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"Gyro" is pronounced just like it's spelled, since it's an English word. There is no word "gyro" in Greek.

There is a Greek word γύρος, transliterated "gyros". In Greece there are several pronunciations, including "zhee-rohs", "gee-ros", and "yee-rohs", though the latter is preferred. Either way, the last syllable includes a long O and an S, roughly rhyming with "dose".

It's a singular noun, with the Greek "-os" ending similar to the "-us" ending in Latin. The plural is γύροι, "gyroi", though that word hasn't really been imported into English. Under the English rules, the plural of "gyros" would be "gyros", though a case could be made for "gyroses" (and Google turns up a few uses of that word).

There's no good justification for "yee-roh". Of course English pronunciation doesn't require justification, and no such thing as "correct pronunciation" of any word beyond what people understand. Any restaurant will give you meat on a pita when you order a "yee-roh". But if the owner is Greek, they'll be quietly rolling their eyes.



> There is no word "gyro" in Greek.

Greek here. Yes, there is: γύρω. Means "around". Same root as the word "γύρος" (noun).

> In Greece there are several pronunciations, including "zhee-rohs", "gee-ros", and "yee-rohs", though the latter is preferred.

I'd say not only the preferred, but also the standard one. Others may be used in local dialects. I've never heard of "gee-ros" (with the "g" pronounced either as in "google" or as the "j" in "jive"), by you may hear "zhee-ros" from people in Crete with a heavy Cretan pronunciation.

> the last syllable includes a long O and an S, roughly rhyming with "dose".

No, I'd say it rhymes with the "os" in MS-DOS.


Thanks for correcting that. (Not a native Greek speaker myself, obviously. Just a linguist with some outside familiarity.)


> "Gyro" is pronounced just like it's spelled,

That's tautologically true in English and every language.

Why would you assume that a Greek restaurant owner would roll their eyes because English dropped the s for grammatical consistency?




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