Is it pronounced scone… or scone?
For years the debate has raged about how to properly pronounce the afternoon treat: Do you say it scone, like it rhymes with ‘gone’, or scone, as if it should rhyme with ‘bone’ ?
It was a fiery argument, underlining the North-South divide and the class backgrounds that tear this country apart. It was brutal. It caused mass embarrassment if you used the “wrong” pronunciation in a public place. It got so bad that we were tempted to be like Americans and just call it a biscuit.
It even confused Doctor Who.
We longed for an answer… so it’s rather handy YouGov just provided us with one.
According to their latest research poll, the correct (most popular) pronunciation is scone so it rhymes with ‘gone’.
Apparently 51% of the population prefer that pronunciation, with only 42% opting for the “rhymes with bone” option.
As for the spare 7%, we can only imagine they’re the type of folk who code switch.
Going deeper into the data, and how your pronounce it has a lot to do with where you live. Northerners (60%) and those from Scotland (80%) prefer the ‘gone’ pronunciation, while those from the Midland (56%) favour ‘bone’.
London is an even split.
People from a middle class background are also more likely to use ‘gone’, where as those from a working class background are more evenly split.
Truly, the pronunciation is the great UK indicator.
Now, when was the last time you ate one?
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