pronunciation

[MRMKHS1]

is there a correct way to pronounce the word "kilometer"?
kilogram,kilowatt,kilolitre,kilopascal,kilojoule etc. pronounce the "o" as in "go"but kilometreseems to have the "o" as in "hot". Why?

[Ice.Maiden]

I think kilo rhymes with deal-oh.
Kilometer should sound like thermometer - although, I kow folk who pronounce it as: kill-oh-meter.
My father says there's no "r" in castle - but my mum tells him not to be a silly barskit!

[jno]

I think Icey has almost certainly given the right answer: people say kilommeter because they say thermommeter. It looks like another word that's more common, so they pronounce it the same.

[Quizmonster]

"You say tom-ah-to and I say tom-ay - to...
Let's call the whole thing off!"

Yes, people just will pronounce words in whatever manner pleases them, regardless of grammatical or pronunciation 'rules', but I still believe the OED is the authoritative source as to what is 'correct'.

[TCL-MUMPING]

Should that be "let's call the whole thing orf" if it's the Queen's English?

[MRMKHS1]

wot? no bites for "CHUMLY:?

[fredpuli47]

Afraid Cholmondeley is like Featherstonehaugh,Powell, Haverhill and kilometre.Not everyone pronounces it the same way but not all are wrong ! '

[Bert]

I heard an excellent observation regarding dictionaries on Stephen Fry's programme yesterday. Someone (not SF) said, "A dictionary is an observatory, not a conservatory." The speaker was French. Just look at what has happened to the pronunciation of the word 'dissect'.
Pronunciation and usage change in English. I don't have to like it, though. I will continue to scream at my TV and radio 'Lie!' when someone says 'lay' ('incorrectly'), 'shed-yool' when someone says 'sked-yool'.