how do you pronounce...?

Question

grocery or groceries?

choose:
a) grow-shur-ees
b) grow-sur-ees

Answer 1

The problem is in the middle part, with the "cer" spelling. When "e" is after "c", "c" generally sounds like "s". That would make the second pronunciation (b) more correct.

However, there is another thing going on that is a little complicated to describe. I'll try my best to describe it, and then give some examples. If you have a word with at least three syllables, and one of the unaccented middle syllables has the "er" sound, and the syllable after that starts with a vowel sound, the "er" sound will merge with the following syllable.

Examples: every is pronounced ev-ry, restaurant is pronounced rest-rahnt, different is pronounced diff-rent. So grocery would be pronounced grow-sree.

But English doesn't have any words or syllables that start with "sr", so people might unconsciously find that strange. There are a lot of words and syllables starting with "shr", so they might use that instead, making grow-shree.

It doesn't make any sense to make it three syllables, like grow-shur-ee, though.

Answer 2

I say grow-shrees. You can say it any of those three ways and people will understand you.

Answer 3

I say it like A. It can depend on where you live too.

Answer 4

I say is A, but some say it like B

Answer 5

Neither, I'd say 'grow-shriz' (Kentish accent)

Answer 6

a cuz b is kinda mixin it wit spanish

Answer 7

groceries

b

Answer 8

gros re

Answer 9

gross-er-eez, or usually gross-rees.

~Cindy! :)