It's pretty simple actually. The company was named after the ancient Greek goddess of victory, Nike, which is pronounced ni-key, reports Business Insider. So, there you have it. You can ditch the stress of how to properly pronounce Nike.
Nike chairman Phillip Knight has confirmed that it's "Nikey" not "Nike", meaning I've essentially been talking nonsense for years. The great pronunciation debate, second only to that of 'gif' and 'jif', came to a head after Knight was sent a letter asking him to circle the correct way of saying the brand name.
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'.
The brand was founded in the US and they say it's pronounced Nikey. Long i sound.
Those in America, for example, might pronounce it with a long "e", whilst those in the UK might pronounce it with a singular syllable to rhyme with "bike".
Adidas: addy-dass
It's pronounced with an emphasis on the first syllable.
And, in a flash, it all became clear: “It's pronounced JIF, not GIF.” Of course, in the grand tradition of heated debate, a flat statement of fact by the creator wasn't enough to sway some partisans. On Twitter, “GIF” became a trending topic as some folks pushed back.
Blue Ribbon Sports, Inc. The company was founded on January 25, 1964, as "Blue Ribbon Sports", by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
Whilst 6% think “NEW-tell-uh” is the correct pronunciation and the remaining 3% simply haven't got the foggiest. Nutella has now confirmed that the emphasis should actually be put on the 'N' and 'OU' – so the correct pronunciation is… “NOU- tella”.
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.
Carmel vs Caramel Pronunciation
The name Carmel is normally pronounced with only two syllables, either as “KARR-mel” or “KARR-mul.” The pronunciation of caramel varies widely depending on where you're from. There's no single correct way to pronounce caramel.