Talk:Pho

Make the image visible

can you edit an image ~2026-15949-01 (talk) 12:17, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

Canadian pronunciation

The article says:

Canada: /fɔː/ FAW

I've never heard "faw" in Canada, always "fuh", or maybe "foe". The Canadian Oxford is the source in the article, but it was published in 2004, before pho was popular here (I would estimate it surged ~2009~2012). Is there a more up-to-date Canadian pronunciation available? — W.andrea (talk) 13:36, 19 March 2026 (UTC) (edited 14:53, 20 March)

Anecdotally, here on the East Coast, I've only ever heard "faw". The "foe" pronunciation is considered incorrect. Never heard it as "fuh" at all. MediaKyle (talk) 13:53, 19 March 2026 (UTC)

Wait, what? I'm from the east coast too! I've only lived in Dartmouth though, you? — W.andrea (talk) 13:57, 19 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm in Hants County, a bit out of the way of the city but about a half hour from Dartmouth. Granted you don't often see pho out here in the boonies but a few places in Halifax sell it.

I was curious so I went on YouTube and typed in "Pho Canada". This first video I found, he pronounces it like me: "Top 3 Pho Places in Vancouver, Canada 4K" (first few seconds in) ... But then in this next one, he pronounces it like you're saying, "fuh": "OVER 200 PEOPLE HAVE FAILED THIS MASSIVE PHO CHALLENGE IN CANADA! | BeardMeatsFood" (1:12min) ... Maybe it's a regional thing? MediaKyle (talk) 14:06, 19 March 2026 (UTC)

Not great examples honestly. The first guy is Vietnamese and the second British (sounds like a Huddersfield accent). They're saying [fəː˧˩˧] and [fʊ̞], respectively. — W.andrea (talk) 14:18, 19 March 2026 (UTC)

Also anecdotally, here in Ontario it's the same as Andrea, I've only ever heard "fuh" or "foe," never "faw." InfernoHues (talk) 14:04, 19 March 2026 (UTC)

This is the source that was most likely used to back this claim: The Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2 ed.) - pho. I honestly can't find any other source, they all list //fə// under a general North American label. IlmarisenVasara 18:54, 19 March 2026 (UTC)

Right, I forgot to be clear about the source. I edited the link into my initial comment for easier reference. — W.andrea (talk) 14:54, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

Maybe it would be best to remove the Canadian pronunciation altogether if it's this difficult to verify. If our only source for this is a single dictionary entry, it could well be a mistake. MediaKyle (talk) 16:22, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

I agree. IlmarisenVasara 17:09, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

I found another one:

Do the well-meaning foodies who force out some variation on “fah” really think they’re suddenly speaking Vietnamese for an instant as they do so, not really knowing what the vowel is and also ignoring the diacritic?
— A Perfect Pronunciation of Pho, Nam Nguyen, Jul 16, 2022

But it also talks about the other pronunciations, so I think we can consider this a marginal Canadian pronunciation. I'll move it into a footnote. — W.andrea (talk) 20:54, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

Image

Could someone replace the image with something without the coca-cola? I think that gives an opening view that this is fast food. _{In solidarity} Wikipedian12512 (Talking is fine | contribs) 03:37, 6 June 2026 (UTC)