How To Pronounce Caribbean

The Carib Indians determine how it should be pronounced.

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How To Pronounce Caribbean

How do you pronounce Caribbean? Although many tourists and most American newscasters prefer to say "ka-rib-e-an," this is incorrect, a corruption of "CARE-ib-bee-an," the pronunciation truest to how the Carib ("Care-ib ") Indians pronounce their own name.

The regional beer (Carib) is pronounced "Care-ib," not "Ka-rib."

The Carib Indians of Dominica call themselves "Care-ibs."

Remember, too, how the word is said in all the Walt Disney Pirates of the Caribbean films. It was pronounced "CARE-ib-bee-an."

Other phonetic spellings which have the same pronunciation include "kr·i·bee·uhn" and "ker-a-be-uhn."

Obviously, "ka-rib-e-an" sounds more stylish (if not a little snotty) but it's just plain wrong.

By the way, the Caribs say "po-ta-tow," not "po-tot-tow," and they should know. Potato is a Carib word adopted into English.

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