Pronunciation variants in American English.
Hi!

I have a question regarding pronunciation in American English: is it common to use both pronunciations of certain words, like 'fragile' or 'versatile', interchangeably?

For example:

/ˈfrædʒaɪl/ vs. /ˈfrædʒəl/
/ˈvɜːrsətaɪl/ vs. /ˈvɜːrsətəl/

I know the first pronunciation in the above pairs is characteristic of British English, but I’ve heard both version being used in American English (in Sara Bareilles’s “Gravity”, for instance). However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard any American say /ˈdoʊsaɪl/ instead of /ˈda:səl/ (docile), although the form of this word suggests that the same rule might apply, hence my confusion.

Question

Pronunciation variants in American English.
Hi!

I have a question regarding pronunciation in American English: is it common to use both pronunciations of certain words, like 'fragile' or 'versatile', interchangeably?

For example:

/ˈfrædʒaɪl/ vs. /ˈfrædʒəl/
/ˈvɜːrsətaɪl/ vs. /ˈvɜːrsətəl/

I know the first pronunciation in the above pairs is characteristic of British English, but I’ve heard both version being used in American English (in Sara Bareilles’s “Gravity”, for instance). However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard any American say /ˈdoʊsaɪl/ instead of /ˈda:səl/ (docile),  although the form of this word suggests that the same rule might apply, hence my confusion.

Answer

All of those pronunciations are totally acceptable in US English. However in each of the three cases you've mentioned, the second option Is much more common.

I hope this helps!

Answer

This helps a lot, thank you very much!

Answers · 3

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