Pronouncing “Valentine’s Day”

I sometimes hear confusion about how to pronounce the vowel in the final syllable in “Valentine’s”. I sometimes hear this word pronounced as /vae luhn TEENZ/ with an /EE/. This is incorrect. This vowel should be the glide /AI/. This is the same vowel in the word “I”, as in “I only have eyes for you,” a phrase commonly used in Valentine’s Day cards*.

The full pronunciation would be: /VAE luhn tainz/ with primary stress on the first syllable.

Also, be sure to maintain your voicing for the final /Z/. Keep your larynx buzzing (you can feel this by placing your hand on your throat) and maintain it all the way through your transition between the /NZ/ at the end of “Valentine’s” into the voiced /D/ at the start of “Day”.

*The idiom “I only have eyes for you” is a declaration of romantic attention directed at one person.

Written by Sarah Sherer, PhD, Speech Coach