I've been pronouncing the word
niche like "nitch" for the longest time and I haven't really noticed until recently that some people pronounce it like "neesh". And then just a couple days ago I heard two different people in two different contexts (one in person, one on the radio) pronounce
niche as "neesh", and this got me to wondering if it is a regional or cultural thing.
According to
bartleby.com:
This 17th-century borrowing from French has traditionally been pronounced (n
ch), rhyming with itch. The pronunciation (n
sh), rhyming with quiche, is a 20th-century revival of the French pronunciation, which some people dislike because they think it seems affected.
So, what about you? Do you say "nitch" or "neesh"? Add a comment or vote in the poll on the right.
