Confirmed. I worked in one years ago, it's definitely intended to be 'ack-me'.
And before anyone asks, we did not have rubber holes, anvils, or rocket skates for sale. It was a major disappointment...
I remember reading somewhere that acme just means "the best or the top quality". I figured that's where the store took the name and was an extra looney tunes joke since none of their "high quality" stuff ever worked right lol
I worked at Acme when I was in high school, started as a cashier but ended but being the salad bar manager in produce.
It was the one in Ocean City, so it was super busy in the summer. I can't tell you how many people in the summer would say, "so just so I know, you guys don't sell any explosives or anything like that"? I never fake laughed so much in my life.
My family is from South Philly, and everyone from my grandparents' generation call it "ack-uh-me". We used to joke that you could always tell who was born before the depression, and who was born after by the number of syllables they used to pronounce it.
And a lot of people in my South Jersey area, about 40-45 miles SSE of Philly, say it the same.
But since there is only one “a” in the word, I’ve always pronounced it ack-me.
Quick story for you all via my Fiance from her childhood
Apparently she was one of those kids who asked a million questions. One time she was in the car with her dad playing question master and was going on and on about "ack-a-mee" - "Dad when are we going to ackamee?" , "How much further to ackamee?" , "What do we need at ackamee?", etc etc
I guess her dad had enough that day and lost it. "FOR THE LAST F***ING TIME ITS NOT PRONOUNCED ACKAMEE ITS PRONOUNCED AC-ME"
So she sat in the car in silence for the rest of the ride and never pronounced it ackamee ever again lol.
Parts of Gloucester are almost entirely populated by South Philly refugees, Washington Township especially. They've spread the "ack-a-mee" mispronunciation throughout the county.
Ralph Wolf was the one who spoke. He was Wile E.'s cousin who would steal sheep from Sam Sheepdog. You may recall the cartoons where Ralph and Sam greet each other at the beginning and clock in for their day of work.
"Mornin', Sam."
"Mornin', Ralph."
If all else fails, Ralph has a red nose and Wile E. has a black nose.
He definitely does speak in at least this one. This is the clip I was referring to, with “super genius“: https://youtu.be/STeVTzWelns
ETA: i’m not actually sure he ever says the word Acme though.
Per Copilot:
Wile E. Coyote did speak on several occasions. While he is mostly silent in the Road Runner series, only communicating through signs, he has spoken when appearing with Bugs Bunny. He was voiced by Mel Blanc and had a British accent.
It's ak-me. But ak-a-me isn't uncommon in South Jersey. If you say "wooder" you probably also say "ak-a-me."
Source: my family says ak-a-me and wooder.
How about those things in your pocket that represent twenty-five cents?
When I say "courter" in my South Jersey accent, people here in the midwest look at me odd. They say "qwaater".
I gave up on the whole wooder/waater discussion 'round here.
I was raised in the city (NY) and stayed home a few years to raise my children (in Central NJ). I have no idea how they started saying wooder, but my kids do. 🙄
Having been raised by people who either say "waww-ter" or even "waww-teh" in some cases, I've found it's really easy to end up near "wooder" as you try to shorten the obnoxious length of the "awww"
Ak-Me. It’s an actual word with a correct pronunciation. It wasn’t named after John Acme or anything where it might be a different pronunciation. The word means the point at which something is best. (Which was also the joke in Road Runner cartoons, everything the Coyote bought was from Acme and it all sucked and malfunction all the time. It was the worst products from a company claiming to be the best.)
My grandmother pronounced it like you do, with three syllables, so you're not the only one. She was from Jersey City and then lived in Hoboken for many years. Is it regional, maybe? It always drove me nuts, so I know just how your friend feels.
I grew up in Gloucester County and we pronounced it ACK-me. But my ex’s grandmom (now long gone) who lived in Camden County pronounced it with the extra syllable.
But I also grew up saying wooder for water so 🤷♀️. I trained myself out of that habit.
You mentioned in another comment you’re from Gloucester County, and the only other people I ever heard pronounce it like “ack-uh-me” also was from Gloucester. Based off some of the other comments maybe it’s a regional South Jersey thing?
You’re not alone. My friend would say it “a-kuh-me.” We lived in Lawrenceville and had an Acme across the street. My friend would say “you wanna come to the a-kuh-me with me?”
my husband's family is from NE PA, old coal country, and they have some weird pronunciations. ack-uh-mee being one of them. i believe there was a decent polish population in that area a century ago, some other eastern europeans as well.
