Is it pronounced "Maylay" or "Meal" in the word "melee"

[Trine 665]

I just hear people keep saying Maylay all the time. Is it the same when one for example say "Maylay attack" instead of "Meal attack". Or is it some Super Smash Bros game exception type of word?

[TenorSounds 832]

I've always pronounced it "May-lay" and not "Meal". That being said, the correct pronunciation for "Melee" is actually closer to "Meh-lay" or "Meh-leh". That might just come down to dialect/accent though.

 

But yeah, "meal" is just a straight-up mispronunciation of the word melee.

Edited April 15, 2015 by TenorSounds

[Shanks 10,816]

The word and the way it is pronounced is not unique to Smash Bros.

 

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=melee

[WindShear 543]

The pronunciation is closer to maylay.

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=melee001&word=melee&text=%5C%CB%88m%C4%81-%CB%8Cl%C4%81%2C%20m%C4%81-%CB%88%5C

[Trine 665]

The internet always corrects me. ^^

[Malinter 3,064]

I pronounce it "Me Lee" or "Mel A" xd

[Poetic Stone 1,041]

Always pronounced it Maylay my whole life.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

It is pronounced mey-ley. All other deviation is false. The end.

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

Just to add my two cents: I have no freaking idea. This has always been one of the great mysteries of the universe for me.

[Overdrive 5,366]

I think it all depends on where you're from, and how your dialect pronounces certain vowels and sounds. For me, it's "may-lay"

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Just to add my two cents: I have no freaking idea. This has always been one of the great mysteries of the universe for me.

When in doubt, the dictionary has the answer.

I think it all depends on where you're from, and how your dialect pronounces certain vowels and sounds. For me, it's "may-lay"

Dialect is a distortion. Words normally have one phonetic transcription which should be obeyed by all.

[Overdrive 5,366]

When in doubt, the dictionary has the answer.

Dialect is a distortion. Words normally have one phonetic transcription which should be obeyed by all.

Well, look at proper English compared to American English. Aluminum would be a good example of different pronunciations within the same language.

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

When in doubt, the dictionary has the answer.

 

You make it seem so simple, as though the answer to every great question could be found within the wisdom of a book. It's like, I only needed to *try* in order to find the one obvious answer right in my face...

 

Hah, what a load of crap!

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Well, look at proper English compared to American English. Aluminum would be a good example of different pronunciations within the same language.

The difference would be due to different spelling. In this case, Aluminium is the distorted word as it came after Aluminum and should be phased out of the language. Aluminum was a word created by the English chemist, Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829).

You make it seem so simple, as though the answer to every great question could be found within the wisdom of a book. It's like, I only needed to *try* in order to find the one obvious answer right in my face...

 

Hah, what a load of crap!

Well, the dictionary would clear up doubts about how a word is correctly pronounced. If someone pronounces it differently then they are doing it wrong.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Silver Letter

[_GLaDOS_ 102]

I have pronounced it "Meal" I few times, or call it "Me-Lee" But I mainly pronounce it "Maylay"

[Overdrive 5,366]

The difference would be due to different spelling. In this case, Aluminium is the distorted word as it came after Aluminum and should be phased out of the language.

OK, maybe the wrong analogy. But still, there's the whole "tomato, tomato," difference, that stresses the "a" differently.

[yeet 2,027]

Neither, it is literally how it is spelled XD

melee, me-lee. XD

[Megas 27,649]

I always pronounce it as "Maylay", I mean the announcer announces the game in that pronunciation too, so I never understood the "Meal-lee" pronunciation

[Twisted Cyclone 🚓 6,259]

I've always pronounced it as "Mey-Leh"

[Suukorak 354]

Just to add my two cents: I have no freaking idea. This has always been one of the great mysteries of the universe for me.

It's taken from the French word, as some of the dictionary entries linked above have noted.

Therefore, depending on your accent, it's "meyley" or "maylay".

Fun fact: the word in French shares a root with the word for "mix".

[Trine 665]

It seems i have the most wrong way of saying it. According to Irate Gamer he says "Mee - Lay". So i guess you guys are right when it comes to dialects.

[Gernia 691]

I always pronounce it "may-lay".

 

It seems i have the most wrong way of saying it. According to Irate Gamer he says "Mee - Lay". So i guess you guys are right when it comes to dialects.

 

I don't think that guy can say anything right.

[Trine 665]

I always pronounce it "may-lay".

 

 

I don't think that guy can say anything right.

Not trying to go off topic. But i think he's not that bad. He just gets bad reputation due to some old hate stuff.

I try not to flame, but if you've seen this video then that sort of gives more insight to it.

 

 

 

May-lay, i will remember it. I will try Meal, if people will go all question mark on me then i will say May lay. ^^

[Hovershy 3,814]

I always say "may lay". "Mealie" just sounds silly to me. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by Hovershy

[Grepper 3,192]

I've always pronounced it "may-lay." After someone corrected me, that is.