Buoy

Richard   Monday, December 01, 2003, 23:26 GMT
How do you pronounce this word. I pronounce it ''boo-ee'', but, I've heard some people pronounce it ''boo'', the same as the word ''boo''.
Jim   Monday, December 01, 2003, 23:50 GMT
I pronounce it /boi/ the same way I pronounce "boy".
Clark   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 01:27 GMT
Wow, Jim! That is odd to my Californian ears. I pronounce it as "boo-ee" or in French, "bu-i."
mjd   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 01:34 GMT
boo-ee
Richard   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 02:27 GMT
When people say ''buoy'' as ''boo'' or ''boy'', it just sounds like they're leaving out a syllable to me.
Jim   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 02:46 GMT
To me it sounds like they're adding one in when they say /bu:i(:)/ (i.e. "boo-ee"). It's all a matter of what you're used to /bu:i(:)/ sounds quite odd to my Aussie ears.
Jim   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 02:52 GMT
How about "buoyant", "buoyantly" and "buoyancy"? I say /boi..nt/, /boi..ntli(:)/ and /boi..nsi(:)/.
Juan   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 02:55 GMT
dictionary.reference.com has two different pronounciations. Boy and boo-ee. I prefer boy since boo-ee sounds too cutesy.
mjd   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 03:23 GMT
It's true...for "buoyant," "buoyantly" and "buoyancy" I use the 'boy' sound. It's only for "buoy" that the "oo-ee" comes into play.
Jack Doolan   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 03:40 GMT
I had not heard "boo-ee" for "bouy" until recently and I thought it sounded very peculiar, like "erb" for "herb".
Jim   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 03:59 GMT
http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=10301&dict=CALD lists both noting /bu:i(:)/ as the US pronunciation. It also says that the other words are always /boi..nt/, /boi..ntli(:)/ and /boi..nsi(:)/.

Yeah, also /e:(r)b/ (i.e. "erb") for "herb" sounds peculiar to me.
Rugger   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 04:58 GMT
I pronounce "buoy" as "boy" like Jim and Jack Doolan. I've never heard it pronounced as "boo-ee".
Clark   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 06:02 GMT
Jim, Mjd has said it all for me.

"It's true...for "buoyant," "buoyantly" and "buoyancy" I use the 'boy' sound. It's only for "buoy" that the "oo-ee" comes into play."
Ryan   Tuesday, December 02, 2003, 08:32 GMT
I say "boo-ee" but "boy-ancy." I know it makes no logical sense but it sounds weird to call the thing floating in the water a "boy."