How do you pronounce the word scone?
If you live in Scotland you almost certainly pronounce it in a way that rhymes with “gone”, whereas if you live in Ireland you’re far more likely to pronounce it so it rhymes with “cone.” And in England and Wales, well let’s just say it’s complicated.
Reedit user Bezzleford who created the map explains:
Anyone from the UK knows that the no.1 cause of family feuds is over the pronounciation of “Scone” (except maybe what kind of treat this is or the great dinner vs. tea debate). The data was collected by Cambridge university and managed to map the pronounciation of Scone across the UK and Ireland. Scone rhyming with gone is almost universal in Scotland whereas in England it’s a lot more controversial.
According to wiki Canadians and Australians also pronounce them rhyming with “gone” but I’d like to hear what other people have to say. Americans apparently pronounce them rhyming with “cone”
For anyone outside the UK a “scone” is a small bread/cake which is baked and lightly sweetened. Some people have compared them to the American word for “biscuit” but the two are very different in texture and how they’re eaten. While a biscuit is usually flaky and often eaten savoury, a scone is sweet, dense, crumbly and often served with butter or traditionally cream and strawberries.
I personally pronounce it rhyming with “cone” even though my parents say it rhymes with “gone”. This is inline with statistics that show younger people tend to pronounce is rhyming with “cone” rather than “gone”
So how do you pronounce it?
Lynn Malnekoff says
It has been called an English Muffin in the U.S. And yes, we call it scone (rhymes with cone) when we know what it is.
Samuel Byward says
English muffins are not the same as scones. Scones are like tea biscuits and have a smooth texture, whereas english muffins have large air bubbles in the dough so they have a coarse, open texture.
Sheila Richardson says
Scone does rhyme with cone in the U.S. but as for English muffins, that’s a different thing. You’re probably thinking of crumpets. See:
https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-crumpets-113577
Ros says
Everything I heard called an English muffin in the US was indeed a(n) (English) muffin. Scones are quite different.
H says
Gone
Stephen Madill says
You haven’t even put Scone (pronounced scoon) on the map! It’s near Perth, by the way.
Franklin Joe says
I am not sure how to interpret the map ! If “0 – 5% say scone rhymes with cone” is this not the same as 95 – 100% say “Scone rhymes with gone” or is there another option ?
Catherine says
They do not call it an English muffin in the US where I am. They call it a biscuit. An English muffin is something else entirely.
Tom says
This is a poor graph because it doesn’t cater for population size. I would like a graph with a per capita scale for Scon vs Scone.
Sharon says
Good grief!! It was always rhymed with gone, where I’m from, but an English muffin and a crumpet are NOT the same at all!! I will concede that the scone is closer to an American biscuit than anything else described, though the latter is more savory. As for the muffin/crumpet controversy; the muffin tends to be less chewy and lighter in texture than the crumpet. They may appear very similar, but they are not the same. The crumpet is dense and chewy and has very regular air holes throughout…I love crumpets!
Sharlene says
I’ve never heard a Canadian pronounce it to rhyme with “gone”, but it’s a very large country, so it’s possible! I live in Ontario and here we pronounce it to rhyme with “cone”!
Ranylt says
Same. Ottawa tends to go “cone”-Scone IME.
Spunky says
The town of Scone (pronounced scoon, from the Scots “scuin”) was the ancient capital of Scotland where coronations took place.
I pronounce it like “gone”, 90% of the time.