There are two pronunciations in my dictionary for species:
spiːʃiːz, spiːsiːz
Which one is correct? Or both can be used?
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I find questions about "correct pronunciation" even less meaningful than questions about "correct style." Yes, a lot of people think that something should be one way—but with accents, dialects, and simple preference, there are many more actual pronunciations than those you'll see in any dictionary. while writing can be formal or informal, pronunciation is far more nebulous.– Jason BassfordJun 20, 2018 at 3:20
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@JasonBassford I appreciate if you could suggest the pronunciation, which is more widely acceptable. The reason why I asked this question is I wanted to learn more understandable pronunciation of this word. I encountered a similar case before. I used to pronounce sugar as su-gar (no one seemed to understand it), but actually it should be shu-gar. So, I just want to make sure I can get it correct this time.– danJun 20, 2018 at 3:57
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I have no idea what the pronunciation "should" be. (Only how I've always heard it.) Mine was more of a meta comment—and probably not specifically helpful to you, so I apologize for that. (That's why I didn't put it in an actual answer. Especially since I see there already is one.)– Jason BassfordJun 20, 2018 at 4:03
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1Either pronunciation can be used, in American English or in British English. Related ELU question: Are the different pronunciations of “species” regional differences?– sumelicJun 20, 2018 at 6:55
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1 Answer
In the USA both are used equally. But the spiːʃiːz is considered British. So it comes down to a matter of taste.
- SPEE-shees [spiːʃiːz ] British
- SPEE-sees [spiːsiːz] American
You must have the Macmillan dictionary. They tend to put both.
