Cupola--how do you pronounce this word?

[Storm Bay]

More specifically, how do you say the first syllable. Does it rhyme with cue (kyoo) or coo? Also where do you live/did you grow up? Half of our famly doesn't agree with the pronunciation in our American dictionary. I'm going to make a poll, but feel free to leave comments. Also, I'm happy to see how you say the whole word in case there are differences there, too.

[Kathleen in VA]

I've only ever heard the whole word pronounced like this: KOO-puh-luh.

 

Each Christmas the folks at Mt. Vernon open up the third floor of the mansion to visitors. It is the only time you can see up into the cupola. The docents at Mt. Vernon pronounce it exactly the same way I've always heard it.

 

ETA: My OED says it should be KYOO-puh-luh.

Edited September 12, 2010 by Kathleen in VA

[nmoira]

kyoo, accented syllable, followed by two schwa syllables

 

I grew up in Ontario, Canada and my dad was English.

[Mothersweets]

I voted for the koo sound. I was a military brat and moved around but my folks grew up in the desert southwest.

[JFSinIL]

cup o la

 

Born and raised in S. California from Kansas born and raised parents. Who put extra "r"s in words like water (warter) and Washington (Warshington) and wash (warsh)

Edited September 12, 2010 by JFSinIL

[zaichiki]

cup o la

 

That's how I've always heard it: CUP-oh-lah.

[delaney]

coo-po-lah is the only way I have heard it.

[JudoMom]

kyoo, accented syllable, followed by two schwa syllables

 

I grew up in Ontario, Canada and my dad was English.

 

:iagree:

 

Though I grew up in TN, raised by parents from KS, and married a WI boy. I don't know where/how/when I learned to pronounce it.

[Ester Maria]

coo - poh - lah; the stress on the first syllable

[TN Mama]

I've always said coo, but the correct pronunciation, according to dictionary.com is kyoo.

[SapphireStitch]

Kyoo. I grew up in IL, currently live in NC, but my dad grew up in NY and I've been told before that I say some words with a NY accent.

[Chris in VA]

Other--cup OH la. Like crapola. From Ohio, parents from CT.

[Guest]

Cyoo in the first, stressed syllable. We've listened to far more British audiobooks than American, and I suspect this is where our pronunciation of the word comes from.

[TrixieB]

cup o la

I've never heard "cupola" said, so I always imagined it would be said like the above.

 

A few months ago I looked it up in the dictionary, which indicated I should pronounce it kyoo... if I ever say it!

[Jean in Newcastle]

cyoo - I grew up in Japan:) (parents from Iowa and Pennsylvania).

[Corraleno]

I say kyoo' puh luh

(born & raised in Joisey, but avoided the accent!)

 

Jackie

[Guest ME-Mommy]

kyoo-puh-luh

 

Born and raised in Maine by Mainers... :D

[BikeBookBread]

KWEW-po-luh

 

Born in Washington State raised by one Seattle native, one SW Washington native of southern parents.

[MamaT]

koo-pu-luh

 

Live in NC, born and raised in FL by parents from FL.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Kyoo-po-luh

Born and raised in CO.

[Farrar]

Other - Cup-o-la

 

I grew up in the south, but I don't recall encountering this word and if I did, it was in a book and I didn't hear it pronounced. However, now I live in DC and there are many cupolas around me. Our block has them on every 5th house, I believe, so the house next to ours has the final one in the row. There's a lovely picture at the heading on my blog that shows the cupola on the other side - four down from my house. I really wanted a house with one when we were buying, but now I'm glad we didn't get one since I've heard cupola horror stories about leaky roofs and how it costs so much more to fix.

[ChrisB]

coo - poh - lah -- lived in Italy for a while and learned to say it this way.

[Storm Bay]

Other--cup OH la. Like crapola. From Ohio, parents from CT.

Like crapola :lol::lol: That's a word I use sometimes instead of using stronger language.

[Storm Bay]

Good to know that the OED has it correct;). Actually, what I think it really means it that the American dictionaries probably need to update their pronunciations. I saw no pattern between the US & Canada (not that many respondents, of course. I have forgotten how I used to pronounce it when I used to read it, but I heard it with a KOO first.

 

I asked because dh also says Kyoo for the first syllable in coupon, but the dictionarly backs me up on Koo (I think we had a thread on that once, but am not sure.)

[Parrothead]

It a cope-u-la.

 

I'm a navy brat. I don't have a home accent. Every once in a while I'm told a listener can hear a bit of southern, but not enough to place which part of the south I picked it up.

 

My parents are from OH/PA. They have lived in the south east longer than they ever lived in their home town. So they actually have coastal southern accents.

[Blueridge]

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=cupola&submit=Submit

[Karen in CO]

I've never heard "cupola" said, so I always imagined it would be said like the above.

 

A few months ago I looked it up in the dictionary, which indicated I should pronounce it kyoo... if I ever say it!

 

Never heard of it, but i would say it "cup O la"

And I'd never have imagined it'd be in the dictionary. It sounds like an invented word. Tell me its not a real word. Please.

 

 

 

Returning after I google it. Its those dome things. Once I got past the cup-o-la look of the word. I think its a kew-pole-a (how's that for terrible southern pronunciation. I know what those are. My mind was just not on architecture this morning.

Edited September 13, 2010 by Karen in CO

[Cinder]

I voted kyoo. Grew up in HI.

 

I had no idea some people pronounced this "cup-O-la" until I read this thread.

 

Cinder

[ereks mom]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?cupola01.wav=cupola

 

I really don't think this pronunciation is right, because there's no "o" on the end of the word. But I could be wrong...

[3littlekeets]

Sadly I will admit I have never HEARD nor SEEN the word. I was hoping someone else was as going to admit it first. :lol::lol:

[Jean in Newcastle]

Sadly I will admit I have never HEARD nor SEEN the word. I was hoping someone else was as going to admit it first. :lol::lol:

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.loghomedoor.com/images/cupola_mounted_white.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.loghomedoor.com/custom_cupolas.htm&h=367&w=413&sz=15&tbnid=73roKteYEIvBQM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcupola%2Bimage&zoom=1&q=cupola+image&hl=en&usg=__Tgx-tiC-W7gXpFkuPprPbYz2p0g=&sa=X&ei=AvqOTJ-BF4H48Aa85pCqDg&ved=0CCgQ9QEwBQ

[JeneralMom]

I always said cup-o-la because that is how I first heard it from a British art history teacher I had. Wow, she must really have been mispronouncing it.

[TX Bluebonnet]

Sadly I will admit I have never HEARD nor SEEN the word. I was hoping someone else was as going to admit it first. :lol::lol:

 

I've never heard it pronounced. I have seen it before but I didn't know what it was. Apparently it's just not that important in Texas!

[Mimm]

Um, I've never said that word. I actually had to go look it up... :001_huh:

[Mimm]

Sadly I will admit I have never HEARD nor SEEN the word. I was hoping someone else was as going to admit it first. :lol::lol:

 

Now I'm picturing people sitting around having tea (or something) and talking extensively about cupolas. :)

[Storm Bay]

Now I'm picturing people sitting around having tea (or something) and talking extensively about cupolas. :)

:lol::lol: It's not a word I normally say, either, but dh painted one recently which is how it came up.

[Storm Bay]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?cupola01.wav=cupola

 

I really don't think this pronunciation is right, because there's no "o" on the end of the word. But I could be wrong...

 

It doesn't make any sense, does it?

 

As for the poster with the British teacher who said cup unstead of coop or kyoop, perhaps that's one of the correct British pronunciations. (there are so many different accents there, aren't there?)