FORUMS - COASTERFORCE

Hi guys. Apologies if this seems like a slightly strange poll, but yesterday, my family and I were having afternoon tea for my older sister’s birthday, and as is typical with afternoon tea, we each had a scone. As we were eating our scones, a discussion ensued about the pronunciation of the word “scone”. Now while I appreciate that everyone pronounces words differently, most will pronounce this word in one of two ways; most either tend to pronounce the word as “Sc-on”, with the “on” sound added onto the end, or they tend to pronounce it as “Sc-own”, with the “own” sound added onto the end. So I’d be keen to know; what side do you sit on in this very British debate? How do you pronounce the word “scone”?

Personally, I’m a “Sc-on” person. When I was a young child and spoke more formally (I had a really posh British accent as a child… like the sort of stereotypical posh British accent you often see in foreign media), I was a “Sc-own” person all the way. I also pronounced “bath” as “bar-th” and “castle” as “car-stle” back then, for some idea…

But I seem to have drifted into “Sc-on” as I’ve grown older and lost some formality from my speech… don’t get me wrong, I’m still thoroughly accentless, and have quite a stereotypical British accent, but I’ve definitely gained a more informal twang as I’ve aged, and “Sc-on” is now the way I pronounce that particular word.

Also, the joke about scones being the fastest cakes only makes sense if you pronounce it “Sc-own”. For those who have no idea what I’m on about:

• Joke: What is the fastest cake?
• Punchline: S-gone… (scone)

That nice joke only works with the “Sc-on” pronunciation unless you pronounce “gone” very differently to how I do…

Interestingly, though, most of my family seemed to agree on it being “Sc-own”…

But I’d be keen to know; how do you pronounce the word “scone”? Is it “Sc-on” or “Sc-own” for you? Or is it an entirely different pronunciation altogether?