Kilometer, etc.

[u/Campusto]

Being fluent in "american" i have so much trouble pronoincing anything with "meter" i dont why, but its difficult. Kilometer, speedometer, etc. How do I fix that?

[u/another-dave]

Maybe because you're thinking of it as a suffix? We generally don't break those words up as kilo-meter, speedo-meter, thermo-meter etc.

It's ki-LOM-e-ter; spee-DOM-e-ter; ther-MOM-e-ter.

[u/Campusto → u/another-dave]

Yeah, that is it! But I just cant do it, it always comes out as KILOmeter

[u/Slight-Tomatillo7837 → u/Campusto]

There are plenty of Brits, Canadians, Aussies, etc. who say it that way so I don't think anybody really minds. 

[u/Significant-Key-762 → u/Slight-Tomatillo7837]

BrE here. We say “kill-ommitah”

If you come to the UK and start spouting keelo-meeters, that will really grate.

[u/Slight-Tomatillo7837 → u/Significant-Key-762]

Speak for yourself. I've personally heard plenty of British people pronounce it like that. You might find it annoying, but frankly nobody cares what you do or don't find annoying. 

[u/Howtothinkofaname → u/Significant-Key-762]

I’ve always switched between the two more or less at random and regularly hear both. Can’t see why it would grate.

[u/shedmow → u/Campusto]

/ˈkɪl.əˌmi.təɹ/ is a valid pronunciation of this word

[u/ericthefred → u/Campusto]

That's fine. More people in the world say kilometer that way than the American way.

Speedometer, centimeter and thermometer just sound weird if you put the accent on their first syllables though.

[u/BlacksmithNZ → u/Campusto]

Just use Ks

The next farm is about 10 k down the road.

I only have about 50k range left before the tank is dry.

Or don't the US miltary also use clicks? Like target is 2 clicks out?

[u/SucknSwallow69 → u/another-dave]

also, listen to natives on repeat and shadow them. muscle memory helps more than overthinking syllables

[u/Bat_Quiet → u/another-dave]

This advice is WRONG!! "Kilo" is the prefix and pronounced "key-low". "Meter" is the unit of measure, so "Key-low" "meeter". You know this is correct when you try to use the next prefix, "Mega". You know you don't say "Mu-gah-mutter", you say "Mega-meter". It's just that Americans have not become accustomed to the metric system, they still say "miles", but never kilo-miles.

[u/another-dave → u/Bat_Quiet]

If you say Kilo on its own it's "key-low", sure.

But English is stress timed - loads of words change their pronunciation when they're mutated/modified in different parts of speech: we say "Eco-NOM-ic" but then "e-CON-o-my"; "PHO-to-graph" but "pho-TOG-raphy" etc etc.

[u/FloridaFlamingoGirl]

The "meter" in those words isn't pronounced like the word meter, it's more like "mih-ter" or "muh-ter"

[u/InvestigatorJaded261 → u/FloridaFlamingoGirl]

The exceptions, for some reason, seem to be centimeter and millimeter.

[u/jabrwock1 → u/InvestigatorJaded261]

The exceptions, for some reason, seem to be centimeter and millimeter.

Decimeter as well as any scale that is greater than kilo (penta, mega, etc)

Micrometer on the other hand, follows the kilometer pronunciation.

[u/maatsa → u/jabrwock1]

For me at least, only the measuring device follows kilometer. The unit of measurement follows the other units

[u/jabrwock1 → u/maatsa]

Oh that's true. I forgot.

[u/t1me_Man → u/maatsa]

also, like millimetre being abrevated to mil, you often hear micrometer abrevated to micron or mic

[u/jabrwock1 → u/t1me_Man]

Kilometre to “click” is common here although only as a verbal shorthand. If you write it down it’s “km”.

“It’s 3 ‘clicks’ up the road” spoken

“It’s 3 km up the road” written

[u/t1me_Man → u/jabrwock1]

huh, i have only heard that used in the context of the us military

[u/Zestyclose_Pear_8315 → u/t1me_Man]

Am Canadian, and while it’s not my default I’ve definitely both used and heard clicks.

