How do you pronounce 'mayor'?

[DontPhoneItIn]

I've heard so many people saying 'may-er' recently - I was sure that it was pronounced as 'mare' in British English.

Please help, it's driving me batty!

mare

and I'm from manchester

Mare - in Midlands

I say may-er (American). I think the difference is largely whether the accent is rhotic (e.g. most Americans, Scots, and Irish) or non-rhotic (e.g. British RP, Southern English). But to confuse the issue, some normally rhotic-speaking Americans would smooth the final "r" when speaking quickly so it would come out more like "mair" especially if followed by the mayor's surname.

haven't read other answers deliberately. Mare - like Mrs Horse, but a tiny bit longer. Perhaps Mahre would be the best I can manage without a phonetic alphabet.

Southern RP.

I have two syllables as well, but I'm Scottish and add extra syllables to loads of words.

Mare - Black Country

Mare but may-or-al not mare-al.

I agree "mare" - even when they are donkeys.

I say "mayer". To rhyme with gayer and Leo Sayer. Although maybe with a slight skip over the E. So may'r.

On the other hand, I had a friend from Liverpool at university who used to pronounce it "murr", so anything is possible. "Ar ay, we went to a reception and the murr was thurr, and our Clurr, oh, and Cilla. She had loovely hurr."

mare

M-air

1 syllable

From/Live - S Yorks

I say 'mare' although I have heard 'may-or'. Regionally (to me) it's 'mare'.

Ah, this has made me feel better.

It could well be a regional thing - I'm from the far far South West, but then so is the friend who says 'may-er'.

Maybe we ought to agree to disagree?

mare - Southern RP.

So is mayoral ever pronounced mairel ?