come across. I've always considered Kathryn/Catherine/Katherine to be alternative spellings of the same name, all pronounced the same way. I'm mostly Kate though.

SemperIdem · 24/01/2024 15:24

There’s Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, pronounced soph-eye-ah an echo of an older pronunciation. The German, I think?

So-fee-ah is the Mediterranean pronunciation and the only way I have ever heard the name Sophia pronounced in real life.

All spellings of Katherine are pronounced the same where I live, Kath-rin, two syllables.

ColleenDonaghy · 24/01/2024 15:24

KirstenBlest · 24/01/2024 15:05

I've heard it said as Kathryn, Kathuh-ryn and Cathreen. I'd say it as Kathryn.

I'll add Katt-rin which my grandmother (northside Dublin) would've said. She would have mostly said her th's, but not in that particular name.

VoleChomper · 24/01/2024 15:21

someone on MN once said/wrote that Kate had a slightly different pronunciation to Cate.

FluffMagnet · 24/01/2024 15:19

Although as owner of one of the more unusual spelling variations, it doesn't seem to matter how much I emphasise the sounds, the "go to" spelling seems to be Katherine (with Catherine a close follow up), if that makes any difference to your decision!

FluffMagnet · 24/01/2024 15:16

C/Katherine, C/Katharine and Kathryn all do have slightly different pronunciations to me. The first two should be three syllables, but the middle syllable (eh or ah dependent on spelling) is extremely short and people do drop it from time to time, and the last is two syllables with no attempt at a vowel sound between the two halves.

Cramps23 · 24/01/2024 15:16

I have a Katherine (Kate) and this didn't even occur to me. I think the majority of people day Kath-rin. Possibly in Scotland a third syllable is more common. However I'm also a linguist and I'm afraid I'm not sure all MNetters are great at self-reporting their pronunciations!

KirstenBlest · 24/01/2024 15:05

I've heard it said as Kathryn, Kathuh-ryn and Cathreen. I'd say it as Kathryn.

DappledThings · 24/01/2024 15:01

I don't really understand why there is so much debate about the pronunciation of Katherine - there is an 'e' in the middle of the name, and it has three syllables. Perhaps many people do pronounce it as Kath-rinn, but they're not pronouncing it correctly or how it's spelled.
Many words and names are not pronounced phonetically. Plus the e doesn't run into the r to create an er sound, the r is already there for the rin bit.

In sham and shame the e changes the a sound but if you wanted to apply a rule that the e changes it it would be from Kath-rinn to Kaythe-rinn. Still two syllables.

KirstenBlest · 24/01/2024 14:59

the standard pronunciation of Aaron and Clara was always Air-Ron and Claire-a until fairly recently. I agree