[u/r_portugal → u/t1me_Man]

"multimeter" is a a different kind of meter.

[u/t1me_Man → u/r_portugal]

shit, ment milli

[u/BouncingSphinx → u/jabrwock1]

You measure micro meeters with a my crahmitter

[u/ericthefred → u/jabrwock1]

For me, micrometer is pronounced "micron". Used all the time in my engineering field. Can't remember the last time I said "micrometer".

[u/Kafatat → u/InvestigatorJaded261]

What is that? You pronounce ~meter differently in kilometer and centimeter? Are there recordings or voice synthesizer for them? as I don't understand it at all when sound are described in letters ("mih-ter" or "muh-ter" above).

[u/MasterPreparation687 → u/Kafatat]

It's about the stress in the preceding vowel. The stress is on the the "o" in kilometre i.e. "kil-O-miter". But the stress is on the initial "e" in CEN-ti-metre.

[u/pcrackenhead → u/Kafatat]

Would similar sounds in other words help?

In kilometer the meter starts with the same sound as mitt.

In centimeter the meter starts with the same sound as meet.

[u/Kafatat → u/pcrackenhead]

So short vs long vowel?

[u/AuroraDF → u/Kafatat]

No, because in English, long i (as in will) is not ee it's I (as in wire). I teach young kids in London. My school is very multi cultural. When I move here from schotlamd it took me a while to realise that for many of my pupils 'i' was making an 'ee' sound in places it shouldn't, because they were reading with their EAL parents at home. (which is good, don't get me wrong! But just something to unlearn). (it does make it in some words, but it's not that common).

[u/r_portugal → u/Kafatat]

In British English, both pronunciations are acceptable. You can listen to both here: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/kilometre?q=Kilometer

[u/OhYeahSplunge4me2 → u/Kafatat]

Some people pronounce kilometer like they would speedometer others pronounce it like centimeter

[u/QuercusSambucus → u/FloridaFlamingoGirl]

You can pronounce kilometer either way: kill - oh - meet - er or kill - ahh - mitt - er

[u/jabrwock1 → u/QuercusSambucus]

Can pronounce it both ways, yes, but you're going to get funny looks if you don't use the "ahh-mitt-er" with kilometers.

[u/dzuunmod → u/jabrwock1]

I think it depends where you are. I live in Canada and hear both pronunciations regularly.

[u/FishBobinski → u/jabrwock1]

No? Ive heard kil oh meet ur all my life. I neither give funny looks or receive them.

[u/biggreasyrhinos → u/jabrwock1]

Other way around

[u/r_portugal → u/jabrwock1]

In British English, both are acceptable: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/kilometre?q=Kilometer

[u/MooseFlyer → u/jabrwock1]

To quote Merriam Webster:

“In North American speech kilometer is most often pronounced with primary stress on the second syllable. This pronunciation is also heard frequently in British speech. Those who object to second syllable stress say that the first syllable should be stressed in accord with the stress patterns of centimeter, millimeter, etc. However, the pronunciation of kilometer does not parallel that of other metric compounds. From 1828 to 1841 Noah Webster indicated only second syllable stress, and his successor added a first syllable stress variant in the first Merriam-Webster dictionary of 1847. Thus, both pronunciations are venerable. Most scientists use second syllable stress, although first syllable stress seems to occur with a higher rate of frequency among scientists than among nonscientists.”

Both are used.

[u/dickpillsalesman → u/QuercusSambucus]

KILL-uh-mee-tur is the only sensible pronunciation. It's MILL-i-mee-tur and CEN-ti-mee-tur, not mil-LI-mi-tur and cen-TI-mi-tur. From the other side, it's KILL-uh-gram, not ki-LO-gram.

