Primark sets the record straight on pronunciation

Pry-mark or Pree-mark?

How to pronounce the budget retailer’s name has caused a basket-load of debate.

Some claim “Pry-mark” is an upmarket affectation. Others say “Pree-mark” is a northern thing.

But Primark have tried to settle the matter once and for all, writing on their website: “We like to use Pr-Eye-Mark.”

But Primark isn’t the only brand that people mispronounce…

• IKEA: if you follow the Swedes, it’s “ee-kay-uh” not “eye-kee-ah”. The word is made up of the initials of the founder’s name and the village he grew up in

• Does Nike rhyme with like? Apparently not. Chairman Philip Knight confirmed the pronunciation in 2014 was in fact Ni-key, after the Greek goddess of victory

• Another sports brand getting our tongues in a twist is Adidas. Named after its founder Adi Dassler (Adolf Dassler), it’s A-di-das not a-DEE-das.

• Luxury car brand Porsche also takes it name from its founder, Ferdinand Porsche. His family name has two syllables: ‘Por-shuh’

• And if you’re after a pint of Hoegaarden – hailing from the Flemish region of Belgium – make sure to ask for a ‘Who-gar-den’. Anything else would sound daft.