A Pet Peeve About The Mispronunciation of Sine Die

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8 min read

Last updated October 23, 2026

Last updated October 23, 2026: the two 2015 audio clips no longer exist on the server, so every pronunciation is now spelled out in the text; a 2026 footnote was added (Georgia still says sign-ee dye), the pet peeve list was set as a proper list, and the Short Version, FAQ, Bottom Line, and Winston poll were added.

Sine Die is a Latin term that literally means “without day.” Anyone who speaks Spanish can easily suss out the meaning thanks to the Latin roots: sin días. It is the term for the last day of a session of an assembly, adjournment with no day set to meet again. Legislatures use it for terms coming to an end, but it travels: a corporate board holding its final meeting before a company is sold or merged has also adjourned sine die, whether or not the lawyers in the room can pronounce it. The sine die pronunciation fight is the real subject of this column.

Georgia’s General Assembly races toward Sine Die every spring, and every spring the same thing happens under the Gold Dome: the phrase gets pronounced in a way that would make a Latin teacher weep. I first wrote this column on Sine Die in 2015, after coming across a post by Todd Rehm of Georgia Pundit, who helpfully explained what Sine Die means and offered a phonetic pronunciation for it. Here is his post:

Contents

• The Grievance
• How It Is Actually Said
• A 2026 Footnote
• 40 More Pet Peeves to Guard Against
• Frequently Asked Questions
• The Bottom Line

The Grievance

It is certainly possible Mr. Rehm was simply bad at phonetics. It is also possible he understood the correct pronunciation perfectly well, but most people in the Georgia Legislature had butchered it for so long that the erroneous version had simply caught on, and he figured, why fight the building? Most lawyers I have met are horrible at pronouncing Latin phrases, so that is a live possibility too.

If the version in that post is truly the most-used pronunciation at the Georgia Capitol, that is extremely disappointing, because Georgia seems to have developed a peculiarly and uniquely mangled version all its own. An Anglicized pronunciation has become widely used across the English-speaking world, and I can live with it. But even that version is not the “dye” version I keep hearing in Georgia. For anyone who has studied Latin, si-nā dē-ā sounds far more natural. It is widely used, it respects the words’ actual ancestry, and it is the one I would prefer to catch on among the assembly.

Am I being overly pedantic? Almost assuredly. It may be a silly pet peeve, but as a self-proclaimed lexicomane I must at least try to stem the tide of ignorance, even if it is a losing battle. Every time I heard George W. Bush say NEW-KYU-LER it felt like fingernails on a chalkboard, and I am sure I was not alone. It is about getting it right, doing as well as you can, and not passing ignorance along to someone else. Perhaps if legislators start correcting simple errors like mispronouncing words, it might translate into correcting bigger errors in laws.

How It Is Actually Said

Three pronunciations now compete, and it is worth keeping them straight. The Latin form, the one a classicist reaches for, runs roughly SEE-neh DEE-eh. The established Anglicized form, the one the major dictionaries list first for English speakers, is SY-nee DY-ee; Merriam-Webster will walk you through it. Then there is Georgia’s contribution, sign-ee dye, which exists in no dictionary and every hallway of the state Capitol. Its defenders even have a story for it: bills that do not pass by Sine Die die, so the day itself must be pronounced dye. As linguistics it is indefensible. As folk etymology it is honestly kind of charming, which is exactly how bad pronunciations achieve immortality.

A 2026 Footnote

Eleven years on, the update writes itself. Georgia’s 2026 session adjourned sine die on April 2, 2026, Georgia news coverage explained the term to readers all over again, and the Capitol’s sign-ee dye remains the pronunciation of record under the Gold Dome. My 2015 joke that the board of BlackBerry might soon get to use the term also resolved itself: BlackBerry survived to hold many more meetings, it simply left the phone business in 2016. The tide of ignorance, meanwhile, remains undefeated, but the good fight continues below.

Professor Winston Wants to Know

Our resident watchdog is taking the temperature of the room.

Which mispronunciation grates on your ears the most?

One tap, no account or email needed. Results are shown after you vote.

Which mispronunciation grates on your ears the most?

Sine die said as sign-ee dyeNuclear said as nucularEspresso said as expressoLibrary said as libary

Cast your voteSee results

Want to say more? The comments below are open.

