How to Pronounce Meme
Say "meem," with a long e sound., Learn the mnemonic for remembering the correct pronunciation., Avoid the most common pronunciation mistakes., Learn the word's etymology to understand why it's pronounced this way.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Say "meem
As noted above, the word "meme" is pronounced so that it rhymes with "team" or "beam." To pronounce the word, make an "m" sound, then make a long "e" sound, then finish with another "m" sound.
That's all there is to it! The two keys to pronouncing "meme" correctly are:
Use only one syllable.
Always use the long e sound, never the short e sound or an a sound. -
Step 2: " with a long e sound.
Have you pronounced "meme" incorrectly for so long that it's become tricky for you to remember the right way to say it? Don't worry — with an easy mnemonic (a learning trick), it's simple to remember the correct pronunciation.
See below:
Start with the spelling of the word: "Meme." Re-arrange the last two letters to get "Meem." Sound out "meem" as written to get the proper pronunciation. , Now that you know how you should say "meme," it's valuable to learn how not to say it so that you instruct others in the proper pronunciation.
In general, you should not pronounce "meme" so that it has two syllables and you should not pronounce "meme" with any vowel sound other than the long "e" sound.
This means:
Don't say "maymay," "meemee," or "meemuh." Don't say "maim" or "mehm."
If "meme" strikes you as a word that's somewhat unnatural, you're right.
The word was actually created in the mid-1970s by famous author and researcher Richard Dawkins (who, additionally, verified that it should be pronounced to rhyme with "cream.")In Dawkins' book The Selfish Gene, he introduces the idea of "memes" as essentially genes in information form.
Just like a particular set of genes replicates itself through reproduction, a meme propagates itself whenever a new person encounters the idea, accepts it, and starts to share it with others.Since Dawkins based the idea of the "meme" off of biological genes, he deliberately chose a word that was pronounced similarly to "gene." Think of your favorite online memes — probably mostly comics, funny pictures, and so on.
Isn't the way that this content spreads from user to user "virally" via social media and sharing a little bit like the way biological genes are spread? Doesn't it make sense that they'd be compared in this way and that "meme" would have a similar-sounding name to "gene?" -
Step 3: Learn the mnemonic for remembering the correct pronunciation.
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Step 4: Avoid the most common pronunciation mistakes.
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Step 5: Learn the word's etymology to understand why it's pronounced this way.
Detailed Guide
As noted above, the word "meme" is pronounced so that it rhymes with "team" or "beam." To pronounce the word, make an "m" sound, then make a long "e" sound, then finish with another "m" sound.
That's all there is to it! The two keys to pronouncing "meme" correctly are:
Use only one syllable.
Always use the long e sound, never the short e sound or an a sound.
Have you pronounced "meme" incorrectly for so long that it's become tricky for you to remember the right way to say it? Don't worry — with an easy mnemonic (a learning trick), it's simple to remember the correct pronunciation.
See below:
Start with the spelling of the word: "Meme." Re-arrange the last two letters to get "Meem." Sound out "meem" as written to get the proper pronunciation. , Now that you know how you should say "meme," it's valuable to learn how not to say it so that you instruct others in the proper pronunciation.
In general, you should not pronounce "meme" so that it has two syllables and you should not pronounce "meme" with any vowel sound other than the long "e" sound.
This means:
Don't say "maymay," "meemee," or "meemuh." Don't say "maim" or "mehm."
If "meme" strikes you as a word that's somewhat unnatural, you're right.
The word was actually created in the mid-1970s by famous author and researcher Richard Dawkins (who, additionally, verified that it should be pronounced to rhyme with "cream.")In Dawkins' book The Selfish Gene, he introduces the idea of "memes" as essentially genes in information form.
Just like a particular set of genes replicates itself through reproduction, a meme propagates itself whenever a new person encounters the idea, accepts it, and starts to share it with others.Since Dawkins based the idea of the "meme" off of biological genes, he deliberately chose a word that was pronounced similarly to "gene." Think of your favorite online memes — probably mostly comics, funny pictures, and so on.
Isn't the way that this content spreads from user to user "virally" via social media and sharing a little bit like the way biological genes are spread? Doesn't it make sense that they'd be compared in this way and that "meme" would have a similar-sounding name to "gene?"
About the Author
Amber Palmer
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow pet care tutorials.
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