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You say "realitor" and I say "REALTOR" - Let's call the whole thing off!

By Karen Pannell

Real Estate Agent with Real Living / Home Realty 29202

December 29, 2010 09:07 AM

Okay, after 25 years in the business, I keep thinking that the public (and others in our industry) will get a clue about how to pronounce "REALTOR" and "REALTY". Not!

First of all, let me state the obvious -

THESE ARE NOT THREE SYLLABLE WORDS!

I heard the word "realiter" on Friends - used when they were referring to their REALTOR - even Hollywood can't get it right! Ugh!

Allow me to demonstrate the proper pronunciation:

REALTOR = REAL-TOR (see, only TWO syllables), not realater, realator, realiter, just REAL-TOR

REALTY = REAL-TEE / Not, reality, realaty, just two syllables, REAL-TEE

Education about the proper pronunciation of these words should be part of the real estate pre-license school curriculum, and also an offering of a short course for attorneys and mortgage loan officers is needed as well. Maybe some of my fellow REALTORS will assist me on my mission of education, because the reality is that REALTY and REALTOR are only two syllable words! Get it? Got it? Good!

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Marge Draper

Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto - Menlo Park, CA

REALTOR, Keller Williams Realty, Menlo Park CA

Thank you, thank you, thank you! My head is ready to explode when I hear those words. The others are eye-raq and eye-ran. It's ear-raq and ear-ran for heaven's sake!

Dec 29, 2010 09:12 AM

Steve Hall

RE/MAX United - San Marcos, CA

Make the Call to Hankins and Hall

Karen - Maybe switching to decaf would help. :)

I think it's a lost cause. There are just too many out there.

Dec 29, 2010 09:13 AM

John McCarthy

North Hampton, NH

Realtor - Seacoast NH

Karen,

Loved the photo and your message! Don't get me started on nuculer or jewlery. ;-)

Dec 29, 2010 09:21 AM

Karen Pannell

Real Living / Home Realty - Owensboro, KY

Owensboro KY Real Estate -270-903-2167 Homes, Cond

@Marge - thanks for that lesson - not sure if I am an offender or not, but now I know I will not be!

@Steve - I don't even drink coffee!

@John - love it! We also have a word here in KY that people talk about at closing - it's in-sharnce. I think they are referring to "insurance!"

Dec 29, 2010 09:27 AM

Lee Ann Canaday

Laguna Beach, CA

LOL I know the feeling... when you are in a room full of agents and they keep saying Real-ter.

Dec 29, 2010 09:41 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Real estate agents who can not pronounce it correctly...should not use the word. We had a woman in our office who was very active in the Women's Council of REALTOR® and the Columbus Board of REALTORS®, our state REALTOR® organizastion and went to NAR convention and said it "Real-a-tor." like fingernails on a chalkboard....

Dec 30, 2010 03:15 AM

Lee Ann and Maureen - Yes - just really gets on the LAST nerve!

Dec 30, 2010 03:44 AM

Anonymous

Karon

Eye-talian instead of Italian. How about axk rather than ask?

Jun 04, 2012 06:08 AM

Shawn

Hi:

The Oxford English Dictionary provides the correct syllabification, pronunciation, and etymology of the word 'realtor'. It really is three syllables (re-al-tor) and the o sound in the final syllable is a schwa sound.

Here you go: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/realtor

Realty is also a three syllable word:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/realty

You're welcome.

Sep 23, 2015 05:29 AM

You say "realitor" and I say "REALTOR" - Let's call the whole thing off!

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