People In Texas Are Really Still Fighting On How To Say Coyote

Living in our part of the world, you have to be familiar with the debate. How are Texans really supposed to pronounce the word "coyote"?

Let the fight begin.

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It Isn't As Easy As Deciding Between Coyote Or Coyote.

Unfortunately, there isn't a clear-cut answer to this debate. You have to take into consideration geographic regions and dialects. The line gets blurred between rural and more urban areas as well.

If you type the question into the Google search bar, you'll get an audio pronunciation. The animated mouth spits out the word kai-yo-tee.

Talk to almost any farmer, rancher, or small-town kid, and they'll tell you it's pronounced kai-yote.

Do We Get To Officially Blame Looney Tunes For The Debacle?

Wile E Coyote made his first appearance in 1949. His name is pronounced kai-yo-tee.

Digging into the history of a cartoon character didn't do much to settle the debate. So, we have to go back even further.

Origin Of The Word Coyote

The word is derived from an old Aztec word, coyotl, which means "trickster." Considering that the original word ends with an L and not a long vowel, it isn't much help either.

The scientific name is just as big a dead end. Canis latrans, which means "barking dog," offers no insight.

We're All Right, And We're All Wrong

Whether you pronounce it as kai-yo-tee or kai-yote, you're in the right. We see this with all kinds of words all over the world. For me, if it's an animal, it's pronounced kai-yote. It's how I was raised.

If it's a cartoon, it's pronounced kai-yo-tee.