How To Pronounce 'Scone': YouGov Survey Puts Age-Old Debate To Bed

Thank goodness for that.
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For years, northerners and southerners have fought over the correct way to pronounce ‘scone’ - after all, it’s a traditional British teatime staple.

But now, that argument has come to an end (kind of). 

A YouGov survey has revealed that most people agree the correct way to say ‘scone’ is when it rhymes with ‘gone’ rather than ‘bone’.

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Research reveals that most Britons (51%) pronounce it to rhyme with ‘gone’ with around four in ten (42%) rhyming it with ‘bone’.

It’s marginal, but there’s still a winner here.

According to the survey, there are two key factors in how people say the word: the region they live in and their social grade.

Those living in the north of England (60%) and Scotland (80%) overwhelmingly use the ‘gone’ pronunciation, while those in the Midlands (56%) and London (50%) are much more likely to go with ‘bone’.

The survey also revealed that class is an important factor in how the afternoon tea favourite is pronounced.

Among those in the C2DE social grade (working class category), 45% agree with the ‘bone’ pronunciation and 26% go with ‘gone’.

However, among ABC1s (middle class) there is a very real divide, with 55% going with ‘gone’ and 40% going with ‘bone’. 

Thankfully there is one thing we can all agree on. Most seemed to agree that putting jam on the scone first, followed by cream, is the proper way to go about things. 

Well there you have it.