Poll

How do you pronounce IRA?

With three syllables, Aye-Are-A
136 (95.1%)
Like Ira, a common jewish name
7 (4.9%)

Total Members Voted: 141

Voting closed: June 14, 2017, 11:28:41 PM

Author Topic: How do you pronounce IRA?  (Read 16108 times)

Paul der Krake

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How do you pronounce IRA?
« on: June 07, 2017, 11:28:41 PM »
I have heard it pronounced both ways.

Explain yourselves.

Lagom

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2017, 11:54:49 PM »
I greatly prefer the three syllable individual letter approach. I have no good explanation except I find the eye-ra pronunciation to be grating. Not sure why, as I would pronounce SQL as "sequel," for a counterexample (though I would say MySQL is still "my ess queue ell," so who knows what it all means).

triangle

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2017, 12:02:55 AM »
Both ways? Like era and eye-ra?

Both have some poetic qualities....  Era implying something that (should) last a long time. I-rah more about the individual with high aspirations. And let's not make any mistakes or Err-ra with our investments. :-)

I'm a red panda

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2017, 12:39:14 AM »
Both ways? Like era and eye-ra?

Both have some poetic qualities....  Era implying something that (should) last a long time. I-rah more about the individual with high aspirations. And let's not make any mistakes or Err-ra with our investments. :-)

Why would you say era for a word that starts with I, not E? (Era isn't a choice in the poll. I wonder if others say it too.)

(I voted for pronouncing each letter individually. Eye-are-aye)

Louisville

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2017, 05:55:28 AM »
I have never, ever heard anyone pronounce it any other way than saying the three initials separately. I. R. A.

themagicman

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2017, 06:43:04 AM »
I am not sure why but when people say it "Like Ira, a common jewish name" it makes me cringe. Not sure why it gives me that reaction ha

BuzzardsBay

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2017, 11:20:58 AM »
Makes me cringe too.  I don't like it pronounced that way at all.

aboatguy

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2017, 12:14:32 PM »
 I R A

HPstache

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2017, 12:28:26 PM »
I judge people who pronounce it as anything other than EYE ARE AYE

Eric

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2017, 12:29:49 PM »
Wow!  It's a landslide!  No wonder I like you guys.  I cringe when I hear I-reh.

dividendman

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2017, 12:57:21 PM »
Too bad the voting is anonymous - now we can't ridicule the minority that pronounce it Ira!

bobechs

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #11 on: June 08, 2017, 01:19:10 PM »
Not exactly a fit subject for a referendum.

Seems like the subject IRA is an acronym--Individual Retirement Account.

Sometimes acronyms are pronounced as if a synthetic word- if judged euphonious- S.W.A.T. for example.

Other times spoken out as a string of letters-- U.S.A., G.D.R., etc. (etc. is an abbreviation, not an acronym-- spoken as if not abbreviated at all, except occasionally spelled out- no euphony to be found there)

Usage is inconsistent, so it's your choice.  No penalty points awarded, either way.

Dollar Slice

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #12 on: June 08, 2017, 01:30:04 PM »
Who cares how anyone pronounces their R.O.T.H. Ira? ;-)   

(It kind of hurt to type that...)

BlueHouse

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2017, 01:46:18 PM »
I pronounce it both ways.  I usually use initials EYE ARE AYE (I.R.A.), but when I'm describing something to someone and have to say it many times in a single conversation, at some point I start referring to it as "Ira, a common jewish name". 

Not sure why, because I also work with Work Breakdown Structures quite a lot and I want to claw the eyes out of anyone who calls it a "wibis" instead of a "W.B.S"  Although I do believe the shortened version of WibSid is acceptable when referring to a WBS ID. 


Eric

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #14 on: June 08, 2017, 01:46:54 PM »
Who cares how anyone pronounces their R.O.T.H. Ira? ;-)   

(It kind of hurt to type that...)

On a slightly more serious note, Roth is the name of a Senator, William Roth, so when people type ROTH like it's an acronym, it's also wrong.

Not as wrong as pronouncing it like Ira, but wrong nonetheless.  :)

HPstache

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #15 on: June 08, 2017, 01:49:02 PM »
Who cares how anyone pronounces their R.O.T.H. Ira? ;-)   

(It kind of hurt to type that...)

On a slightly more serious note, Roth is the name of a Senator, William Roth, so when people type ROTH like it's an acronym, it's also wrong.

Not as wrong as pronouncing it like Ira, but wrong nonetheless.  :)

Boom.  Beat me to it.

