To wonder about pronounciation of women?

[Kingdombythesea]

All my life, I’ve assumed that the word women, when referring to women as a plural, is pronounced wimmen. But listening to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks lately , and women is always pronounced as wumman. Just like the single, a woman. So now I wonder if my version, wimmen was just a regional pronounciation?

I have genuinely never heard ‘women’ pronounced as ‘woman’

I'm Scottish and it's wimmin to me

How do you know that they aren't saying woman but using the word to mean all women iyswim

There's only one way to pronounce women imo, as you say it.

South London here and I've only ever pronounced it wimmin. I don't think I've ever heard differently.

I say wimmin too....and have been sitting here like a lunatic saying all the possible pronunciations out loud. I'm from the south.

I’m Scottish and remember my P1 teacher getting my class to chant “wooo-man” “wi-men” as she pointed to the words on the blackboard!

I had honestly never heard it until I started listening to so many audiobooks and podcasts over lockdown. One particular book is about women , and nearly every time it’s pronounced ‘woman’. (Meaning plural women).
And then I’ve heard it so often recently, I’ve wondered if it was a recognised shift, or something I’d never noticed .

I have started noticing this. I’m Scottish and say ‘wimmin’ but noticed news programmes etc saying ‘woomen’. For example ‘woomens health’.

Yes @BashfulClam!!!
For a moment there I thought I was losing my mind.

Certainly I’ve heard woomen and woman. But it’s not wimmen.

The only person I've known say it like that was from Northern Ireland (Belfast I think), so I assumed it was a regional thing.

My initial op says always. But I meant to say often .It’s absolutely not always

I'm with you OP, in my head they are two different pronunciations!

"Wimmin" - the women are in a meeting
"Wuman" - the woman is in the office

@Kingdombythesea several presenters on BBC Scotland have been doing this. Particularly on The 9, I mentioned it to DH the other week.

Is it southern or even modern RP vowels maybe?

I note that in the comedy show the Windsors one joke is that Pippa is pronounced by the characters as "Puppa."

It's Irish/ NI.

Wimmin - I'm SE England

No it's not.

@AstraZenecaisprettyforagirl

It's Irish/ NI.

Was supposed to quote this! Irish people say Wimmin.

I've only ever said wimmin. I hadn't noticed it being pronounced differently but I'll be listening carefully now.

I noticed Jo Swinson saying woman when she was clearly referring to women during the campaigning for the last GE. Not sure if it's a trend or regional pronunciation but it can be confusing. I'd either not heard it or noticed before.

Only ever heard it as wimmin?

Mostly I’ve heard it in newly released audiobooks and new academic discussions/ lectures / podcasts.

I have only ever known it as
Singular - wuman
Plural wimmin
I have lived North, south and west

"Wuh-men" for a singular woman
"Wimmen" for plural women.

Londoner here 👋