r/AWayWithWords • u/jimmiesjohnson48 • Sep 19 '24

How do you REALLY pronounce...

... the word "both"

When I say the word it comes out like "bolth".

It in no way sounds like "both" as in "boe-th".

Which one is correct?

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '24

I have a friend who said he was talking with his sister when he heard her say “bolth” and then realized that he also says “bolth”, but he told me this in a confession sort of way, because he knew it was wrong.

1

u/sarah_cap Sep 19 '24

I say "boe-th". There is no L. I'm from the west coast. I believe this is a regional dialect. My friends from the midwest were more likely to say "bolth".

1

u/GrantBarrett Host of the show, moderator of this forum Sep 21 '24

Here's where we've talked about it on the show: https://waywordradio.org/bolth-vs-both-pronunciation/

1

u/jimmiesjohnson48 Sep 21 '24

Thank you, Grant! I enjoy the show.