How do your pronounce tortoise?

[Newmumatlast]

It isn't a word I often use. I don't have one. I rarely see them.

My husband pronounces is tour-tus and I say tour-toy-suh

I've actually googled this and I think I'm wrong?!

Please tell me someone else pronounces it as I do.

Don't get me started on porpoise

Lickerish

Tor- Tus (South West)

Mate from Leicester says nooz not knews. Worked with an Irish Deirdre who got very angry when English people called her Dear-dree not Deirdreh. Dad said buffay not buhfay. What an entertaining and interesting thread far away from the aggro and bad news in the rest of the world

SE
Tortas
Porpas
Turquoys

I pronounce it like "tort-us".
I used to know someone, many years ago, who pronounced it "toy-toyse". That always annoyed me.

I say neck-luss but, where I live, a lot of people say neck-lace. Which, looking at the spelling is probably correct.

I don't think so - I've never heard anyone say 'neck-lace'! Loads of words ending in 'ace' are pronounced with an 'uss' or 'iss' sound on the end - surface, palace, preface, grimace, terrace, solace etc.

Tor-tuss

Some pronounce it tor-toise

Tor-toys

As they say in church, “let us pray in the words Jesus tortoise.”

Turtle.

OP your question made me chuckle! I'm from Newcastle and although I don't have a very strong accent obviously some words are influenced by the dialect. I sat tor-tus.
Thinking about when I last said it it was about a group in a petting zooif I was talking about the plural I'd say tor toys.

In all honesty I would have thought I was the one saying it wrong.

Tortus

OT but this thread made me wonder what the German for 'tortoise' is -

Schildkröte , which seems to be 'shield toad'.
German compound words rarely disappoint.

I don't think so - I've never heard anyone say 'neck-lace'! Loads of words ending in 'ace' are pronounced with an 'uss' or 'iss' sound on the end - surface, palace, preface, grimace, terrace, solace etc.,
Come to Derbyshire then, I hear it a lot although I don't say it. It did probably originate as a lace around your neck though, so makes sense.

Schildkröte , which seems to be 'shield toad'. German compound words rarely disappoint.

Indeed. For the ultimate in German compound words, you need to watch the story of rhubarb barbara's rhubarb cakes!

I say tour-toyce (to sound like choice).

@ErrolTheDragon

OT but this thread made me wonder what the German for 'tortoise' is -

Schildkröte , which seems to be 'shield toad'.
German compound words rarely disappoint.

They really don't! Love this!

I'm Irish. Tortus and porpus.

I'm not from Scotland and I say tortoise tor-toise. I never know if that's right though. Turquoise I say tur-kwoyz, haven't heard it pronounced another way!

Both, with no particular reason why I plump for one pronunciation over another in the moment. I have a hybrid accent and there are some words it just never seemed to settle on.

See also: garage, necklace, water, porpoise, etc. It's unconsciously done but annoys even me.

Taw Toys

At @MonkeyPuddle haven’t read the thread but do you mean a glottal stop? Studied English language including phonetics and that’s what spring to mind based upon your written description.

I have an angle on this because when I was in the infants I was in the Tortoise class one year.

My parents, the children in the class (me included) and the parents of the other kids all said “tor-tuss”. In London, largely Londoners. The teachers who were also Londoners/from the south east all pronounced it this way. The teachers from elsewhere (primarily northerners but headmaster was from Bristol) all pronounced it “tor-toy-s”.

Dr Hamster's tone of voice is a little annoying but not her accent.

Sometimes torus and sometimes tortoyce. My friend says toytoise and it's both endearing and exasperating (she has tortoises and we've been friends for decades in case you're thinking it's a weird topic of conversation! ) grin