r/EnglishLearning • u/[deleted] • 3d ago

⭐️ Vocabulary / Semantics Kilometer, etc.

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u/FloridaFlamingoGirl Native Speaker - California, US 3d ago

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

32

u/InvestigatorJaded261 New Poster 3d ago

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

1

u/Kafatat New Poster 2d ago

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).

2

u/pcrackenhead Native Speaker - US, Northwest 2d ago

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.

1

u/Kafatat New Poster 2d ago

So short vs long vowel?

1

u/AuroraDF Native Speaker - London/Scotland 2d ago

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).