The New Intimacy

How do you pronounce clitoris?

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Contributor: dv8 dv8
Quote:
Originally posted by PassionQT
I haven't really paid attention to how I say it, so I'll opt for #1, although it could be #3 sometimes..ToMAYtoes, ToMAHtoes....same thing.
If I started singing "CLITors, cliTORis, let's call the whole thing off" I'd get funny looks.
01/19/2011
Contributor: dv8 dv8
Quote:
Originally posted by BBW Talks Toys
I pronounce it the first way when just saying "clitoris" but if I'm saying "clitoral" it sounds more like the third way.
When I say "clitoral", it rhymes with literal.
01/19/2011
Contributor: Darling Jen Darling Jen
There is actually a regional/lingual correlation with this. Super interesting.
01/19/2011
Contributor: dv8 dv8
Quote:
Originally posted by Yoda
The accurate pronunciation is "a", but I usually pronounce it like "b" simply because Jerry Seinfeld dates a woman named dolores, who's name "rhymes with a part of the female anatomy".
Mulva?

Pronunciations vary with dialect. Calling one pronunciation "accurate" is linguistically erroneous.
01/19/2011
Contributor: Elliotstar Elliotstar
The first way is how I pronounce it.
01/19/2011
Contributor: Pandahb Pandahb
Hehe, I didn't realize people say it differently. I normally say cliTORis, or cliTERous. Not the those spellings are correct, but thats just me
01/19/2011
Contributor: Lady Venus Lady Venus
Quote:
Originally posted by BBW Talks Toys
I pronounce it the first way when just saying "clitoris" but if I'm saying "clitoral" it sounds more like the third way.
Same here.
01/20/2011
Contributor: Kim! Kim!
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
I go back and forth between the first option and the third option.
Same here
01/20/2011
Contributor: lady.estrogen lady.estrogen
Quote:
Originally posted by Yoda
The accurate pronunciation is "a", but I usually pronounce it like "b" simply because Jerry Seinfeld dates a woman named dolores, who's name "rhymes with a part of the female anatomy".
Yeah! People in the UK and AUS had no idea what that joke was because they pronounce it like "a" but *most* North Americans use "c", including Seinfeld
01/20/2011
Contributor: Naughty Student Naughty Student
I voted for the first one but I find that every syllable has equal weight when I say it, but when I look at the options the first one fits best with how I pronounce it.
01/20/2011
Contributor: Crystal1 Crystal1
The first one. This discussion brings back memories of my psych class in high school where a girl apparently came across the word while reading something, and asked the entire classroom "What's a cli-TOR-is?" The teacher eventually pulled her into her office and explained.
01/20/2011
Contributor: socceras socceras
im surprised how many people said the last option
01/22/2011
Contributor: Destri Destri
I am really in the minority here
01/22/2011
Contributor: Airekah Airekah
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
I go back and forth between the first option and the third option.
it sometimes depends for me, but I do this often too.
01/22/2011
Contributor: vegan.guy vegan.guy
Quote:
Originally posted by dv8
I've been watching the video reviews and I've noticed that people have different pronunciations for the little man in the boat. What's your pronunciation?
I pronounce it the first way and I don't think I've heard it any other ways. Although, the second one would probably drive me crazy.
01/24/2011
Contributor: moonch1ld moonch1ld
The second one sounds pretty silly to me. I don't think I would know what the person meant if they said it that way and out of context.
03/11/2011
Contributor: M121212 M121212
I swing both ways Sometimes saying CLIToris and sometimes clitORis
03/11/2011
Contributor: bobowaxer bobowaxer
When I grew up it was #3, now it's #1. I just say clit.
03/12/2011
Contributor: Eva Schwaltz Eva Schwaltz
I say it the first way, just seems easiest to me.
08/14/2011
Contributor: ThoughtsAblaze ThoughtsAblaze
Quote:
Originally posted by Red Vinyl Kitty
I agree with this.

Also, when I first started saying the word back when I was about 14, I remember saying it the third way. I have no idea why it changed over to the first way, but I just like it better I guess.
I was the same way: I started out saying it with the "TOR" stressed because I'd only ever read the word and not heard it. Now that I'm older and heard 90% of people saying it the first way, I've switched up my pronunciation.
08/14/2011
Contributor: indiglo indiglo
I say it the first way, whether I'm saying CLIToris or CLIToral (rhymes with literal, as someone else said). On a side note, I find this thread very interesting!
08/14/2011
Contributor: DreamWolf DreamWolf
I am FASCINATED with linguistics!!! Thank you for the enriching topic!!!
01/18/2012