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Poll :: How is 'caramel' pronounced?
car-mel (2 syllables) (phonetically 'car' - 'muhl')  50%  [ 4 ] car-A-mel (3 syllables) (phonetically 'care' - 'ah' - 'mel')  50%  [ 4 ] Voted : 8 Total Votes : 8

#1:  help settle a silly debate Author: BECK,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:46 am Married guys can relate. There is always something that a married couple argues about continuously. My wife and I are no exception. We'll be 80 years old and still debating this issue. And it is so trivial, it's hardly worth the time and energy that we waste discussing it at least weekly. So. How do you say the word 'caramel'? Spelling it phonetically, I say: car - muhl My wife insists that it is (again phonetically): care - ah - mel She is very careful to pronounce every single letter in the word - hence the extra "ah" sound that she adds. It's sorta funny because my mother-in-law agrees with me. So we gang up on my wife on the issue. I say that 'car' cannot possibly be pronounced as the word 'care', rather as 'car', a thing you drive. Last edited by BECK on Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:25 am; edited 2 times in total

#2:   Author: StEVoNuB420,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:01 am Perhaps both right? Car-ah-mel? Just like Tomato or Potatoe.Different saying for both words.

#3:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Quizzle,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:00 am Sorry Beck, I'm with your wife on this one. You lose in my mind!

#4:   Author: sTriTan,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:05 am Well, I'll tell ya Beck. Being a married guy myself. I think that this is a great opportunity for you, since this is so trivial, TO YOU, that you should just give in and tell her she's absolutely right. I think you would prolly get extra bonus points from wifey poo considering the fact that momma and law is on the same side as you. Basically, use the psychological ju-jitsu on her.

#5:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: BECK,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:09 am I'm way too stubborn for that. Besides - it's not me that calls her out - she calls me out and laughs at me when I say "car-muhl". I would just let it be, but I'm the one who is abused here.

#6:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Nervous,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:30 am Webster says you are both correct. Caramel 2 or 3 syllables is acceptable. Is you wife from the North? Southerners never say 3 syllables on this one. Odd, but true. Most of the time, we attempt to stretch one syllable into two, or three. : )

#7:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Quazi,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:52 am Just call it CARMEL as we do - easier PS. Your version BECK sounds hella better then your wife's.

#8:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: BECK,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:12 pm Both of us are from Colorado. My wife's paternal side is from Texas, but she doesn't speak with a southern accent or anything (unlike her Dad). So theoricially, we have the same "dialect" or accent.

#9:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: sum1else,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:47 pm I'm with you Beck. Your wife and Quizzle are crazy. Only two syllables here. sum1else out.

#10:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Plan9,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:23 pm Wikipedia just adds to the confusion by listing not 2, but 3 pronounciations: WikiPedia wrote: › Caramel (/ˈkærəmɛl/ and /ˈkɑrməl/ and /ˈkɑrəmɛl/) But according to Webster's unabridged which I trust a bit more, you're both right: I think the difference lies in excactly what you said: Your wife's family is from Texas which is not the midwest. -P9 EDIT: DAMMIT Nerv, that's twice in half an hour I post before reading everything .... Sorry

#11:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: DarkStrike,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 6:38 pm family pronounciation duh... I agree with you though beck. 2 syllables...

#12:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Wal-Mart,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:12 pm Its a freaking word... lol I dont know i just say car-mel?

#13:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: JEWMAN,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:25 pm Carmel is a town near where I live. Car-a-mel is how you say the candy thing.

#14:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Fuzzy Burrito,  You have posted in this forum: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:11 pm This thread should have included a vote. Is it too late to add? I use the 3 syllable version. I happened to use this word once tonight already, describing to a friend that the "Ah Caramel" things are disgusting. Three syllables.

#15:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: trans,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:46 am Quizzle wrote (View Post): › Sorry Beck, I'm with your wife on this one. ^^

#16:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: BECK,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:25 am Whoracle wrote (View Post): › This thread should have included a vote. Is it too late to add? V71

#17:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Nervous,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:36 am Tbh, I say the word sometimes with 2 syllables and sometimes with 3, but I NEVER use CARE-a-muhl. It's either CAR-a-muhl or CAR-muhl. I think it's different for me whether I'm talking about a sundae, or the candy. I think the candy gets 3 syllables because it's all by itself and it needs company. Since the sundae has ice cream, it doesn't need the emotional support of having another syllable. J

#18:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: BECK,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:47 am This makes me think of another instance of "sweet things". You are all gonna think my wife is a nag, but she's really not. This is all in good fun. But -- we were at one of those big theme type restaurants where you get desert included. Choice of Strawberry Sundae, or Hot-Fudge Sundae. So the waitress comes over and asks me what I want. I say "Chocolate". My wife freaks - like "It's not Chocolate, it's HOT FUDGE!!!". Ok, but I'm sure the waitress knew that's what I meant. Not like she was confused back in the kitchen thinking --- "hmmm, he said 'chocolate', I'm sure he meant Strawberry".

#19:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: JEWMAN,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:32 am wowwwww beck you have quite the interesting wife haha I think if I had a wife who drove me nuts over all these words id flip out lol but yes yes all in good fun

#20:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Nervous,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:37 am Your wife would absolutely lose her mind around me. My wife laughs at me because my mind runs much faster than my mouth. I often call a ladder "stairs" (we have a rather large L-shaped staircase with a landing 2/3 of the way up) . --- I'll go get the stairs and hang that picture for you. I've referred to a mirror as a "window" or "winder". I also have called the "blinds" inside the window "shutters". Contributions to my mental health fund can be submitted to NervousIsCrazy@paypal.com

#21:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: JEWMAN,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:59 am haha Jason I remember from TS you have that "southern" accent or at least compared to my new york accent. Then when I was at a casino near my college my friend and I were sitting at a poker table and there was this guy that reminded me 110% of you because the voice sounded PERFECTLY alike.

#22:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Nervous,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:19 pm Southerners only speak s-l-o-w-l-y when they aren't bipolar. LOL

#23:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Nort,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:45 pm its definetly only 2 syllables. - as per the meriam webster audio pronunciation guide: http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?carame01.wav=caramel It definetly says car muhl

#24:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Nervous,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:54 pm There are two listed on that page - click here There are two little speaker icons. One has two and one has three. J

#25:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: Nort,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:12 pm Nervous, imma have to hunt you down and hurt you for that last post! we are tryign to help the guy win here. Dont be counter productive and point out little details like that!

#26:  Re: help settle a silly debate Author: AnABoLiS,  You have posted in this forum: Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:06 pm Whatabout if u both just call it "candy"? Different word, same meaning. I dont think u can pronounce it differently

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