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FakeNoose

(43,080 posts)
Fri Jun 26, 2026, 07:07 PM Friday

Am I the only person who says EP-STINE not EP-STEEN? [View all]

I can't help it, because "Epstein" is a German name, and Germans would never say "Ep-STEEN." It's against my training/learning to say it incorrectly.

Any German word that has the "ei" letter combination is always pronounced as Long-I.
Stein, Heimlich, Klein, Nein ... these are words that almost any American can pronounce correctly, even if they don't speak German.

The German language is rich with "ei" words and almost all of them are pronounced with the Long-I. At the moment I can't think of a single word that doesn't, unless it was imported from English or another language.

And every day I hear the name pronounced on the news media as "EP-STEEN" and of course this only reinforces the error.

37 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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I'm sure you're right about the correct Germanic pronunciation senseandsensibility Friday #1
It took me a long time to get used to the pronunciation PatSeg Saturday #18
I would go by what people with the name say karynnj Friday #2
OK I'm not arguing with that, but I never knew the man Jeffrey Epstein FakeNoose Friday #4
You are not the only one. DavidDvorkin Friday #3
I pronounce it -STINE as well Gruenemann Friday #5
Good point - Yiddish is a German dialect, not a separate language FakeNoose Friday #6
The sculptor Jacob Epstein (born in the USA, spent most of his adult life in the UK) was Ep-stine muriel_volestrangler Saturday #7
Fronkensteen róisín_dubh 6 hrs ago #37
When names are Americanized, the pronounciation sometimes changes. meadowlander Saturday #8
Australians pronounce it 'EHPST-eyen' Violet_Crumble Saturday #9
Most Jewish people with Stein in there name edhopper Saturday #10
They must be American, yes? FakeNoose Saturday #12
Yes edhopper Saturday #24
Gertrude Stein. Ben Stein. Sergei Eisenstein. Are you sure? (nt) muriel_volestrangler Saturday #13
Most in the Jewish community edhopper Saturday #21
Of famous "Steins" I found the pronunciation for so far, we have: muriel_volestrangler Saturday #22
AFAIK edhopper Saturday #23
It could be a post-war America thing muriel_volestrangler Saturday #25
Yeah edhopper Saturday #33
I pronounce it Ep-steen. Either way, Emile Saturday #11
If the guy called himself steen.... usedtobedemgurl Saturday #14
My point is that I don't know him personally, I just read the name FakeNoose Saturday #15
Sure, and your point is valid. usedtobedemgurl Saturday #16
No, no...it's not pronounced "Franken - Stein" haele Saturday #29
. Rstrstx Saturday #31
This message was self-deleted by its author LtTx Saturday #17
Evidently that's what the child sex trafficker told his students. Kid Berwyn Saturday #19
You'd be surprised at how many people pronounce it "steen." ananda Saturday #20
;-{) THIS Goonch Saturday #26
Awesome! I want one! FakeNoose Saturday #27
Ep - stein. One does not call the Iconic Austrian-German Tankard haele Saturday #28
Yes Bayard Saturday #30
I was a little surprised to hear it pronounced with the "ee" sound fujiyamasan Saturday #32
The correct pronunciation of a name, is how the person says it themself. RandomNumbers Saturday #34
Maybe the news announcers are all saying it wrong? FakeNoose 18 hrs ago #35
Happens a lot to names DenaliDemocrat 8 hrs ago #36
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