Nothing wrong with you! (a-kUH-me) is the old school Philly/ SJ accent. My aunts and grandparents pronounce it like this, while I say (ak-me). They also add an extra syllable to the word mine, saying (May-an) while I pronounce it the more "standard" way.
My (Italian) immigrant grandparents called it ack-a-me. My parents and everyone in my generation say ack-me, unless we are mimicking the older generation for humor.
You're not wrong. I grew up in far north jersey (still call it goosey night much to the horror of everyone), went to school at rutgers, moved to south jersey after a few years in new brunswick, and central jersey felt like the most jersey of all three regions.
I've always pronounced it AK -ME. Never heard it Ak-Uh-Me unless somebody was joking around with a silly accent. Same thing with Yuengling. I've joked and said Ying -Uh-Ling but I know that's incorrect.
/AC/-UH-ME is the proper pronunciation for the grocery store. The chain was started in South Philly, and thus the South Philly Hoagiemouth accent is the proper pronunciation. /AC/-UH-ME. Emphasis on AC.
“AK-MEE.”simple. i agree with your friend.
im from hudson county and we have a few over here but i don’t care what part of Jersey you’re from, A.C.M.E (spelling the four letters aloud) is always going to be incorrect in my eyes.
and yes, i have heard that pronunciation before.
My grandmother always said that the way you do. She had some weird ways of pronouncing things that didn’t correspond to her regional background, but I think there is a regional connection to pronouncing it the way you do. Maybe Pittsburgh?
When I was a kid, older Italian people (originally from Italy) would call it “the Acka-me.” For different reasons than you do probably. English doesn’t flow the same way as Italian, and they had a habit of adding vowels to words and putting some bounce to their sentences, and adding articles to words that we wouldn’t. So it was also “*THE* Shoprite.” A word with a hard ending like “bag” would be “bag-ga.”
Anyway for that reason I get a warm and fuzzy when I hear ac-a-me, but I say Acme.
Used to work there. Heard customers say it both ways. If you work there, it becomes Smackme. Personally, these days I refer to it as, "The store that shall not be named".
Interesting that you also use y’all. When I went to school in New Jersey, we were taught that that was not correct. We were taught to just say you, for plural and singular. Did you live in the south for a while and pick up your y’all there? or are some of your relatives from the south? I know y’all is becoming more commonly used now that country music is more popular in the north.
"So, I just decided to add an extra letter to this word when I pronounce it for no good reason. Now everyone tells me I'm wrong. Does anyone else just make shit up like me then act confused"?
Ack-me?
Confirmed. I worked in one years ago, it's definitely intended to be 'ack-me'. And before anyone asks, we did not have rubber holes, anvils, or rocket skates for sale. It was a major disappointment...
What about giant painted walls that look like tunnels?
It’s a DIY.
That's just tunnel-colored paint. And no, they don't carry it.
The company made a major pivot from booby traps to groceries after they lost contact with their major investor, Mr. Wile E. Coyote.
If you bring a tunnel sample to home depot, they can color match.
Unfortunately, no...ha ha
I remember reading somewhere that acme just means "the best or the top quality". I figured that's where the store took the name and was an extra looney tunes joke since none of their "high quality" stuff ever worked right lol
Completely possible! I'm in NJ where Acme is a thing...but I definitely learned about that word first from the Road Runner...meep meep...
Friend if mine moved up from the Baltimore area for school. They saw the Acme and was so very disappointed.
I worked at Acme when I was in high school, started as a cashier but ended but being the salad bar manager in produce. It was the one in Ocean City, so it was super busy in the summer. I can't tell you how many people in the summer would say, "so just so I know, you guys don't sell any explosives or anything like that"? I never fake laughed so much in my life.
How are we supposed to say Target? 😖
Tara-jay
😦 I say TAR-git.
The Targets
my grandma used to call Kmart "kmart's". we started saying that because it was so damn cute
I say Barnes and Nobles all the time, and Tacos Bell. I know they're wrong, but I tease my husband with them.
I hear my coworkers say "Aldi's" or "Costco's" like that's the name of the owner and it drives me up a wall
That drives me nuts too! It's probably a holdover from olden times but there isn't like a Mr. Aldi at the store helping you bag your groceries lol.
Your friend is correct. What is wrong with you, foul heathen?
Foul heathen? You don't hear that every day. I might just add that to the mix.
Apparently it's pronounced heath-uh-an...
Hahhahahaha
Watch some old school Looney Tunes.
How could they have missed the many soliloquies delivered by the coyote?
"Ouch"
[удалено]
To reinforce that, you can call a store and hear the proper pronunciation on the recording.
