How do you say it?

Respite.

It’s on at least one list of 100 most commonly mispronounced words. It comes up here because a sporadic stickler I know got all snooty about my mispronouncing it. And since then, this word keeps reappearing in my world, being pronounced every which way.

Click for the “correct” pronounciation. [‘re-spit]

But, according to Merriam-Webster:

“Pronunciation: 'res-p&t also ri-'spIt, Britain usually 'res-"pIt"

Which description includes my pronunciation — the later, the one that sounds like “despite”. Y’know, the one that sounds like it looks.

So? Is this a case of a word where the original pronunciation should be preserved and niggled over, or should this be a case where we let language quietly evolve into something less nonsensical?

And on that note, some thoughts on pronunciation from Eddie Izzard:

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