How do you pronounce "sherbet"?

[Vort]

What do you call that fruit-juice-based, ice-cream-like frozen confection? It's spelled "sherbet". When you say "Sherbet tastes good," does it sound like "Sure, but tastes good" or "Sure, Bert tastes good"? (Sesame Street's Ernie with fangs, I guess.)

 

As a child, I said "sure bert", and I think I even spelled it "sherbert". Sometime in my adolescence, I figured out that the second "r" wasn't there in the word.

 

I used to laugh at the British pronunciation and spelling of "aluminium", but it's actually more consistent with how we name the other elements, and it was a neologism in any case. Why not use the "-ium" suffix? Not sure why we Americans decided to drop that last "i". Maybe because we aren't Americians.

 

When I was in fourth grade, my teacher, a sixty-five-year-old lady who was retiring at the end of the school year and was doubtless from the Midwest somewhere, pronounced our state's name "Worshington". That drove me crazy, even as a nine-year-old. (Especially since we lived in Idaho.)

 

(Just kidding about the Idaho thing.)

[Connie]

Sure-bet.  Because it's a sure bet that it will taste good. :)

Edited December 24, 2014 by Connie

[Bini]

Sure-bet

[Mahone]

As a Brit that grew up in the midlands, I've always pronounced it sherr-berrt. Brits in different areas may pronounce it differently.

[Dravin]

I pronounce it akin to "Sure, Bert." Funnily sorbet gets the frenchified pronunciation.

[Bini]

I say sure-bet because my husband says that's how it's said. But like most people, the "bert" is how I initially said it.

[Palerider]

I am now going to be up all night thinking about this. Lol

[JimmiGerman]

Sorbet, it's French, and we have the same word in German, i.e. Zitronensorbet,  lemon sorbet.  In French: sorbet citron or sorbet au citron. Bon appétit. (American) English has overtaken or integrated so many words from French, see here   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_expressions_in_English    ...so why not "sorbet", it works even with an English pronounciation, but we in Germany use the French pronounciation for French words, because otherwise you might have the same problem like Vort with "sure Bert" in a restaurant affronting the waiter... :)

[Backroads]

Sure-bet. That's how it looks!

However, sherbert spelling and pronunciation is apparently an officially acceptable alternative.

[Dravin]

Sorbet, it's French, and we have the same word in German, i.e. Zitronensorbet,  lemon sorbet.  In French: sorbet citron or sorbet au citron. Bon appétit. (American) English has overtaken or integrated so many words from French, see here   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_expressions_in_English    ...so why not "sorbet", it works even with an English pronounciation, but we in Germany use the French pronounciation for French words, because otherwise you might have the same problem like Vort with "sure Bert" in a restaurant affronting the waiter... :)

 

Any restaurant where the waitstaff is likely to be offended by 'sure bert' is unlikely to have sherbet on the menu, at lest in the US, it's going to have it listed as sorbet.

Edited December 24, 2014 by Dravin

[Guest MormonGator]

Sure-bert ;-) 

[Crypto]

Sherbert, unless i'm around someone I know will make fun of people pronouncing words differently than them, then I'll just ask for sorbet instead ;-)

Edited December 24, 2014 by Crypto

[Connie]

Well, apparently we are all pronouncing this word wrong.  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sherbet

[pam]

Sher-bert

[jerome1232]

Holy crap there really isn't an r in there.

My mind has just been blown, I will fitfully continue in my shure-bert pronunciation anyways. Sorbet I've always pronounced it Sorbay. Tell me I'm at least doing that one right.

Edited December 25, 2014 by jerome1232

[Iggy]

shur-bit   http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sherbet

 

I have always loved orange sherbet - especially with vanilla angel food cake with fudge chocolate icing.

Then I had freshly made sorbet from berries ( nearly overripe local Himalayan Blackberries, Huckleberries and from his vast garden strawberries) at greek friends home (he and his Asian wife ran a wonderful Greek restaurant in town for a few years) I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Then he made me freshly made orange sorbet. MMmmmm good!!

[prisonchaplain]

Only because it is Christmas am I going to forgive this string for messing with my head.  Of course, my mercy could be reciprocated if the OP were to send some sure-bert by way.  :-)

[theSQUIDSTER]

It's spelled sherbet.. but it's pronounced "Raymond Luxury Yacht" ... no... wait... 

[Vort]

Only because it is Christmas am I going to forgive this string for messing with my head.  Of course, my mercy could be reciprocated if the OP were to send some sure-bert by way.  :-)

Federal Way is too far. Come on up to Redmond and you can share ours.

[classylady]

If I'm not thinking about it, I say Sure bert, but If I'm consciously thinking about the word, then I say Sure but.

[Guest]

WAIT, WHAT???

 

You don't pronounce it SOR-BEY???

 

That's what I was taught...

[Connie]

From my understanding, sorbet (pronounced sor-bay) is very slightly different from sherbet (apparently pronounced sher-bit) in that it does not contain the dairy that sherbet does.

[mordorbund]

"Sure Bert! kx-kx-kx-kx"
 

You're not saying it right if you don't include the Ernie laugh. (I've been working on my dad humor since I was a teenager).

[Blackmarch]

What do you call that fruit-juice-based, ice-cream-like frozen confection? It's spelled "sherbet". When you say "Sherbet tastes good," does it sound like "Sure, but tastes good" or "Sure, Bert tastes good"? (Sesame Street's Ernie with fangs, I guess.)

 

As a child, I said "sure bert", and I think I even spelled it "sherbert". Sometime in my adolescence, I figured out that the second "r" wasn't there in the word.

 

I used to laugh at the British pronunciation and spelling of "aluminium", but it's actually more consistent with how we name the other elements, and it was a neologism in any case. Why not use the "-ium" suffix? Not sure why we Americans decided to drop that last "i". Maybe because we aren't Americians.

 

When I was in fourth grade, my teacher, a sixty-five-year-old lady who was retiring at the end of the school year and was doubtless from the Midwest somewhere, pronounced our state's name "Worshington". That drove me crazy, even as a nine-year-old. (Especially since we lived in Idaho.)

 

(Just kidding about the Idaho thing.)

flip flop between shure-bet or shore-bay (very short sh sound tho)

[NeuroTypical]