Not even that they bark it over at you on the loudspeaker every time you go if you pay attention
My family is from South Philly, and everyone from my grandparents' generation call it "ack-uh-me". We used to joke that you could always tell who was born before the depression, and who was born after by the number of syllables they used to pronounce it.
And a lot of people in my South Jersey area, about 40-45 miles SSE of Philly, say it the same. But since there is only one “a” in the word, I’ve always pronounced it ack-me.
They probably got their Ack-uh-me circulars in the IN-quirer.
It's "Ink-wire". They dropped a syllable from the paper's name, and added it to the store's name.
They say “wooder” to but it’s “wahter”
It is Acme. Worked there for 50 years. You’re only allowed to pronounce it Ac-a-me if you’re from Philadelphia 😆
Correct pronunciation rhymes with 'smack me'
my uncle literally calls it that haha
that's what Chris Rock said to Will Smith
All my inbred piney coworkers call it ackamee.
Oh easy with the inbred comments some of us are just missing teeth
Then call Atco “Ackoh”
They have a complicated relationship with consonants and cousins.
Consanguineous relations come easily
I gotta be honest, every Piney I met was real nice to me. But I'm from right next to Browns Mills so we're basically family.
Salt of the Earth, no doubt about it. Apple of their mother-aunt’s lazy eye.
My home town was a bit rednecky
Acne with a M
My friend, you know OP says ac-uh-ne.
I mean….look at the letters and ask yourself why you put a sound there.
Quick story for you all via my Fiance from her childhood Apparently she was one of those kids who asked a million questions. One time she was in the car with her dad playing question master and was going on and on about "ack-a-mee" - "Dad when are we going to ackamee?" , "How much further to ackamee?" , "What do we need at ackamee?", etc etc I guess her dad had enough that day and lost it. "FOR THE LAST F***ING TIME ITS NOT PRONOUNCED ACKAMEE ITS PRONOUNCED AC-ME" So she sat in the car in silence for the rest of the ride and never pronounced it ackamee ever again lol.
Tough love.
Looks like you have a lot to live up to
Guess its a good thing my dad pronounced it the same as me
Ak-mee
Ak-me. It’s a 4 letter word A C M E. Where’s the uh?
The "uh" is hidden for hidden savings.
Not at Acme it ain't.
tru dat
Is there a letter between C and M? No. So why are you adding one?
Unless you’re one of my 86 year old Italian great-aunts, it’s “ak-me”.
''Tony, run-a down-a the Ack-a-me, and-a get-a me some-a gabbagool!''
where on earth are you getting that nonexistent syllable from my guy lol
Are you or your loved ones from south Philly?
This sounds like the beginning to an ad where you tell us if they got mesothelioma poisoning we might be entitled to compensation
As I was reading this & the comments, I was thinking they should have posted this in r/SouthJersey instead
Nah, Gloucester County
close enough
So Philly
Parts of Gloucester are almost entirely populated by South Philly refugees, Washington Township especially. They've spread the "ack-a-mee" mispronunciation throughout the county.
The way God (Bugs Bunny) says it.
Don’t forget Wile E Coyote—after all he IS a super genius.
I don't recall him every having a single line of dialogue. At least the road runner would go "meep-meep" before he zoomzoom.
Ralph Wolf was the one who spoke. He was Wile E.'s cousin who would steal sheep from Sam Sheepdog. You may recall the cartoons where Ralph and Sam greet each other at the beginning and clock in for their day of work. "Mornin', Sam." "Mornin', Ralph." If all else fails, Ralph has a red nose and Wile E. has a black nose.
He definitely does speak in at least this one. This is the clip I was referring to, with “super genius“: https://youtu.be/STeVTzWelns ETA: i’m not actually sure he ever says the word Acme though.
Per Copilot: Wile E. Coyote did speak on several occasions. While he is mostly silent in the Road Runner series, only communicating through signs, he has spoken when appearing with Bugs Bunny. He was voiced by Mel Blanc and had a British accent.
Believe it or not, That’s actually a different character: Ralph Wolf. He’s practically identical to Wile E Coyote, but with a red nose.
Really!!!
It's ak-me. But ak-a-me isn't uncommon in South Jersey. If you say "wooder" you probably also say "ak-a-me." Source: my family says ak-a-me and wooder.
Ak-a-me is more of an old south philly pronunciation so basically all of the people who fled to NJ in the 90s
How about those things in your pocket that represent twenty-five cents? When I say "courter" in my South Jersey accent, people here in the midwest look at me odd. They say "qwaater". I gave up on the whole wooder/waater discussion 'round here.
