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According to a famous spelling joke, how is the invented English word ghoti pronounced?

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pronounce

American  

[pruh-nauns] / prəˈnaʊns /

verb (used with object)

• pronounces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pronounced,
  past participle,  past
• pronouncing
  present participle

1. 

   to enunciate or articulate (sounds, words, sentences, etc.).

2. to utter or sound in a particular manner in speaking.

   He pronounces his words indistinctly.

3. to utter or articulate in the accepted or correct manner.

   I can't pronounce this word.

4. to declare (a person or thing) to be as specified.

   She pronounced it the best salmon she had ever tasted.

5. to utter or deliver formally or solemnly.

   to pronounce sentence.

6. to announce authoritatively or officially.

   The judge pronounced the defendant guilty.

7. to indicate the pronunciation of (words) by providing a phonetic transcription.

   This dictionary pronounces most of the words entered.

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verb (used without object)

• pronounces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pronounced,
  past participle,  past
• pronouncing
  present participle

1. to pronounce words, phrases, etc.

2. to make a statement or assertion, especially an authoritative statement (often followed byon ).

   He was required to pronounce on the findings of his research.

3. to give an opinion or decision (usually followed byon ).

   to pronounce on an important matter.

4. to indicate the pronunciation of words.

   a spelling book that pronounces.

pronounce British  

/ prəˈnaʊns /

verb

1. to utter or articulate (a sound or sequence of sounds)

2. (tr) to utter or articulate (sounds or words) in the correct way

3. (tr; may take a clause as object) to proclaim officially and solemnly

   I now pronounce you man and wife

4. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to declare as one's judgment

   to pronounce the death sentence upon someone

5. (tr) to make a phonetic transcription of (sounds or words)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pronounceableness
  noun
• pronouncer
  noun
• prepronounce
  verb (used with object)
• pronounceable
  adjective
• unpronounceable
  adjective
• unpronouncing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• pronouncing
  present
• pronounced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pronounce
  simple
• pronounces
  simple
• have pronounced
  perfect
• has pronounced
  perfect
• am pronouncing
  progressive
• are pronouncing
  progressive
• is pronouncing
  progressive
• have been pronouncing
  perfect progressive
• has been pronouncing
  perfect progressive

Past

• pronounced
  simple
• had pronounced
  perfect
• was pronouncing
  progressive
• were pronouncing
  progressive
• had been pronouncing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pronounce
  simple
• will have pronounced
  perfect
• will be pronouncing
  progressive
• will have been pronouncing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of pronounce

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pronouncen, from Middle French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiāre “to proclaim, announce, recite, utter”; see pro- ¹, announce

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Explanation

If you have a teacher who asks the class to call him "Mr. B," it's probably because his name is really hard to pronounce. When you pronounce a word, you sound it out. When you say something in a particular way, you pronounce it. The verb pronounce has another meaning, too — "to declare formally." It's not too different from announcing something, but it implies something more official and solemn — just think of the phrase "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pronounce pronounces pronounced pronouncing

That’s close to how you pronounce the new starter at quarterback there, Tyler Shough, whose last name sounds like “shuck,” as in shucking oysters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

I asked a few experts in the history of nationalism to pronounce on America’s relative longevity, and discovered that the answer to this question is surprisingly complicated.

From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2026

The amateur wine enthusiast learns to pronounce “gewürztraminer” and cannot resist doing so.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

"This chapel came up in north Wales, in a place I couldn't pronounce, which I can pronounce now... we both can."

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

Some of the English journals had names I couldn’t pronounce.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

One of his sons pronounces the name "Hit-lay", in order to escape embarrassment, and his grandchildren have taken their mothers' names.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

Several years ago, NFL star brothers Jason and Travis Kelce said that everyone pronounces their name incorrectly — but it’s OK because they do too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

Now when Mr. Khamenei pronounces on critical issues, VIPs he once humbled contradict him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025

He’s a charming voice actor, and she pronounces every word through her nostrils, so they balance each other out better than any other couple on the show.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2025

The only difficulty is the glottal stop, the constriction of the throat that occurs when someone with a classic Brooklyn accent pronounces "bottle."

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The boy and man were pronounced dead and their next of kin have been made aware, police said.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

While the mantle appears relatively uniform in composition, the lunar crust reveals a much more pronounced contrast.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Jail staff tried to revive him before he was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sept. 5.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Debra Robinson burst into tears when the guilty verdict was pronounced.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

He also pronounced acceptable the warning system we had worked out.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The funniest part of that conversation is when Sam labels Judith a WOACA, a Woman of a Certain Age, pronouncing it as if he were Fozzie Bear punctuating a joke in an old-timey stand-up set.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

New England is ready to absorb Scotland as its seventh state as soon as the Scots agree to stop pronouncing their r’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Alex Beard told The Times that Chalamet's statement earlier this year pronouncing that "no-one cares" about ballet or opera anymore had produced a "fantastic" public reaction.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

Could his trouble pronouncing acetaminophen be a phonemic paraphasic error?

From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2026

He read it aloud, pronouncing each phrase of the sonnet with elaborate gestures.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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Related Words

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