Not american, but I pissed off our english teacher by pronouncing it nike. Finnish "racedriver" pronunciation is very funny and surprisingly effective for clear communication, even if it mispronounces almost everything.
So anyway I had to write a 300 word essay on communications issues
I have a fun personal game where I pronounce a word that can be said more than one way the way I heard it last; i.e, if someone says peHcaHN, I say it like that, but then if I heard someone say pEE-cANNE, I switch. Same with niche. No one has caught on but it's nice to have fun by yourself sometimes
I don't, I pronounce it like "neesh." The American Heritage Dictionary shows both pronunciations, with "nitch" being more frequent. Merriam Webster shows THREE: "nitch," "neesh," and "nish".
I pronounce it as nitch for a special groove, and neesh if I mean something's elitist. I know they're the same word but I think the two meanings are diverging for me.
I also say "neesh" but after googling, I found out the terrible news that "nitch" was the only pronunciation listed in English dictionaries until the 1900s, meaning the "Nitch" people are using the original pronunciation.
Comments
In British English neesh is the primary pronunciation and nitch the secondary. In US English nitch is primary pronunciation and neesh the secondary.
That said, I’ve been corrected many times, which had me questioning my sanity.
Try it in a sentence:
I am writing my resumé in a niché café, drinking coffé, still wondering what covféfé was...
So anyway I had to write a 300 word essay on communications issues
Then I read the replies.🤦
Learn a British accent other than mockney.
It's "foy-yay.
Most of us say it like "neesh".
Then I wonder why I don't get invited to parties.
I don't even think it's regional, we just can't agree on how to say it
I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE.