Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

How would you pronounce Margery?

55 replies

soundsystem · 04/04/2014 12:38

I thought this was a simple name (unusual now but hard to get wrong) until DH said it.

Would you pronounce it with a hard G or soft G?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
PotOfYoghurt · 04/04/2014 12:39

Soft g, I have never heard it the other way. Mar-juh-ree

Faverolles · 04/04/2014 12:40

Soft g

Bowlersarm · 04/04/2014 12:40

Soft g.

TheHamster · 04/04/2014 12:41

Soft g too.

squoosh · 04/04/2014 12:42

Always a soft g.

MrsRuffdiamond · 04/04/2014 12:42

Mar-jurree is the way I pronounce it! Have never heard it with a hard 'g'.

MyFabulousBoys · 04/04/2014 12:43

Soft. Definitely.

KatnipEvergreen · 04/04/2014 12:43

Marjery.

PigletJohn · 04/04/2014 12:45

Soft g if you are English.

screamingskull · 04/04/2014 12:45

hmm I would pronounce it Mar -jery, therefore I guess it's with a hard G?

snoggle · 04/04/2014 12:46

Soft, always, have never heard it any other way.
Have heard people say margarine with a hard g though. Very odd.

HecatePropylaea · 04/04/2014 12:46

like marg(arine)
to rhyme with large, barge, etc

and the last bit more uh than eh
large-ry barge-ery marg-ery.

here

picnicbasketcase · 04/04/2014 12:46

Like margarine, without the n sound.

PigletJohn · 04/04/2014 12:48

IIRC hard g is Greek derivation from "pearl" and some pedants used to say margerine that way for the same reason.

HorseyTwinkleToes · 04/04/2014 13:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
soundsystem · 04/04/2014 13:06

Well that's pretty conclusive!

OP posts:
Seminyak · 04/04/2014 13:12

Like Marjorie but I think Marjorie is a prettier way to spell it.

Seminyak · 04/04/2014 13:13

I mean, I would read it with a hard G except for the fact I know it's pronounced Marjorie.

Original poster
soundsystem · 04/04/2014 13:14

@HecatePropylaea That's exactly how I would say it, but I seem to be in a minority.

Also, few people have said it's like margarine, which has baffled me. I'd say Mar-Jah-Reen 9(hard G) I have never, ever heard anyone pronounce margarine with a soft g. I'm so confused!

Obviously not as straightforward a name as I thought, anyway!

OP posts:
HorseyTwinkleToes · 04/04/2014 13:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PigletJohn · 04/04/2014 13:22

Or Margate.

charitygirl · 04/04/2014 13:27

Well this is odd. What do you is 'a soft g' OP? Can you give us an example. Opinion seems to be united that margarine and Margery use a soft g.

MrsRuffdiamond · 04/04/2014 13:28

My Godmother did pronounce margarine with a hard 'g', as in Gary. I think it might be an upper-class thing? (I'm definitely not, but she was, and very lovely as well!)

MrsRuffdiamond · 04/04/2014 13:41

Op, do you mean that your soft 'g' is even softer, like the french 'je'? So, hard 'g' = Gary, medium 'g' = Joan, soft 'g' = 'Je' (french).

Original poster
soundsystem · 04/04/2014 13:50

Thank you, yes I think I have caused some soft g/hard g confusion.

I was thinking of a soft g as being like a French je, as in "bonjour", as this is how DH says he would pronounce Margery/Marjorie. I'd pronounce it with a g like in Joan so was thinking of that as a hard G, but now I see what everyone means!

So Margery with a 'g' as in Jean seems to be the normal/correct way?

OP posts: