Do you say comfortable, or comfturble?

Answer 1

Even though it is spelled as comfortable, I say it as comfturble...I guess maybe it's a Californian thing.

Answer 2

I know this is long, but perhaps it will help some to understand WHY we speak as we do, and not feel guilty or think they are wrong just because their pronunciation doesn't quite seem to fit with the spelling

"kumf-ter-bl" is perfectly normal an acceptable (except when singing a formal song)

Some think it 'must be wrong' because of the way the word is spelled. But the spelling is based NOT on how its pronounced but on its ORIGINS as "comfort" + the suffix "-able"

But the combination is not that easy to pronounce. As a result in speech the sounds end up being reordered.

In fact, this sor to re-ording or sounds-- called "METATHESIS" is a very common occurrence in human language. It may come about by confusion, but often it happens simply because the expected form is more difficult to pronounce. In some cases the change is considered ignorant or at least non-standard, in other instances it is the (or a) ACCEPTED pronounciation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metathesis_(linguistics)

This transposing of sounds explains why earlier dialects of Engilsh (going back to Old English) might use EITHER "ask" or "aks" (BOTH are found in Chaucer, for example). It also explains how Old English words "brid", "thrid" and "hros" turned into our "bird", "third" and "horse".

A good example of metathesis that I believe ALL native English-speakers practice is pronouncing "iron" as "i-urn".. Notice how the word's ACCENT affect whether or not the sounds change their order. We DO keep the sounds in their written order in the suffixed form "ironic" where the accent shifts to the second syllable. (We do the same with "irony", though it's acceptable, or at least permitted, to say "i-urnee" --as we do with "ironing".)

The ACCENT has a lot to do with why we SAY "comfturble" (or, in other dialects 'comftuble'). Note that the syllable in question --"fort"-- has a slight accent in "comfort" but almost NO accent when we add the "able" suffix. In English, adding suffixes frequently shifts or reduces accent of certain syllables. When a syllable loses accent, the vowel typically is shortened; in an UN-accented syllable it may end up as the 'swallowed', unaccented "schwa" sound, or even completely disappear.

But this leaves us with the unaccented combination "frt" which is more difficult or at least less natural to pronounce, especially since un-accented syllables are spoken *more quickly*, making it even more difficult to articulate this cluster of consonants (except perhaps when singing) The natural solution is to simplify the pronounciation, either by skipping the "r" sound (which leads some to say "comf'-tubly") or to reverse sounds ("metathesis") and say "comf'turbly".

(Frankly, I suspect the pronunciation "com-four-tab-ly" is a "hypercorrection". That is, some people say it that way BECAUSE of the spelling, whereas the SPOKEN language long ago changed the pronunciation. But spelling is NOT always a sure guide to the spoken language. Based on SPELLING, some people improperly pronounce the t in "often", not recognizing that the "t" is from the short form "oft" and is LOST when -en is added . . . as in soft > soften, compare list > listen; haste > hasten, etc. Of course, once enough people make the mistake long enough, it becomes acceptable!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercorrection

Answer 3

I thought I said comfortable until I said it out loud a few times, and discovered I'm actually saying 'comftable, but I definitely don't say comfturble.

Answer 4

The first one. C O M F O R T A B L E.

Answer 5

I can say it's the 1st one comfortable.For writing we use comfortable and for saying comfturble.ok

Answer 6

lol i say comfturble

Answer 7

Comfortable: that has the following phonetic spelling :
/ k/\mftebl /with the stress on the first syllable.

/'KUMf te bl /

Answer 8

When I say comfortable, it sounds like "comf-dra-ble." It sounds strange with four sylables!

Answer 9

Man. I just say Comturble. I don't even include the 'f' sound. Haha.

Answer 10

I say comfortable. Besides, it's the right way to say it!