3 ms·

Americans dont use the term "pencil crayons"??? What do you call them?

by bawolff 1y ago

cka 1y ago
Colored pencils
- pards 1y ago
  pencils of color :)
  - wild_egg 1y ago
    Pencils experiencing colourfulness
joshdavham 1y ago
That also blew my mind.
NikolaNovak 1y ago
One of the frequent debates with my wife lol... "But they are not crayons" does not help my case at all :-)
- nucleardog 1y ago
  Well... they're generally wax or oil based like a crayon. Just wrapped in wood like a pencil rather than in paper. Like some sort of... pencil... crayon. >_>
School-Cotton 1y ago
Crayons are the fat sticks of wax (e.g. Crayola brand). Colored pencils are, well, colored pencils. There are also various different ways to pronounce “crayon”; is that also true in Canada? For example I pronounce it with one syllable: “cran”, just like the beginning of “cranberry”. I get the feeling that’s not the majority pronunciation but it’s not exactly rare either (at least where I grew up).
- pasc1878 1y ago
  Same in UK for what they are ie sticks of wax (They can be thin for cheap ones that break) In UK it is two syllables.
  - School-Cotton 1y ago
    FWIW I’m American. According to the “Harvard Dialect Survey” which I found on Google, about 14% of people in the US pronounce it like I do and most of the rest with two syllables.
- throaway955 1y ago
  Nope, coloured pencils are coloured wax encased in wood. Canadians emphasize that they are crayons in pencil shape; Americans emphasize that they are pencil-form but coloured.
  - School-Cotton 1y ago
    Interesting, I never knew that. Never been much of an artist. So I guess the Canadian term is actually more accurate!
    - throaway955 1y ago
      Yes, British originally
emptybits 1y ago
In a feeble attempt to rationalize the Canadianism "pencil crayon"... Pencils have cores based on graphite or charcoal. Pencil crayons have cores based on wax or oil, with pigments added. This is basically the composition of crayons or pastels. Then it's wrapped in wood like a pencil. Thus ... "pencil crayon".
- pcthrowaway 1y ago
  Wait, coloured pencils aren't actually pencils? I've never heard Pencil Crayon, in British Columbia, but then again I did live in the U.S. for all of my school years.

Americans dont use the term "pencil crayons"??? What do you call them?

cka 1y ago

Colored pencils

pards 1y ago
pencils of color :)
- wild_egg 1y ago
  Pencils experiencing colourfulness

joshdavham 1y ago

That also blew my mind.

NikolaNovak 1y ago

One of the frequent debates with my wife lol... "But they are not crayons" does not help my case at all :-)

nucleardog 1y ago
Well... they're generally wax or oil based like a crayon. Just wrapped in wood like a pencil rather than in paper. Like some sort of... pencil... crayon. >_>

School-Cotton 1y ago

Crayons are the fat sticks of wax (e.g. Crayola brand). Colored pencils are, well, colored pencils. There are also various different ways to pronounce “crayon”; is that also true in Canada? For example I pronounce it with one syllable: “cran”, just like the beginning of “cranberry”. I get the feeling that’s not the majority pronunciation but it’s not exactly rare either (at least where I grew up).

pasc1878 1y ago
Same in UK for what they are ie sticks of wax (They can be thin for cheap ones that break) In UK it is two syllables.
- School-Cotton 1y ago
  FWIW I’m American. According to the “Harvard Dialect Survey” which I found on Google, about 14% of people in the US pronounce it like I do and most of the rest with two syllables.
throaway955 1y ago
Nope, coloured pencils are coloured wax encased in wood. Canadians emphasize that they are crayons in pencil shape; Americans emphasize that they are pencil-form but coloured.
- School-Cotton 1y ago
  Interesting, I never knew that. Never been much of an artist. So I guess the Canadian term is actually more accurate!
  - throaway955 1y ago
    Yes, British originally

emptybits 1y ago

In a feeble attempt to rationalize the Canadianism "pencil crayon"... Pencils have cores based on graphite or charcoal. Pencil crayons have cores based on wax or oil, with pigments added. This is basically the composition of crayons or pastels. Then it's wrapped in wood like a pencil. Thus ... "pencil crayon".

pcthrowaway 1y ago
Wait, coloured pencils aren't actually pencils? I've never heard Pencil Crayon, in British Columbia, but then again I did live in the U.S. for all of my school years.