There is a lot of confusion with the pronunciation of the word ‘Niche’. As a matter of fact, there have been a lot of cases where people have written thousands and thousands of words to prove what they pronounce is correct.
And niche is a word that all marketing professionals, bloggers, content creators, and companies have to deal with.
So, in this post, we’ll learn how exactly do you pronounce niche and all other important details you as an individual should know.
But first, let’s learn what you are here for and then dig deeper for understanding everything in a better way.
How do you pronounce niche? Niche is a French word that is pronounced as n-i-c-h (nich) in American English and n-e-e-s-h (neesh) in British English. Both pronunciations are used by a vast majority of people and are considered correct.
I have recorded the pronunciation in the podcast episode below that you can listen to learn the pronunciation practically.
Yes, it is true…both the pronunciations are accurate and you will have to choose the one that is easy for you to say. I personally use ‘nich’ but that doesn’t mean ‘neesh’ is wrong. Just that you have to pick the pronunciations according to your convenience.
Now that you know about pronouncing the word, let’s take the understandings to the next level and learn some more.
What Does Niche Mean? – A Quick Explanation
Most of you probably know what the meaning is, but for those of you who don’t know…niche refers to a small group, part, or a segment of the market that focuses on specific things/aspects.
In marketing, we generally take the word niche as a topic that interests/targets a specific audience. We analyze a lot of factors while choosing a niche such as the size of the audience, the earning potential, and sustainability.
History Of The Word Niche
The word niche comes from the early 1600s and it has originated from the French language. The word has derived from the verb nicher.
We don’t need to learn whole English here, but that’s the basic information one should definitely know.
If we talk about the French pronunciation, the word is more like the British accent but not completely similar.
I have a lot of marketing friends who work in the online marketing space and I often hear them pronouncing the word as niʃ. You can watch the video to learn how to pronounce the word in French, American English, and British English.
There shouldn’t be much confusion regarding the pronunciation because all of them are correct and valid.
Still, Which One Should Be More Accurate?
As I have already said all of them are correct, but if you ask me in person, I would say ‘n-e-e-s-h’ or neesh holds a lot of weight as the pronunciation is much similar to how it is pronounced originally in French.
Yet, there is no verified information about which one should be the right one and which one should be wrong.
In Conclusion
Niche is a word that all bloggers, marketers, business professionals, and all other individuals come across quite often. The word has two English pronunciations and the original pronunciation in French. Let’s first have a quick glimpse at all of them.
American English – n-i-c-h or n-i-h-t-c-h (nich or nihtch)
British English – n-e-e-s-h (neesh)
French (Originally) – niʃ
Once again, one is not recommended over the other and speakers need to pick the one that they can pronounce or say more easily. I personally consider the British one more accurate but on the contrary, I pronounce the word as ‘nich’.
What do you think about the ‘niche pronunciation’? Do you say nich or neesh? Which one do you think should be used by people and why so? You can share your thoughts using the comments section down below and let the community learn from you.
