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How do you pronounce Kefir?

On Health & Drugs & Medications » Food & Drink

4,991 words with 16 Comments; publish: Sun, 09 Dec 2007 11:02:00 GMT; (90078.13, « »)

I've heard different opinions on this one. The dictionary pronounciation I found is keh-FUR. Most people around me say KEY-fur. One friend said it's keh-FEAR, which sounds exotic and cool to me :wink So, how do ya'll pronounce it?

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  • 16 Comments
    • I've always pronounced it keh-FEAR in my head, but I've never heard anyone say it out loud, so I don't know.
      #1; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:21:00 GMT
    • The exotic keh-fear way but I'm a foreigner so that doesn't mean much :wink
      #2; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:22:00 GMT
    • also the foreign way here, keh-fear. I'm American but first discovered kefir in France and dh is Ukrainian, so it's normal in our house.

      and French small children call it "kee-fee" , it's really cute.

      #3; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:23:00 GMT
    • I pronounce it Keh-Fear. KEY-fur makes me think Keifer Sutherland. Not a bad thing, just don't think he has the same probiotic benefits.

      :LOL

      ~nick

      #4; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:24:00 GMT
    • I pronounce it Keh-Fear. KEY-fur makes me think Keifer Sutherland. Not a bad thing, just don't think he has the same probiotic benefits.

      :LOL

      ~nick

      :LOL Me too, on both counts. I also pronouce it keh-FEAR and I also think of Keifer Sutherland and laugh whenever I hear "KEY-fur." What does the dom say? It has to be on his extensive site somewhere.

      I have to add that I always feel kind of pedantic when I pronounce it keh-FEAR, so even though I think it's the right way, it always comes out of my mouth kind of sheepishly, just so I don't come off like a food snob!

      Glad you started this poll - I've always wondered what people around here say!

      #5; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:25:00 GMT
    • Not a foreigner and live surrounded by hicks (not my family, just the area) and it comes out keh-fear for me, too. FWIW, the FACT I'm referring to kefir at all is probably sending up more of a flag with these people than the way I pronounce it. :eyesroll The only grocery store in town didn't even have cheese, other than shredded or -wiz (five flavors, wouldn't you know) when we moved in... is there a full-body-shudder smiley?
      #6; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:26:00 GMT
    • Nick, I always think of Kiefer Sutherland, too, when I hear it pronounced that way! Personally, I never cared for him - in sixth grade, I fell head over heels in love with River Phoenix when I saw Stand By Me, and Kiefer Sutherland was the "bad guy" in that movie, so he kind of permanently etched himself into my brain as icky :wink

      GoodEats: wiz? eeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww... that stuff is so scary. That is what is "traditionally" served on a Philly Cheesesteak, which is why, although cheesesteaks are truely the food of the gods, I do *not* get them from the popular restaurants. They are *so* good with real cheese. People seek out places that serve them on good Amoroso's rolls... then pollute them with that crap? :shake

      Ok, I think you have all inspired me to start saying "keh-FEAR". I liked that pronounciation, but felt... snobby saying it that way. I have a friend who *insists* on pronouncing every food word "accurately", even though it's not always right. It's, well, kind of embarrassing when she orders at Bucca di Beppo... So, I feel like, if I can't pronounce it correctly, I'd rather mispronounce it the same way everybody else mispronounces it :LOL but, if lots of people say "kef-FEAR", then I can't be too wrong!

      #7; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:27:00 GMT
    • The official pronunciation is "keh-FEAR". Almost "kay-FEAR" but not quite.
      #8; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:28:00 GMT
    • dictionary.com is closest to KEY fir. That's the way I've always said it and I'm pretty sure that's the way to say it.
      #9; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:29:00 GMT
    • Hmm, well I've been watching this thread to see how it turns out. Could it be there isn't just one right way to pronounce this word?

      FWIW, the dom's site says it's keh-FEAR. Check out his wav file.

      http://users.chariot.net.au/%7Edna/kefirpage.html#what-is-kefir

      #10; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:30:00 GMT
    • Well, I did a google search and everything turned up the phonetic pronunciation of keh-Fear. Not to mention that the languages of the countries in which it's used pronounce e as 'eh' and i as 'ee'.

      ETA: I just went to dictionary.com and the phonetic alphabetic way of writing it contains the short 'e' sound and the long 'i'

      #11; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:31:00 GMT
    • Ok. According to Merriam-Webster, there are three pronunciations. In order (and I assume this is order of acceptability, as definitions):

      1. keh-FEAR

      2. KEY-fur

      3. KEH-fur

      tboroson - you illustrated the very reason I have always avoided the "real" Philly cheesesteak like the plague. Thank you, the fake one with the real cheese suits me just fine.

      #12; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:32:00 GMT
    • hm, i'd always thought it was KAY-fur

      ~dancing to the beat of my own drum~

      #13; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:33:00 GMT
    • I've heard it pronounced keh-fear on dom's site but I still say key-fer. That's the only way I've heard it pronounced IRL.
      #14; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:34:00 GMT
    • i always pronounced it as kuh-FEAR. i've heard it pronounced many different ways, though. i wondered what was correct, but i never bothered to look it up. thank you! :)
      #15; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:35:00 GMT
    • keh-fur here ;)
      #16; Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:36:00 GMT