How do you pronounce caramel?

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by purr1n, May 1, 2020.

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How do you pronounce caramel?

  1. Car-muhl

    22 vote(s)
    25.6%
  2. Care-a-muhl

    6 vote(s)
    7.0%
  3. Care-a-melle / Carra-melle

    50 vote(s)
    58.1%
  4. Other

    8 vote(s)
    9.3%
  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Stupid family dinner time discussion:
    How do you pronounce caramel?
    Where do you live or where did you grow up?
     
  2. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    Vancouver, BC is my hometown, and I'm currently home in Huntington Beach... Drinking beer at the moment.
     
  3. OldDude04

    OldDude04 Friend

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    I'm "car-muhl". Born and raised in Michigan.
     
  4. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    “Care-a-melle” mostly when by itself, and “car-muhl” usually when it’s with other words like “Caramel corn” or “Caramel cake”. Kind of weird now that I think about it...

    Atlantic Canada raised and live.
     
  5. JeffYoung

    JeffYoung Friend

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    Care-a-melle.

    Grew up in Knoxville TN, but accent moderated by high school in CO, college in MI and career in CA. Now live in Ireland.
     
  6. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    Carra-mil, but your no. 3 choice is closest. NZ then western Canada (where I've heard car-muhl a fair bit - maybe from Americans).

    Edit: vote changed to 'other'.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2020
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Same as my wife. She was born in Wyoming and raised in Michigan. She extends the vowels though: Caaaaaaar-muuuuuhl (exaggeration, but you get the idea).

    Care-a-melle for me. Primary school in Toronto Canada, moved to SF Bay Area just before secondary school. Son picked up car-muhl, probably from mom. Daughter says care-a-melle.

    Care-a-melle is supposed to be East Coast and Southeast, at least when it comes to the USA. Car-muhl is supposed to be Midwest or Western. So I'm curious.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2020
  8. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

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    I actually always went with "car-melle" but hey I grew up in Brooklyn.
     
  9. robot zombie

    robot zombie Friend

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    I say car-muhl because I can't read vowels, apparently. I never thought about how it actually has 2 As. I guess the second one is silent for some of us.

    At least I don't call crayons crowns. Instead I just pretend the Y doesn't exist.
     
  10. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Grew up in Indiana. "Car-muhl" was the norm.

    There's also a Carmel, IN, also pronounced in the same manner.
     
  11. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    grew up in Eastern PA/DE & North Carolina.... I always used #3

    But since moving to NW PA 30 yrs ago I've transitioned to #1. It seems wrong every time I say it, but that's how the wife/kids say it and I get weird looks when I say it "correctly" at the local ice cream stand.

    #2 is just wrong
     
  12. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    For east europe, caramele, weird it's the same...or not, ananas is universally the same, except for english because pine-apple.
     
  13. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Same way as you pronounce Caribbean or Houston ;)

    EDIT: @fraggler I never new the story behind the NYC pronunciation til now, haha.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2020
  14. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Wait, there is more than one way to say Houston?
     
  15. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    I blend 1 and 3 into 2. First 17 years in FL, then 7 in NC, then about 6 in MD/DC, now going on 10 years in IL. Always 3 syllables, though.
     
  16. raif

    raif Man made lobster/plankton

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    Ok, never thought about this before. I actually read it as care-ah-mell and selected option 3 pretty confidently but i realized I say car-muhl after reading things like caramel corn and caramel macchiatto in the thread.

    YOU GOT ME SBAF!!1!

    mind blown

    From Cali, mostly.
     
  17. wadec22

    wadec22 Almost "Made"

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    car-muhl…. realizing now this is due to my Midwest upbringing lol
     
  18. RedFuneral

    RedFuneral Facebook Friend

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    car-muhl. Grown up in CT but my dad's from Michigan and I picked up ain't from him so it could be either or.
     
  19. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

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  20. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I learned care-uh-melle early on from candy bar commercials. Midwest pronunciation is car-mull. Care-uh-melle sounds ‘tarded though in the context of caramel corn.
     

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