Is it OH-Ko-tea-oh or OCK-oh-tea-oh? (live, pine, accent)

[Cynduy]

I hear people pronounce this plant both ways and I would like to know once and for all which is correct (and to settle a bet, lol). Thanks!

[S. Chris Webb]

Ocotillo or Ocotillo.

[azdr0710]

though I don't think it's the correct Spanish pronunciation, the way the second guy (the gringo?) in S Chris Webb's post is the way I say it....this way:

o - cuh - TEA - o

I also hear ah - cuh - TEA - o sometimes....I never hear the second syllable as a hard "o"

for purposes of your wager, very hard to say which is "correct" because correct pronunciation very often is different form local conventional pronunciation

[El_Waiboi]

Originally Posted by Cynduy

I hear people pronounce this plant both ways and I would like to know once and for all which is correct (and to settle a bet, lol). Thanks!

Being a Spanish word, the proper Spanish pronunciation is "O-KO-TEA-O"

[locolobo13]

While I think El_waiboi's pronunciation is the correct one, I pronounce it like azdr0710 does.

o - cuh - TEA - o

[wit-nit]

Depending on your background accent it is generally pronounced either:

o-cuh-TEA-o

or

O-KO-TEA-O

[tijlover]

I pronounce it Oh-ko-Tee-Yo! At least that's the way I was taught in Spanish!

[El_Waiboi]

Originally Posted by tijlover

I pronounce it Oh-ko-Tee-Yo! At least that's the way I was taught in Spanish!

You are right Tijlover...I couldn't think of a way to explain the double "ll" sound in english, but that's pretty good!

[Bungle]

This really depends on where you're from and if you have an accent or not. I've lived here for 17 years but still have a bit of a Chicago accent so I pronounce it Ahhh-ka-tee-yo.

[AZ Tracy]

ocotillo
Definition
o·co·til·lo
[ o kə tee yō ]



o·co·til·losPlural

NOUN

1.
bush with red flowers: a spiny bush with red flowers at the tip of each branch. Native to: dry parts of southwestern United States, Mexico. Latin name Fouqueria splendens.


[ Mid-19th century. < American Spanish < ocote "Mexican pine tree" < Nahuatl ocotl "torch" ]
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