Traditional IPA: ˈnaɪkiː 2 syllables: "NY" + "kee"
The myth of how to say the popular sportswear brand's name was debunked in 2014, when two men wrote a letter to Nike chairman Phillip Knight asking him to confirm the pronunciation. They asked Knight to circle the correct pronunciation - and he circled the phrasing of "Ni-key" instead of "Ni-ke").
Around 5 or 6 years ago, Phil Knight, Nike Chairman, confirmed that the correct pronunciation of Nike is Nike-y, as in sounds like spiky.
The Aussie long "o" is so, so hard for non-Australians to get right—but if you do, you'll sound Australian for sure. There's definitely the English long "o" sound that you're familiar with, but it's blended with the "ah" of an "a" and the "uh" of a short "u," with a bit of an "r" (as in "oar") at the end.
Below is the UK transcription for 'Nike': Modern IPA: nɑ́jkɪj. Traditional IPA: ˈnaɪkiː 2 syllables: "NY" + "kee"
It rhymes with 'crikey,' not 'bike,' and it's just one of many brands whose names people have trouble pronouncing. It used to drive me crazy growing up when my grandmother mispronounced the brand name of my Nike shoes. She pronounced it so that it rhymed with bike.
"Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi" is a cheer or chant often performed at Australian sport events. It is a variation of the Oggy Oggy Oggy chant used by both soccer and rugby union fans in Great Britain from the 1960s onwards. It is usually performed by a crowd uniting to support a sports team or athlete.
Australian English spelling is pretty close to the British one as the following indicates. Australian and British people both spell words like colour and favour with “ou”. Centre and theatre use “re” spelling. It's also common to use double L spelling for words such as travelling and cancelled.
The short answer is because the pronunciation of Ancient Greek changed in the English speaking world along with the pronunciation of English. The Greek word Nike (pronounced /nike/ or 'nee-kay') became /naiki/ or 'nye-kee'.
"Nike" is from a Greek word-form, unlike "bike" and "strike" To answer the question about why: "bike" and "strike" are spelled with the "silent e" that in present-day English is used to indicate a "long vowel" pronunciation.
In both June and October of 2022, the editors of the tome have released their own lists of the most mispronounced words in the English language, which include such whoppers as “victuals,” “awry,” “epitome” and, yes, “acai.”
It's pronounced "AH-dee-dahs," with emphasis on the first syllable. The brand is derived from the name of German founder Adolf Dassler. If you're American, you're probably pronouncing the sneaker brand Adidas as "Ah-DEE-dus." That's completely wrong — it's pronounced "AH-dee-dahs."
It was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman, a track-and-field coach at the University of Oregon, and his former student Phil Knight. They opened their first retail outlet in 1966 and launched the Nike brand shoe in 1972. The company was renamed Nike, Inc., in 1978 and went public two years later.
It surely sounds strange to those who are familiar with American or British English, but it is a very common expression in Australia. G'day is a shortened form of 'Good Day' and it is the equivalent of 'Hello.
“How ya goin'?” is the ultimate Aussie greeting. If you're not from Australia, this mash-up of “How are you?” and “Where are you going?” might leave you a little perplexed. If it helps, think of how the Brits say “y'alright?” - it requires no detailed response. In fact, a simple “hey!” will suffice.
Toasting with Insults
In Australia, it's popular for a group of friends — er, mates — to call out, “Cheers, Big Ears!” as they raise their glasses in a toast, followed by the response, “Same goes, Big Nose!” There isn't much meaning or any historical significance behind the phrases other than it's funny and it rhymes.