If "renovate" is to make new again (re-nova)...why is it not pronounced ree-nove-ate?
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Why do you think it should be? It's only spelled with one E, not two.– John LawlerFeb 11, 2020 at 23:00
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In a way this is an interesting question. You are right that there are many Latin-derived words where the 're-' is pronounced as in 'tree'. But, first of all, English is notoriously inconsistent phonetically. You only have to consider 'rough', 'thought', 'though', 'thorough', 'through', 'cough' to see this. In fact, 'renovate' is not the only word in which the prefix 're' is pronounced as in 'pen'. 'replicate' is also pronounced like that. And, although it may be pronounced as in 'tree' for 're-create', 'recreation' is as in 'pen'.– TuffyFeb 11, 2020 at 23:36
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Because, ultimately, people are lazy.– Hot LicksFeb 11, 2020 at 23:36
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As far as I know, “renovate” was always pronounced with “ren-o” instead of “ree-no...”: see the linked question for an explanation of the different pronunciation of words with the prefix re-.– herissonFeb 12, 2020 at 3:08
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