Dollar Slice

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #16 on: June 08, 2017, 01:53:06 PM »
Who cares how anyone pronounces their R.O.T.H. Ira? ;-)   

(It kind of hurt to type that...)

On a slightly more serious note, Roth is the name of a Senator, William Roth, so when people type ROTH like it's an acronym, it's also wrong.

(That's the joke)

ketchup

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #17 on: June 08, 2017, 01:56:02 PM »
Gilligan.

Eric

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #18 on: June 08, 2017, 01:58:54 PM »
Who cares how anyone pronounces their R.O.T.H. Ira? ;-)   

(It kind of hurt to type that...)

On a slightly more serious note, Roth is the name of a Senator, William Roth, so when people type ROTH like it's an acronym, it's also wrong.

(That's the joke)

I assumed that ROTH is pronounced the same as Roth, but R.O.T.H. in your example was pronounced like Are Oh Tee Ayech.

So you did the ridiculously cringe-worthy Are Oh Tee Ayech Ira.  Way worse than just ROTH.  Good work, sir!

Scortius

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #19 on: June 08, 2017, 01:59:29 PM »
You can always count on Arrested Development

http://arresteddevelopment.wikia.com/wiki/Transcript_of_Best_Man_for_the_Gob

---

George: I thought you were talking about Gilligan. Who’s Ira?

Michael: Ira Gilligan. Ira’s his first name. He actually hates to be called Gilligan.

George: Well, he never told me that.

    Flashback

George: Gilligan has promised me that all this money will be safe in IRAs.

Ira Gilligan: It’s Ira, sir.

George: Oh, I’m sorry, Gilligan. Will be safe in Ira’s.

    Another flashback

George: What the hell is this, Gilligan?

Ira Gilligan: It’s Ira, sir. Please call me I...

George: Gilligan!

    End flashbacks

Dollar Slice

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #20 on: June 08, 2017, 02:04:03 PM »
Who cares how anyone pronounces their R.O.T.H. Ira? ;-)   

(It kind of hurt to type that...)

On a slightly more serious note, Roth is the name of a Senator, William Roth, so when people type ROTH like it's an acronym, it's also wrong.

(That's the joke)

I assumed that ROTH is pronounced the same as Roth, but R.O.T.H. in your example was pronounced like Are Oh Tee Ayech.

So you did the ridiculously cringe-worthy Are Oh Tee Ayech Ira.  Way worse than just ROTH.  Good work, sir!

Thank you for so thoroughly explaining my joke. Good work, ma'am!

bb11

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #21 on: June 08, 2017, 03:43:13 PM »
eye-rah

Paul der Krake

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #22 on: June 08, 2017, 03:46:37 PM »

surfhb

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #23 on: June 08, 2017, 06:07:58 PM »
Like the jewish name, of course.   One less syllable to deal with.  ;)

aspiringnomad

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #24 on: June 08, 2017, 07:50:47 PM »
I've never heard anyone refer to it as anything other than I - R - A, but if I did I'd correct them condescendingly. :)

shuffler

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #25 on: June 09, 2017, 12:44:51 AM »
Four-Oh-One-Kay ... Four-Hundred-One-Kay ... or maybe I can start a new shorthand slang:  Four-Oh-Wunk   ;^)

triangle

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #26 on: June 09, 2017, 01:30:01 AM »
Both ways? Like era and eye-ra?

Both have some poetic qualities....  Era implying something that (should) last a long time. I-rah more about the individual with high aspirations. And let's not make any mistakes or Err-ra with our investments. :-)

Why would you say era for a word that starts with I, not E? (Era isn't a choice in the poll. I wonder if others say it too.)

(I voted for pronouncing each letter individually. Eye-are-aye)
Yeah, I was taking liberty with the question. And I did not see the poll when I answered and I did not realize the question was whether people preferred to spell it out or pronounce it as a word.

I think it all depends on context. One often hears I.R.A pronounced as the word ira as it has become very common when discussing retirement planning and often flows better in cases where it would get tiresome to repeatedly say I.R.A or Individual Retirement Account. But I.R.A. has symmetry with 401K.

To add to the confusion I think it is more common to hear sep-ira or sep-I.R.A. instead of S.E.P.

SheepDog

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #27 on: June 10, 2017, 07:16:13 AM »
I never heard it pronounced any way except for each letter stated individually; I-R-A.

I spent like 5 minutes saying "eye-rah" and "ere-rah" and they sound totally weird. 

surfhb

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Re: How do you pronounce IRA?
« Reply #28 on: June 12, 2017, 08:29:38 AM »
To counter that, I rarely here anyone state it as I-R-A.   


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