Cicada Mania

Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world.

June 25, 2015

How do you pronounce Cicada?

Filed under: FAQs | William T. Davis — Dan @ 8:35 pm

You can say “si-kah-da” or “si-kay-da”. Either pronunciation is correct. The pronunciation changes depending on your regional accent.

Around New York and New Jersey folks pronounce it “si-kah-da”. William T. Davis pronounced it “si-kah-da”. Davis was a naturalist and entomologist located in Staten Island, NY, active in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. Davis collected the largest collection of cicadas in the United States. The collection is currently housed at the Staten Island Museum. Davis described over 100 cicadas in his career — he should know what he’s saying. 🙂

William T. Davis

4 Comments »

  1. Bo says:

    I always heard ki-KAY-da

    1. Dan says:

      The word cicada is based on the Latin word cicada, so I’m going with how Italian folks in Staten Island and New Jersey say it.

  2. Judith Ronat says:

    How do you pronounce cicada? Which syllable do you emphasise?

    1. Dan says:

      Pronounce it however you like. How do you pronounce Cicada?

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