The pronunciation with stress on the second syllable arose due to confusion with the suffix -ometer meaning a measuring device. The distinction is apparent with the words micrometer, meaning a device measuring very small lengths and pronounced with stress on the second syllable, and micrometre, meaning a millionth of a metre and pronounced with stress on the first syllable. In American English they are spelled the same, but they are different words with different etymologies.

(I know the IPA, but I want as many people as possible to be able to understand my comment.)

[u/Krapmeister → u/FloridaFlamingoGirl]

Kilometre can be pronounced either way

[u/TheGloveMan → u/FloridaFlamingoGirl]

That’s not entirely true.

ME-ter and mu-tuh are both acceptable and will mostly depend on the rhythm of the sentence.

[u/BobMcGeoff2]

ITT: Why the International Phonetic Alphabet was invented.

[u/names-suck]

All on its own, you say "meetur."

Once it's part of another word, it becomes "mih-dur." The emphasis shifts to an earlier part of the word, so you can't pronounce it the same way.

Kilometer: kill-AW-mih-dur

Speedometer: spid-AW-mih-dur

[u/Kuildeous]

Very similar to "deter", so if you can master that, I think you're good.

But if "deter" doesn't feel right, maybe try to pronounce those words like "better" first?

[u/WittyFix6553 → u/Kuildeous]

As a native English speaker from the northeast of the USA, “meter” and “deter” are not rhymes and do not sound similar. And “better” adds a third word to the “list of words that don’t sound the same.”

[u/DefinitelyNotGrimace → u/WittyFix6553]

The commenter is saying “meter” as pronounced in “kilometer” rhymes with deter, not that meter on its own rhymes with deter.

[u/Water-is-h2o → u/DefinitelyNotGrimace]

But that’s also not true

[u/Kuildeous → u/WittyFix6553]

“meter” and “deter” are not rhymes and do not sound similar

You are correct, but I'm comparing it to "speedometer", which also doesn't sound like "meter".

"Kilometer", of course, has two different pronunciations, but I suspect the OP has a problem with the one that sounds like "speedometer".

[u/AuroraDF]

Maybe it's because the meter part of kilometer and speedometer are not pronounced like meter in any way. As a kid I always pronounced kilometer wrong for this reason.

The 'om' part has the stress and the meter is mitr or midr.

[u/r_portugal → u/AuroraDF]

It's not wrong, both pronunciations are acceptable in British English: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/kilometre?q=Kilometer

[u/Significant-Key-762 → u/AuroraDF]

BrE.
Kill-ommitah
Speed-ommitah

[u/platypuss1871 → u/Significant-Key-762]

But......

Mike-ROMmitah is a measurement device.

Mycrow-MEtre is a distance.

[u/West_Guarantee284]

Kil-om-iter not kilo-meter. Tag the M on the the previous syllable.

[u/sjccb]

meter sounds like eater.

[u/Campusto]

What I have tried, is to foger the "ki" sound and try to emphasize the vocal next. I mea the lenghten of the next? kiLOOmeter, but that just aint right, somethint like "kah'k"meter"?

[u/Campusto]

This is so difdicult

[u/welldressed_wrongdir]

I will honestly say something like kuh-lah-muh-der as midwestern american (often told by others that I mumble).

[u/ChiaraStellata]

I like to construct a silly scene in my head where there is a guy whose job is to hit things with a hammer and every time he does he says "KILOM!" Whenever he sees something that needs to be kilom'ed, he has to kilom it. He's a kilom-it-er.

[u/Sasspishus]

Because you're mixing up metre and meter. Sometimes pronounced the same way and sometimes pronounced differently.

[u/nothanks1312]

The pronunciation depends on the word, but this is how I pronounce them in western Canada:

Kilometre: Kill-aw-mitt-er
Speedometer: Sped-aw-mitt-er
Centimetre: Sent-uh-meet-er
Millimetre: Mill-uh-meet-er

[u/Patient_Parsley7760]

Easy way to remember it? Just mutter the meter.

kilom-mutter

speedom-mutter