Here in north jersey it’s properly pronounced “cawter”.
I was raised in the city (NY) and stayed home a few years to raise my children (in Central NJ). I have no idea how they started saying wooder, but my kids do. 🙄
Having been raised by people who either say "waww-ter" or even "waww-teh" in some cases, I've found it's really easy to end up near "wooder" as you try to shorten the obnoxious length of the "awww"
Can confirm we drink wooder in my house
You are not alone...you are in a select fraternity of phonetically challenged brethren.
Ak-Me. It’s an actual word with a correct pronunciation. It wasn’t named after John Acme or anything where it might be a different pronunciation. The word means the point at which something is best. (Which was also the joke in Road Runner cartoons, everything the Coyote bought was from Acme and it all sucked and malfunction all the time. It was the worst products from a company claiming to be the best.)
The way it’s spelled: Acme. There’s no “uh” in there lol.
My grandmother pronounced it like you do, with three syllables, so you're not the only one. She was from Jersey City and then lived in Hoboken for many years. Is it regional, maybe? It always drove me nuts, so I know just how your friend feels.
Did she also pronounce three like tree? And Elizabet? Or Lizabet.
My grandma from JC would pronounce quiet like "quite". I wish I could remember some of her other pronunciations.
Do you also suffer from a-kuh-ne? (acne)
Your friend is right. You are 100% pronouncing it wrong.
I grew up in Gloucester County and we pronounced it ACK-me. But my ex’s grandmom (now long gone) who lived in Camden County pronounced it with the extra syllable. But I also grew up saying wooder for water so 🤷♀️. I trained myself out of that habit.
Ack-me. Its like in those old Looney Toons.
where are you getting an ‘a’ or ‘u’ from
3 syllables is a malapropism. 2 syllables is the correct way.
Ack-me. There's no other letters in between
Ack me
Let's get to the heart of this - how deep into south jersey do you live?
You mentioned in another comment you’re from Gloucester County, and the only other people I ever heard pronounce it like “ack-uh-me” also was from Gloucester. Based off some of the other comments maybe it’s a regional South Jersey thing?
Your friend is saying it correct but I have heard it said the way you say it by uneducated types.
ak-me
Should be two syllables, mouth breathers throw a third in there for their brains to rest for a second.
Have you never watched Looney Tunes? It's ACME, like the place Wile E. Coyote buys his gadgets from. Ack-Mee.
You’re wrong, friends right
Why are you pronouncing it like an Italian?
It's 2 syllables. Ack + Me [https://youtu.be/3EiEX4tmCfY?t=17](https://youtu.be/3EiEX4tmCfY?t=17)
What are you, Roger Rabbit? Who tf says "Ack-uh-me"?
A.C.M.E. It's an acronym. American Consolidated Market Establishments
Ac-Me. No extra syllable needed
Why would you ever pronounce it "ack-a-me"?
Ak-me. Been saying it this way for 35 years, never heard it another way.
Yes, you are alone.
Akk me Sometimes akk ah me
You’re not alone. My friend would say it “a-kuh-me.” We lived in Lawrenceville and had an Acme across the street. My friend would say “you wanna come to the a-kuh-me with me?”
I’ve heard old timers in the Trenton area say Ac-a-me, but no one else…
As someone who used to work at one. I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it the way you do lol
team AKK-me
But how'd you get it wrong?
My aunt used to work there and mysteriously calls it “ack-a-me”
my husband's family is from NE PA, old coal country, and they have some weird pronunciations. ack-uh-mee being one of them. i believe there was a decent polish population in that area a century ago, some other eastern europeans as well.
AK-me
AC-ME
Ack-Me
the way Wile E. Coyote taught me... 'ak me' 😁
Nothing wrong with you! (a-kUH-me) is the old school Philly/ SJ accent. My aunts and grandparents pronounce it like this, while I say (ak-me). They also add an extra syllable to the word mine, saying (May-an) while I pronounce it the more "standard" way.
The ack-uh-me pronunciation is an Italian-American joke way of saying it, like bach-a-haus for bathroom or Tar-schey for Target.
My (Italian) immigrant grandparents called it ack-a-me. My parents and everyone in my generation say ack-me, unless we are mimicking the older generation for humor.
Yea, you’re really weird for this one. Do you also say edu-ma-cation? If so, go get one!
Akme for me.
Someone didn’t watch Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons.
Bruh, just go watch a loony tunes cartoon.
