How to correctly pronounce ‘Poinsettia’

It's a key element to any proper Christmas decoration set up in your home. The Poinsettia Plant! We buy 'em every year and it helps represent the Christmas season the way mums represent Fall. The problem is in the pronunciation.

The conversation started after a listener sent me an email (which I did check one day this week) telling me my pronunciation was corrupting the word and according to his research, I was plain wrong. Thankfully Patrick Lavery was on hand to help me with a dramatic read of the letter to better present the man's objections.

Clearly the spelling of the word helps to pronounce it correctly. Poin-Sett-ee-Ah. However, I have never met anyone before Denis Malloy who pronounces it that way. I always heard it pronounced, and pronounce it myself, as Point-Sett-Ah. Not sure why that's the way it has evolved, but it has.

We put up a poll on our twitter feed and it seems most of you agree that we should just leave the incorrect pronunciation alone. Seems so affected to pronounce it any other way.

So enjoy the season and the Poinsettia's or Pointsettas. Either way, Merry Christmas!

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea.

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