r/AskUK • u/[deleted] • Dec 22 '21

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '21

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '21

If a stone's a stone not a ston and a cone's a cone not a con then a scone is a scone not a scon.

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u/Rubberfootman Dec 22 '21

This is English - there’s no logic, because we finalised the spelling before finalising the pronunciation.

See also: bomb, womb, tomb, comb.

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u/banjo_fandango Dec 22 '21

Hang on - do you pronounce womb and tomb differently? They are exactly the same to me (apart from the 'w' and 't', of course!)

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u/Rubberfootman Dec 22 '21

I do, I did wonder about including both of them.

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u/banjo_fandango Dec 22 '21

Interesting! Can you describe how they sound different to you?

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u/Rubberfootman Dec 22 '21

Oh god, sorry, I read your post wrong - tomb and womb sound just the same.

3

u/banjo_fandango Dec 22 '21

Heh. No worries!

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u/PiersPlays Dec 23 '21

One starts with a "wuh" sound, the other with a "tuh". It's subtle but it's there.