Question How is the word "sleight", as in "sleight of hand" pronounced.
We have two schools of thought here.
We have consulted numerous sources and still find that we disagree.
Is it "Slite/Slight" or is it Slayte/Slate/Slaite
Answer Dear Richard
Thank you for your interesting question.
Essentially, in British English at least, 'sleight' is pronounced as 'slight.' A tiny minority of people pronounce it as 'slate' but the general consensus among authorities on the English language is that to pronounce it in that fashion is an affectation.
Hope this answers your question. As someone who spent some years teaching English as a foreign language I know how much of a minefield our pronunciation can be!
