this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2023
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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The thing is, while "meter" and "metre" are pronounced the same, when you use them in compound words they're not. Thermometer or odometer are pronounced with stress on the second syllable (the syllable immediately prior to "meter"), but kilometre and centimetre are pronounced with the stress on the third syllable ("MEtre").

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Kilometer has the same stressed syllable as odometer in American English.

Easier just to distinguish pronunciation as -ometer vs -meter.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Easier just to distinguish pronunciation as -ometer vs -meter.

But kilometre and thermometer both have ometer

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Right, and in most American dialects they are pronounced the same. Whereas Centimeter is pronounced differently and does not have an "ometer"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

We'll continue having fun with american pronunciation on another day. Today, we're taking care of the imperial(istic?) system

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Yes, and they're pronounced the same in the US.