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How to pronounce router in English? I've heard it pronounced two different ways, ruter and router. Which is correct?

ctype.h
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Rolf Schröder
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  • Perhaps rowter is used so often because rooter also has a sexual connotation and may be awkward for some to say or hear – Stephen Dec 28 '15 at 05:24

2 Answers2

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Router has two different meaning, and it can have two different pronunciations, depending on the English dialect.

  • A device which sends data to the appropriate parts of a computer network

    screenshot

    • British English: /ˈruːtə(r)/
    • North American English: /ˈruːtər/ or /ˈraʊtər/

  • An electric tool which cuts shallow lines in surfaces

    screenshot

    • British English: /ˈraʊtə(r)/
    • North American English: /ˈraʊtər/

This is the pronunciation reported from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary; the New Oxford American Dictionary reports /ˈraʊdər/ as pronunciation in both the cases.

apaderno
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  • In Australia, people are more likely to use /aʊ/ to disambiguate route from root - but that's because [root](http://australiandictionary.net/root) has an entirely different meaning. – mcalex Mar 28 '13 at 00:43
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    As you say, Brits are pretty consistent in distinguishing *route* (pathway, pronounced *root*), from *rout* (cut a groove, or cause to retreat in disorder, pronounced *rowt*). But in my experience, most Americans call the network device a *rowter*, even though they still say [Root 66](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66). My guess is it's because they think the network and the carpentry routers are both "tools", so they both get the same pronunciation, even though it makes no etymological sense. – FumbleFingers Mar 28 '13 at 02:34
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    I come from one region and live in another in the US, and in both places, it is not unlikely to hear someone say something along the lines of: "the postman has a route (rOWt) on Route (rOOt) 1" – horatio Mar 28 '13 at 14:00
  • @snailplane But *root* is /rʊt/ for many of us, just as in *foot* and *put*, so there is no issue. Still, *route* is certainly /raʊt/, and so *router* follows directly. – tchrist Mar 28 '13 at 22:20
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I would say its like rowtur, where row rhymes with bow in bowwow. (US English)
But route can be pronounced like rowt or rute.
I've only heard rowtur for a computer network router, or for a router used for woodworking.