British pronunciation of “plait”

Question

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?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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"

Answer 3

The witch had a cat
And a very tall hat
And long ginger hair
Which she wore in a plait.

Julia Donaldson - Room on the Broom