Pronouncing Katherine

[YogiYogiBear]

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.

Air-on was the standard pronunciation not all that long ago. I knew several (one of them my Godson) and they'd all be in their mid to late 40s now.

Well @DappledThings I am 60 and I am telling you that's how it was. I had an old great aunt Clara, born in around 1890 and everyone said Clair-a. I was at school with an Aaron (Air-on), there was even a rhyme about Aaron in which it rhymes with 'square un'. I suppose one reason could be that Clara was popular in Victorian times, but then disappeared until quite recently, so it came back like a new name (the years in between it was mostly Claires). Aaron was very unusual too until quite recently.

Yep, the first time I heard A-ron I was surprised, and thought it was because he was Scottish. And the first Clah-ra I heard of had a German mum.

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

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.

I'm Catherine, Cath-rin, or Cath-er-in , I don't mind.

"Caff" i correct.

Kathryn

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

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

Same here.

@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.

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

Three syllables with the middle one being quite light.

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

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)

@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!

@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.

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.