Willis or Willys ?

[Blaine]

"the snazzberries, taste like snazzberries!" Willy wonka and the chocolate factory. Also, in super troopers.

Sponsored

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

Snozzberry.

 

[NachoRuby]

I say "Willis" usually, but I'm starting to slip up and say Willy's, because when I was going to buy one, the dealer corrected me about 100 times. However, I think it was originally pronounced Willis, as mentioned before. That pronunciation is slowly being lost to history though. Either way you say it, it's a pretty cool trim. I ended up with a Rubi, but that had a lot to do with the deal I got along with the exact options and color I wanted.

 

[Motoarch]

I’m pretty sure it’s a regional deal, however, I wrote the check and pronounce it Willis. Fight me.

It's not regional. It's the dudes name.

 

[OldButStillJeeping]

In American English, it's pronounced willies simply by the letter configuration. But being a family name, the family chooses it's pronunciation. So, it's Willis.

We've all known someone at sometime, maybe it's you, that has a name that is pronounced differently than it is by just sounding it out. ( Sorry, not an English major).

I knew a kid who's last name was Smith. He corrected us, it was pronounced "Smyyyyth."

It seems from the video someone posted, that 'Willis" didn't care how anyone pronounced it, as long as they bought his product.

There are examples everywhere. Some from the Off-road community:

Bilstein. Bilsteen or Bilstyn?
Currie. Kuree or kuury
Optima. Opteema or optimah
Nitto. Neeto or nitto
JT - Mojave. Moe Jave or moHahve'

 

[FloridaJT6MT]

I call mine a Willys. All this Willis controversy got me thinking about another Willis controversy, as in Bruce Willis, staring in the Christmas movie, Die Hard. Yippee Ki Yay, MF!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I would not be surprised if in the past there was a family split and it was originally SPELLED "Willis".
Why do I suspect this may be possible? I've spent many years doing genealogy - my own family but you can't work on your own without those side branches and finding a few changes and surprises.
I had a friend - last name Nelson. He more than once made some comment about a guy named Nielson. Decades before a couple of brothers had a huge falling out and one of them dropped the 'i' in Nielson and changed the name to Nelson.
I've seen other examples.
Sometimes it's errors in census papers, immigration papers, passenger lists and so on. Some people couldn't read or write well and did their best with their names making it appear different than it was.
My own last name - an r can look like an n............ totally changing it.
There are any number of reasons for it to be pronounced or spelled as it is.

 

[Jonny A]

I would not be surprised if in the past there was a family split and it was originally SPELLED "Willis".
Why do I suspect this may be possible? I've spent many years doing genealogy - my own family but you can't work on your own without those side branches and finding a few changes and surprises.
I had a friend - last name Nelson. He more than once made some comment about a guy named Nielson. Decades before a couple of brothers had a huge falling out and one of them dropped the 'i' in Nielson and changed the name to Nelson.
I've seen other examples.
Sometimes it's errors in census papers, immigration papers, passenger lists and so on. Some people couldn't read or write well and did their best with their names making it appear different than it was.
My own last name - an r can look like an n............ totally changing it.
There are any number of reasons for it to be pronounced or spelled as it is.

My last name Asmund, I pronounce the A like Apple. In Finland, my ancestral home land the A is pronounced like autumn. So Asmund would sound like the last name of Donnie and Marie Osmond.
Willis... Willys... I think I will always say Willis, if not just to screw with folks.

 

[FrankFrqnkFrank]

having grown up in Toledo I can tell you that people all said “Willis”. Even when pronouncing the street name “Willis” Parkway.

 

[mojocho]

This is my favorite thread of the day.

Could be because I learned something new, chuckled a few times, and I'm on pain meds.

 

[Jeepguy002]

When I was asking about 2021 colors, my salesman said one of the new colors was snozzleberry, or something like that...

Kevin

One of the salesmen I was talking to before I bought my Gladiator kept referring to the color as Jazzberry.

 

[MPMB]

America. Where the melting pot destroys your native tongue.

 

[u-joint]

I own a 1948 Willys CJ-2A, and even I don't know the right way to say it.

Most times I say "willis", but sometimes I catch myself saying "will ees" - especailly when I'm trying to focus on what I'm saying. Honestly not sure which one is more correct, but... ?‍

 

[MikeyK]

Couldn’t help myself ?

Sponsored