"Herb" or "Erb"?

[Aloodanis]

How do you pronounce the word?
Edit: As in the plant.

[Pandragon]

Herb with an H sound is the male name.

Herb(urb) With the H silent is the plant.

They have 2 different meanings, and are essentially 2 different words.

[Moog]

Herb, I'm English.

[Fuzzzie]

'erb. I'm canadian. Either way would be fine if I heard it.

Let's be honest... English is spoken in many ways. Even in American, Canada or England. That's just how it is. Other languages are the same way. French Canadian is different from European french, which is different from Creole french.. etc etc..

[Grizzly Willy]

While "herb" sounds more natural to me, I think both pronunciations are fine. Also what Fuzzzie said. For example, I pronounce "either" eye-ther instead of ee-ther.

[Dragonwing]

Australian, I say it 'Herb'. I haven't heard any other Australian ever say 'erb'.

TBH, 'erb' sounds natural only for British, which is odd because apparently most British people say "Herb". To me it sounds weird when Americans say 'Erb'.

Herb with an H sound is the male name.

Herb(urb) With the H silent is the plant.

They have 2 different meanings, and are essentially 2 different words.

I have never ever heard of a person named Herb. According to Dictionary.com, it is a shortened form of Herbert.

What you said is false; the word is pronounced both ways, they aren't different words and Herb isn't the incorrect pronunciation of that word.

[TechnoKronic]

Herb, is some fat guy three cubicles across the hall.

Erb, is the small fragile plant used to season/enhance foods

[Dedweight]

I used to pronounce it as "hurb" though my teachers insisted it was wrong so I started using "urb" in stead. Both pronunciations are correct though.

[Janaa]

'Erb is one of the many American-isms, although it'll also be found in foreign countries where folks are taught American english. However, language changes (you couldn't even READ english from 400 years ago), so as the 'erb colloquialism becomes more commonplace (as it is already common in many parts of America), it may become the predominant pronounciation. Eventually the H may be dropped from the word, as letters have been dropped from several other Americanisms. Historically, it was pronounced "herb".

[Caiada]

'erb. Just sounds more appealing than that dull H.

[Pendulous]

With the "H" for the name, without it for the plant.

[Blood Fox]

To me its a lot like tomato tomawtoe. I think. That the accepted acidemic is erb, Personally I say herb.

[HonneurVilified]

'Erb is one of the many American-isms, although it'll also be found in foreign countries where folks are taught American english. However, language changes (you couldn't even READ english from 400 years ago), so as the 'erb colloquialism becomes more commonplace (as it is already common in many parts of America), it may become the predominant pronounciation. Eventually the H may be dropped from the word, as letters have been dropped from several other Americanisms. Historically, it was pronounced "herb".

Hello,

First of all, a modern reader could easily read texts from the 1600s; English had developed far past Old English and Middle English by that point. I get the point though; the language was different.

Secondly, while you keep making the point that dropping the h is an "americanism," the silent h is actually truer to the original etymology (herba in Latin) and, in fact, the original pronunciation. The British *added* the voiced h, rather than the Americans removed it.

[shise]

Derp, i mean Herb.

Spanish <---

[Duridi]

I honestly haven't thought about it. I think I say Herb, but H isn't a very brutal letter, it tend to just work as a background sound.

In Norway we have several words that are written "Hv"(Hva, Hvordan, Hvorfor etc.) in the beginning. In a way you can't really hear the H, but in another way you can feel it's there. It's weird.

So well, I'd say I say Herb.

[Deleted]

Herb. 'Erb just sounds cockney to me.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Herb. Hearing it pronounced "erb" makes me want to hit things.

[Slanderize]

Pretty sure this is just regional pronunciations in the end. Much like "aluminum." To this day it's STILL the world I'll ask all three of my British pals to say whenever they're in the mood for it. Tickles me to no end.

[AdriWar]

Its pronounced "erb" but it's spelled Herb, silent H is silent.

[strangebreed]

Herb, just so my grammar obsessed friend can get all on correcty on my butt. Not really he would but i say it that way just because i always have. Shrug.