40 More Pet Peeves to Guard Against

• Library is pronounced “lie-brair-ee,” not “lie-bear-ee.” No, it is not “libarian” either.
• Nuclear is pronounced “nook-lee-er,” not “nuke-u-ler.” Ode to Bush.
• February is pronounced “Feb-roo-air-ee,” not “Feb-u-aire-ee.” Frequently misspelled, as well.
• Orange is pronounced “or-anj,” not “are-anj.” Orange you glad you know this?
• Prostate is pronounced “praw-state,” not “praw-straight,” unless you are lying down.
• Height is pronounced “hite,” not “hite with a th.” The “e-i” or “width” must confuse us.
• Probably is pronounced “praw-bab-lee,” not “prob-lee,” or as some say, “praw-lee.”
• Ask is pronounced “ask,” not “ax.” Please tell me before you ax me.
• Pronunciation is pronounced “pro-nun-see-a-tion,” not “pro-noun-see-a-tion.”
• Athlete is pronounced “ath-lete,” not “ath-ah-leet,” despite the ath-ah-leet’s foot commercials.
• Strategy is pronounced “strat-uh-gee,” not “stra-ji-dee,” though we never say “stra-ji-jick.”
• Aluminum is pronounced “uh-loo-mi-num,” not “al-u-min-um.” The Brits have their own version.
• Et cetera is pronounced “et-set-er-ah,” not “ek-set-er-ah,” and not “ek-spe-shul-lee” either.
• Supposedly is pronounced “suh-po-zed-lee,” not “su-pose-ub-lee” or “su-pose-eh-blee.”
• Difference is pronounced “di-fer-ence,” not “dif-rence.” Often misspelled due to this error.
• Mischievous is pronounced “mis-chuh-vus,” not “mis-chee-vee-us.” You will look this one up.
• Mayonnaise is pronounced “may-un-naze,” not “man-aise.” Ketchup versus catsup is another matter.
• Miniature is pronounced “mi-ne-uh-ture,” not “min-ah-ture.” Who drives an Austin “min-uh”?
• Definite is pronounced “de-fuh-nit,” not “def-ah-nut,” and define is “di-fine,” not “dah-fine.”
• Often is pronounced “off-ten,” not “off-en.” Probably just sloppy pronunciation.
• Internet is pronounced “In-ter-net,” not “In-nur-net.” Not “in-ner-rest-ing” either.
• Groceries is pronounced “grow-sir-ees,” not “grow-sure-ees.”
• Similar is pronounced “sim-ah-ler,” not “sim-u-lar,” though Webster’s says “sim-ler” is fine.
• Escape is pronounced “es-cape,” not “ex-cape.” It is not “ex-pres-so” either.
• Lose is pronounced “luze,” not “loose.” Think “choose,” not “moose.”
• Temperature is pronounced “tem-per-ah-ture,” not “tem-prah-chur.” Cute when kids say it.
• Jewelry is pronounced “jewl-ree” or “jew-ul-ree,” not “jew-ler-ree.” More syllables will not get you more carats.
• Sandwich is pronounced “sand-which,” not “sam-which” or “sam-mitch.”
• Realtor is pronounced “real-tor,” not “real-ah-tor.” Similarly, it is “di-late,” not “di-ah-late.”
• Asterisk is pronounced “ass-tur-risk,” not “ass-trik.” It is not called a star, by the way.
• Federal is pronounced “fed-ur-ul,” not “fed-rul.” Use all syllables to ensure all federal holidays.
• Candidate is pronounced “can-di-date,” not “can-uh-date,” “can-nuh-date,” or “can-di-dit.”
• Hierarchy is pronounced “hi-ur-ar-kee,” not “hi-ar-kee.” It is not “arch-type”; it is “ar-ki-type.”
• Niche is pronounced “nich” or “neesh,” not “neech.” This one drives some people crazy.
• Sherbet is pronounced “sher-bet,” not “sher-bert.” I am sure, Burt.
• Prescription is pronounced “pre-scrip-tion,” not “per-scrip-tion,” and prerogative, not “per.”
• Arctic is pronounced “ark-tik,” not “ar-tik.” Not “ant-ar-tik-ah” either.
• Cabinet is pronounced “cab-uh-net,” not “cab-net.” Likewise, it is “cor-uh-net,” not “cor-net.”
• Triathlon is pronounced “tri-ath-lon,” not “tri-ath-uh-lon.” Not “bi-ath-uh-lon” either.
• Forte is pronounced “fort,” not “for-tay.” But Porsche does have a slight “uh” at the end.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does sine die mean?

Latin for “without day.” When a legislature adjourns sine die, the session is over and no date has been set for that body to meet again. Governors can call special sessions afterward, but the regular session is done.

What is the correct pronunciation of sine die?

The dictionaries offer the Anglicized SY-nee DY-ee, and Latin purists favor SEE-neh DEE-eh. Both are defensible. Georgia’s sign-ee dye is a local tradition with a folk story behind it, not a pronunciation any dictionary will back you on.

Why do Georgians say sign-ee dye?

Capitol folk etymology: bills that fail to pass by Sine Die die, so the day gets a dye at the end. The story is memorable, the tradition is generations old, and repeat exposure does the rest. It is wrong, and it is not going anywhere.

When is Sine Die in Georgia?

The final day of the General Assembly’s forty-day regular session, usually in late March or early April. In 2026 it fell on April 2.

So here is my question for you: which Georgia lawmaker have you heard say sign-ee dye with the most confidence, and what word should I add to the list of forty?

Sincerely, the Ghost of Henry Sweet