Why do Americans pronounce route as root?

A: The word “route” can be pronounced either ROOT or ROWT in the US. This is true for both the noun, meaning a course or path, or the verb, meaning to send something by a specific course or path. The noun “route” is very old, and was probably first recorded around 1225, the OED says.

What is the difference between root and route?

These two homophones sound the same when spoken, but they are never interchangeable. A root is the underground base of a plant, or the action of taking a plant (or something abstract) out completely. Route is the path from one place to another, or the action of sending something to a location.

Is Route pronounced root or ROWT?

In US English, there are two distinct pronunciations of the word route, referring to a ‘way or course taken in getting from a starting point to a destination’. (In British English, the standard pronunciation rhymes with shoot and hoot.) For Americans, it is acceptable to pronounce the word as either rOOt or rOWt.

How do Brits say route?

In the UK, route is pronounced /ru:t/, rhyming with root. On the other hand, the pronunciation /raʊt/, rhyming with shout, is rout, meaning, among many other things, various kinds of gatherings of people (as a noun) and defeat (as a verb).

What’s the difference in route and route?

Or, if you’re short on time, here’s a cheat sheet: Root means to cheer for a sports team, but also the underground part of the plant; Route is a way from one place to another; Rout is to defeat decisively, but is also used instead of root in some senses—after all, rout originated from root. …

Why is Route pronounced differently?

Route, as in a way or course to be taken, is pronounced ‘root’ in non American English as it is in French from which it is taken. The verb, to send down a particular way, is the same. Hence the computing router which directs signals down particular ways, would be pronounced rooter.

How do American people say route?

Pronouncing ‘Route’: ‘Root’ Versus ‘Rowt’ As an aside, I pronounced that word like “root,”—“trade root”— but some other Americans would pronounce it “rowt”—“trade rowt.” It turns out that “root” is currently the only British pronunciation, but both “root” and “rowt” are acceptable in American English.