UKERA: How do you pronounce harassment?

[Pankratous]

https://youtu.be/Y3Wn6J8yAKQ

Hah-rass-ment
vs
Harris-ment

Observe the above video. I'm from the UK and have always pronounced harassment as the first pronunciation in the video.

It then states the British pronunciation, which puts more emphasis on the beginning.

What with the recent harassment scandals and the word been used a lot on the news, I noticed the BBC pronouncing it the second way.

It's really grating to hear it that way. It doesn't sound right at all - but apparently it is, for us.

 

[Big Boy]

Number 2. They way it's always been. It's still harrass though not harriss. Soft transition but still "ass"

 

[ajpw]

first way

 

[weekev]

First way, the double s puts the emphasis on the second syllable.

 

[Surface of Me]

It's hah-rass-ment.

You'd have to be doing some sort of bit pronouncing it harrisment.

 

[Deleted member 1570]

Huh-rass-mint.

 

[Ravensmash]

Hah-rass-ment

Cant say I've heard the second pronunciation commonly.

 

[Smurf]

ha·rass·ment, as per google.

 

[skintBeastwood]

The first one, 'Hah-rass-ment' is what I hear here.

 

[Persephone]

Huh-RASS-ment. People who say it the other way baffle me.

 

[Prophet Steve]

I'd say the first way, although I'm not sure whether I'm doing so consistently.

 

[Westbahnhof]

Not UK, but I trust this website, it's usually correct about these things:
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/harassment

Both /ˈhærəsmənt/ and /həˈræsmənt/ appear to be right in the UK.

 

[Ruruja]

First way.

I think the second one is exclusively for posh people.

 

[Monogatari]

That first pronunciation really annoys me for some reason.

 

[Deleted member 5028]

The first way.

 

[jem]

Hah-rass-ment.


You don't harris someone, you harass them.

(Well you shouldn't do either but you get the point...)

 

[Deleted member 8197]

Harris-ment sounds like the way Dick Van Dyke would have used the term in Mary Poppins.

 

[Rangerx]

The first pronunciation.

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

Hah-rass-ment

Or

Harass-ment

Depending on how quickly I say it. Typically the latter in a normal conversation.

 

[Rebetherick]

Always the first way, don't think I've heard anyone say it the 2nd way.

 

[jesu]

The first way but there isn't a definite British pronunciation, too many regional dialects.