You’ve probably heard two ways of getting an answer. Let’s go to the bottom of this one.
If you think the word Caribbean has to do with turquoise water and picture-perfect beaches, you need to read this book.
When I think of the Caribbean I say the following: Caribbean.
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The two most common pronunciations
There seem to be two primary “Caribbean” pronunciations that most people use:
Caribbean pronunication doesn’t seem to make sense for Americans, especially when it comes to words like “caribbean”.
Some people prefer black and white, others color, and others find more variety in color.
For example, you’ll hear “care-ib-bee-an” pronounced “carib-bee-bean.
As an animated feature film and Disney ride, the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise is a true delight.
What about similar words?
So, which “Caribbean” pronunciation is right? Or are both acceptable?
“Unfortunately, this doesn’t work!” says Sara Dasko, a language coach and founder of Free Mind. “This is because the antepenultimate syllable is stressed in both languages, so if you use this method you’re still going to have to stress the penultimate syllable.
This could be pronounced “cuh-RICK-tuhn” like the word “Korean” or “European” in this sentence.
The choice between “Cari-BEEN” and “Cari-BAY-nah” is finally settled.
The correct “Caribbean” pronunciation
It’s a term that originated in the Caribbean where the accent on “uh” is a lot stronger than it is in the United States.
There are lots of different ways to pronounce this word, but the accent is usually on the last syllable. People from the British Virgin Islands say it “like this” (or, in some cases, like “gonna”). And people from the other islands say it with a “yoo” sound.
My wife is Jamaican, and there are slight differences, to our ears at least, in the way we say the word “she”. A: I would recommend that you take a closer look at the first paragraph. I think it is more accurate and less boring than B. B: I would recommend that you take a closer look at the first paragraph. I think it is more accurate and less boring than A.
Sure, she’s pretty good at it, but what she’s sure of is that one thing is wrong—she pronounces it incorrectly. It’s “cue-ri-BAY-un.
The correct answer is “B!” “If you grew up in the Caribbean, you learned in school that the word derives from an indigenous tribe called the Caribs,” she explains. “‘Carib’ is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable: ‘CAR-ib.