How do you pronounce "finance", personally?
1.) "FINE-ANCE" (sounds like fine ants)
or
2.) "FIN-ANCE" (sounds like a fish's fin, then ants)
I tend to find that academics like to use the latter, while most people use the former. How do you say it? Do you use the second one when you want to talk about the verb v. using the first one as the noun? Do people just use the second one to appear pompous? Let me know what you think!
Different Finance Pronunciations
While there is not a “correct” answer to this question, there was a common sentiment shared among our users:
giantdad - Hedge Fund AnalystFeh-nance is academia, F-eye-nance is industry. Be aware, don't be a tool
SuccessfulEfforts - Private Equity AssociateI've always got the sense that FI-nance is more of a common everyday layman way to say it, where as fuh-NANCE is more closely associated with academia.
EndgameIn truth, "finance" doesn't really matter; one could conceivably discern your meaning from the context.
Check out another thread on this topic on Wall Street Oasis.
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This has already been discussed extensively. Do a search.
Wheoevr edits and publishes these articles really knows what they’re doing.
The answer is that different people pronounce the word in different ways, and it probably has nothing to do with being pompous.
I say "fuh-nahhhhntz." Usually takes five seconds to say it. Very prestigious.
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/f-eye-nance-or-f-en-ance
The appropriate pronunciation is "Fizzy-nizzy"
Either you sling crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot
Feh-nance is academia, F-eye-nance is industry. Be aware, don't be a tool
For me, it depends on the context. 90% of the time I say f-eye-nance and 10% of the time I say fin-ance.
f-eye-nance unless you're 65+ years old or in academia.
Finance like fickle with my private jets not as in fit well at the mall in Piscataway. Let's see if anyone gets the reference.
I agree with most of you, with being from California, that the correct pronunciation is ph-eye-nance not fin-ance. For some reason every time I hear this pronounced incorrectly in the south it drives me crazy, it's like people are too lazy to pronounce the full word so they result to a "short fin-aaaannceee," but hey everybody's different so I guess I can't be too mad lol.
Pronounciation help! (Originally Posted: 02/06/2008)
Hey guys, I need some help with the prounounciation of some words. I'd hate to sound like an idiot during interviews.
1.) Wasserstein (of Lazard)- Is it waah-ser-steeen (like in teen-ager) or waah-ser-stine? 2a.) Freres (of Lazard) - ... how?? 2b.) Finance - Figh-nance vs. Fih-nance. Are they interchangeable or do you use each pronunciation in different contexts?
That's all I can think of. BTW, I've always gone along with Credit Suisse prounounced Credit Sweeese but the director of the CS LA and his staff pronounced it Credit Swiss whenever referring to it. Who would have thought!
1) second one, "ei" in German is pronounced similarly to "I". "W" is pronounced as a "V" in German, therefore the "Wa" in Wasserstein is pronounced as the “va” in "varnish". Do not elongate the “a” sound!
2.a)http://french.about.com/library/media/wavs/frere.wav
2.b) depends on whether you're talking to a Brit or a Yank and whether you’re pronouncing the verb or the noun.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finance
In truth, "finance" doesn’t really matter; one could conceivably discern your meaning from the context. Nobody really refers to Lazard as Lazard Freres. Lazard would suffice.
A little clarification from LSO:
This is FI-nance.
FI as in “FIx me a drink, Jeeves.”
FI as in “FIlling my wallet with Benjamins.”
FI as in “FIckle with my private jets.”
I don't know IPA characters or anything but here goes:
Goldman Sacks Morgan Stanley Leemuhn Brothers UBS (duh) Citi (New branding campaign) Credit Sweeze is what I heard during their campus presentation Mehryl Lynch
Some harder ones:
Bar-KLEES Capital
Luh-ZARD (Frere as in Frere Jacques)
DOICH-uh Bank
Muh-KWER-ee
Sos-ee-et-ay JHEN-ER-al (Societe Generale)
BNP Pahr-EE-bah (guessing using my rusty french)
No-MUR-uh Securities
Piper Jaff-RAY
Thomas Weiz-ell Partners (not sure)
Hope I didn't mess any of these up or forget any!
Everyone I have ever spoken to from Credit Suisse pronounces it Credit Swiss...
"Finance" pronunciation? (Originally Posted: 12/13/2012)
I've heard it pronounced both as "FI-(like high)nance" and also "FUH-nance"...which is proper/more common?
FIN-nance (fin as in the fin of a fish).
It also sounds more prestigious this way.
Take it from the master:
I've always got the sense that FI-nance is more of a common everyday layman way to say it, where as fuh-NANCE is more closely associated with academia
You better have a PhD or be worth a fuckton of money to say fuh-NANCE.
BSD Schwarzman says fuh-NANCE.
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