Pronunciation of "malware"

[Ben Zimmer]

On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 8:40 PM, Charles C Doyle wrote:
>
> This afternoon a local TV newscaster (Atlanta) pronounced "malware" with
> the first syllable like "mall."  I would pronounce the first syllable to rhyme
> with "pal"--though I don't believe I have ever actually spoken the word;
> perhaps I hadn't even heard it spoken.  I there a "standard" pronunciation?

These dictionaries agree that the first syllable rhymes with "pal":

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malware
http://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=malware
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/malware
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/malware

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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