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I understand that for the noun "patent", the word is pronounced as ˈpæt(ə)nt in British English and ˈpeɪt(ə)nt in American English.

However, a friend blew my mind yesterday and claimed that it could be pronounced as ˈpæt(ə)nt in American English if it was the adjective form.

I've looked on here and it seems like definitions 4, 5 and 6 of Entry 1 is indeed pronounced as ˈpæt(ə)nt but it does not mention if that is in American or British English.

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  • Knock yourself out: dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/patent It's all there. For all the meanings and forms, it's the same thing in AmE. Though some AmE may say paytent for the adjective.
    – Lambie
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 21:08
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    You mean like in "That's patent nonsense"? In that case the British pronunciation is often mimicked.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 21:09
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    Have you accidentally flipped around your transcriptions? The first sentence is the opposite of what the linked Merriam-Webster entry says, and what I have heard. The pronunciation ˈpeɪt(ə)nt is associated with British English, not with American English.
    – herisson
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 21:20
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    Both are acceptable in American English. It seems to me that our friends across the pond assume Americans have never heard or don't use any of the "chiefly British" pronunciations of words. That's not true. Language takes a long time to change, and many AmE speakers still use pronunciations that most Americans would consider chiefly British. It depends heavily on the region and community. Some Americans pronounce patent one way, some pronounce it the other. Some use both, depending on the situation or even their mood.
    – user428517
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 21:31
  • (Of course, much of my exposure comes from watching The Avengers.) (The real TV show, not the lousy movie serial.)
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 22:20

1 Answer 1

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If you are speaking of leather shoes, or of something that is obvious, then the first syllable in BrE rhymes with 'pay', as in wages.

But, if you are speaking of an official document that confers certain rights, such as the exclusive right to exploit some invention, or that formally appoints someone to an official position, then in educated BrE the first syllable of 'patent' rhymes with 'patt'.

The UK government office that licenses inventors' rights is the 'Patent Office' - rhyming with 'patt'.

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  • But what about patent nonsense?
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 23:21
  • That's "nonsense that is obvious", hence /petnt/, not /pætnt/
    – John Lawler
    Commented Dec 18, 2019 at 23:29
  • @JohnLawler The OED provides only two options adjectivally, one each for Brit and US, namely Brit. /ˈpeɪtnt/, U.S. /ˈpætnt/. But as a noun, four options are stated, two each for Brit and US., namely Brit. /ˈpatnt/, /ˈpeɪtnt/, U.S. /ˈpætnt/, /ˈpædənt/ For the British, that seems to accord with my own experience. The first syllable of the adjective rhymes with "hate", and that of the noun can rhyme either with "hate" or "hat". I can't really speak for the American.
    – WS2
    Commented Dec 19, 2019 at 0:00
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    American phonemic symbols are different from RP. /e/ in American phonemes is the same as RP /eɪ/. Both are diphthongized, but the tense vowel phonemes (/i e o u/) are always diphthongized, so it's automatic and hence not recorded. As for the d/t, that's neutralized in American speech between a stressed vowel and an unstressed vowel, as in patent with any vowel. I.e, Americans can't hear the difference (nor produce it reliably) between /ˈpætnt/ and /ˈpædənt/ in ordinary speech.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Dec 19, 2019 at 0:06
  • @JohnLawler I can't imagine ever rhyming patent with hadn't. I might glottalize that /t/ but I could no more ever flap it than I could those in kitten, button, and Peyton Place. Why this should be I'm not completely certain. Might you know?
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Dec 19, 2019 at 0:55

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