Thread: Router. Router. Router.

Hi,

I was confused when an American today pronounced the word 'router' as rauter (like in the word out).
The meaning was the device used for forwarding data packets (the meaning is clear to everyone).
We didn't have much time to discuss the pronunciation, the idea was that the word 'route' is sometimes pronounced as raut (like in the word out).
I am still confused, and i was always sure it is pronounced 'ruuuuter' (like in the word 'booth'), and that 'route' has only one pronunciation possible.
Please, explain this to me.

The pronunciation of 'router' that I have most frequently heard is as you indicate 'rauter' like out. Route itself has variable pronunciation, often similar to root, but some people say like 'raut'. There is another device known as a router, a woodworking tool, it had the name first. Rooter means something else, that people did not want to confuse with router.

router - for metal and woodworks,
rooter - cultivation tool,
probably, that's what you mean.
For now, i can say i saw wikidictionary explanation, and it gives UK variant as [ruter], while American variant is [rauter].
thanks for help.

for the network device I think it is "rauter" everywhere.

I don't know what a "rooter" is. I use a hoe or a rake. We have a company called Roto-Rooter, which has a spiral screw device that they send down your pipes to unclog the gunk stuck down there. I think that device is called a rooter.

According to my dictionary, in the UK the [raut] pronunciaton is only used by the military. And yes, believe it or not, we do call those things attached to computers [rooters] too.

Take a listen...


Computer Router


a Wood Router



Now the only difference is when you are taking about a ROAD as in Route 66 , you can say that one either way.

thank you, rockzmom, that's cool