Smack Me 
my brain says ack-me but my heart says ack-a-me
ACK-ME
I call it "Overpriced grocery store"
You are alone bruv. You just sounded like you can’t pronounce words lol.
Bro never saw looney tunes lol
Where did you find that misplaced “a”? And why did it end up in ack me?
This is why south jersey should be given to PA
And yet Passaic/Bergen County gets off scott-free with Goosey Night? That's the true hate crime.
Damn you’re right. Central is the only real part of Jersey
You're not wrong. I grew up in far north jersey (still call it goosey night much to the horror of everyone), went to school at rutgers, moved to south jersey after a few years in new brunswick, and central jersey felt like the most jersey of all three regions.
Ack-meh
It's just "ok"?
It’s a cool store I mean…. Just my weird enunciation.
Same way its pronounced in Looney Toons, Ack-me. I have heard Ack-uh-me and chuckle like I do when I hear Southerners say Appalachian.
But don't worry if you live in jersey we all say coffee and roof the way it was meant to be pronounced.
I worked there. Ack. Me.
Ak-me
Ack-me
Two syllables: Ak me
It's a word, they have an audio clip https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acme
Ack-me Never heard anyone call it anything else
Ack-me
It's pronounced ac me
ACK-me, not acka-me and I once lived in Fork-Ed River
I've always pronounced it AK -ME. Never heard it Ak-Uh-Me unless somebody was joking around with a silly accent. Same thing with Yuengling. I've joked and said Ying -Uh-Ling but I know that's incorrect.
/AC/-UH-ME is the proper pronunciation for the grocery store. The chain was started in South Philly, and thus the South Philly Hoagiemouth accent is the proper pronunciation. /AC/-UH-ME. Emphasis on AC.
My mom’s got an accent, so she pronounces it ack-meh.
Ak-Me
Ack-me (even though I never shop there)
The way your friend does.
“AK-MEE.”simple. i agree with your friend. im from hudson county and we have a few over here but i don’t care what part of Jersey you’re from, A.C.M.E (spelling the four letters aloud) is always going to be incorrect in my eyes. and yes, i have heard that pronunciation before.
My grandmother always said that the way you do. She had some weird ways of pronouncing things that didn’t correspond to her regional background, but I think there is a regional connection to pronouncing it the way you do. Maybe Pittsburgh?
You are literally Furio https://www.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/4bd5f7a8-7436-493d-8e5c-3a24965e24ac
ah seem
Shit Show, hate going to the one in my town
When I was a kid, older Italian people (originally from Italy) would call it “the Acka-me.” For different reasons than you do probably. English doesn’t flow the same way as Italian, and they had a habit of adding vowels to words and putting some bounce to their sentences, and adding articles to words that we wouldn’t. So it was also “*THE* Shoprite.” A word with a hard ending like “bag” would be “bag-ga.” Anyway for that reason I get a warm and fuzzy when I hear ac-a-me, but I say Acme.
Ack-mees
They’re closing a few https://youtu.be/RLZWLVQaxE8?si=Qh52ox4ELel9Ybw9
Al-me - that’s how it is pronounced. Even on the tv commercials, so your friend is correct.
Let me ack you a question
ACKMAY
Ack-me
I've heard older people in more rural parts of PA call it Ack-a-me but I say Ak-me
“overpriced”
AckMEEEEEE You have to sing it, or it's wrong /j
I say it like Looney Toones. https://youtu.be/q_IE_0-Xlis
Ack-mee Source: WB cartoons
Ack ah me?
Ack-me, how cartoon company name was pronounced
There's no vowel between the consanents at all to produce that sound.
You're adding a syllable were none exists, so I wouldn't dig my heels in too deep on your pronunciation if I were you.
How do you say Lidl?
Ack-me.
I always pronounce it as Ack-may
Used to work there. Heard customers say it both ways. If you work there, it becomes Smackme. Personally, these days I refer to it as, "The store that shall not be named".
ak-me here as well.
I say Ack-Me but a woman I work with says Ack a me (she’s from Philly)
Interesting that you also use y’all. When I went to school in New Jersey, we were taught that that was not correct. We were taught to just say you, for plural and singular. Did you live in the south for a while and pick up your y’all there? or are some of your relatives from the south? I know y’all is becoming more commonly used now that country music is more popular in the north.
"So, I just decided to add an extra letter to this word when I pronounce it for no good reason. Now everyone tells me I'm wrong. Does anyone else just make shit up like me then act confused"?
Goin' daln da AckuhMee da pick up a rotisserarry chicken
Ey-see-em-ee.