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People can often tell the difference between "vial" and "vile", even though I feel like I'm pronouncing them the exact same way.
by kybernetikos 11y ago
People can often tell the difference between "vial" and "vile", even though I feel like I'm pronouncing them the exact same way.
- marvy 11y agoI suddenly want to try this experiment
- oneeyedpigeon 11y agoSimply ask someone else, out loud to spell the word [...] and pick one or the other. Would be interesting if you get > 50% hit rate.
- pbhjpbhj 11y agoVile is a more common word. Some adults probably don't know the word vial at all.
- kybernetikos 11y agoYes, because of this, I always say them both and ask them which I said first.
- rwj 11y agoExcept that vial has 2 syllables, and vile has only 1 syllable.
- taejo 11y agoIn your accent (and lots of other people's too, but not in mine, and apparently not in that of the person you're responding to). The sequence /aɪl/ never appears in my English dialect: there's always a schwa-ish sound before the /l/
- Houshalter 11y agoIn what accent? They sound the same to me. "Vy-uhl". How do you pronounce them?
- thedaemon 11y agoVyle. Like Gomer Pyle. I'm from the southern US and pronounce these words differently, one and two syllables.