How to Pronounce Data (British vs. American English)

The pronunciation of the word “data” varies worldwide, which can be confusing for the untrained ear.

This page looks at how “data” is pronounced in British, Australian, and American English and identifies the variation between the pronunciations.

How to Pronounce Data

In British English, the word “data” is most commonly pronounced “day ta.” In American English, the term “data” is more commonly pronounced as “dah ta” or “datta.” Sometimes in American English, the “t” can also sound like a “d”, depending on the accent or dialect.

In Australian English, it is more commonly pronounced as it is in American English as “dah ta”, although the “t” will sound less emphasized in an Australian accent.

However, some people in Australia use the British pronunciation of “day ta”, although again, the “t” will sound different.

 Throughout the UK, US, and Australia, you will find variations in how the word is pronounced. Still, the trends described above can be broken down into three pronunciations which can be heard in the Oxford Dictionary.

• US – Datta – which sounds like – chatter
• US/Australia – Dah ta – which sounds like – barter
• UK/ Australia – Day ta – which sounds like – later

How to Pronounce Data in American English

In American English, the word “data” is commonly pronounced as “datta” or “dah ta.” However, none of the pronunciations is deemed “better” than the other, and they are all in the Oxford Dictionary.

Here is a video that shows how “data” is pronounced in American English.

In this second video which contains a mixture of American and Canadian speakers, you will hear the tremendous variation in how “data” is pronounced.

However, you can hear that the three main pronunciations are:

• Datta
• Day ta
• Dah ta

How to Pronounce Data in British English

In British English, “data” is commonly pronounced as “day ta.” This video shows the most common way to pronounce data in British English.

Sometimes people omit the “t” in the same way it is omitted from “water.” You will also find some people in the UK, particularly amongst the “posh” class, who use the pronunciation “dah ta.”

How to Pronounce Data in Australia

The same as in the US and UK, in Australia and New Zealand, the word “data” is pronounced in several ways. The most common is “dah ta”, like in the US. However, some people use the UK pronunciation “day ta”, and others use “datta.”

Furthermore, the difference between the accents means that although the general pronunciation is similar, there are still subtle differences.

For example, this video compares Australian and American accents for the word “data.”

Conclusion

There are three principal pronunciations of the word “data.”

In the UK, the most common is “day ta”, or sometimes with the “t” omitted.

In the US and Australia, datta” and “dah ta” are the most common.

However, you will find the use of all three pronunciations in all three countries, and there is no agreed “correct” or uniform pronunciation of “data” within any of them.