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Having only seen this word in writing, I assumed it's pronounced "plate". howjsay (whose author is british) suggests the pronunciation that rhymes with "flat", but also offers the "plate" one. This thread, however, has several people who perceive the "plate" pronunciation to be completely wrong.

So how would most people say this in the UK? Is it "plat", and would people in the UK consider the "plate" pronunciation wrong? Does it vary by location within the UK?

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2 Answers

up vote 7 down vote accepted

If it's the word that describes the way in which hair is sometimes bound together, twisting three strands one over the other, then it rhymes with flat in British pronunciation.

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And you would find the "plate" pronunciation jarring, correct? – romkyns Jun 24 '12 at 19:06
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@romkyns: Not jarring, just unusual. – Barrie England Jun 24 '12 at 19:29

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/plait_1?q=plait

Indeed, it seems that the UK pronunciation rhymes with "flat" and the US one with "plate"

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