at 9:48 AM on January 3 I've recently realized that I have no idea how to pronounce pecan. (I've been smoking them in my smoker quite frequently, and so I've had more cause to use that word in the last month than in the last 20 years). I alternate pronunciations, but I don't seem to have one that feels "natural" to me. posted by rtha at 9:54 AM on January 3 [ 1 favorite ] Trying hard to parse the sarcasm... but just in case that's a serious question: I would use that word written like that and pronounce it "gunnl". It's a part of a boat. Learned from my Dad, who grew up in southern England. Having said that, I'd be hard pressed to say when I last actually had to write that word. posted by illongruci at 10:00 AM on January 3 [ 1 favorite ] The use of proper names is cheating. posted by oddman at 10:02 AM on January 3 I've recently realized that I have no idea how to pronounce pecan. I say "puh-cawn", which is apparently only standard in certain parts of the south. posted by tryniti at 10:03 AM on January 3 They most certainly are not. There is a reason that the dicte is a staple of French education in both America and France -- French spelling is notoriously difficult even for native speakers. French spelling is hard, but being fluent in both languages, I'd say French is more regular than English