Usually pronounced (b´sn), this word, like blackguard, has a pronunciation that is not easily predictable from the spelling. But whereas blackguard is never pronounced as two words, boatswain is often pronounced (bt´swn´´)—by landlubbers, of course—and that is not considered incorrect. The variant spellings bosun, bo´s´n, and bos´n, reflecting the sailors´ pronunciation, have been around for well over a hundred years. Other nautical words with tricky pronunciations include bowline, forecastle, gunwale, mainsail, and topgallant, to name just a few.
´s
n), this word, like blackguard, has a pronunciation that is not easily predictable from the spelling. But whereas blackguard is never pronounced as two words, boatswain is often pronounced (b
n´´)—by landlubbers, of course—and that is not considered incorrect. The variant spellings bosun, bo´s´n, and bos´n, reflecting the sailors´ pronunciation, have been around for well over a hundred years. Other nautical words with tricky pronunciations include bowline, forecastle, gunwale, mainsail, and topgallant, to name just a few.
