How to pronounce Segoe, the font or typeface
In Windows 8 and Windows Phone, you’ll see widespread use of a typeface called Segoe. I’ve always wondered exactly how to pronounce this. It could be SEE-goh, see-GOH, SEG-oh, seg-OH, etc. I took a look at its Wikipedia page, and learned that the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) pronunciation is /ˈsiːɡoʊ/. According to my understanding of the IPA, I concluded that its pronunciation is SEE-goh, with emphasis on the first syllable. It sounds a little like the English word seagull.
However, I often hear it pronounced seg-OH, with emphasis on the second syllable.
Being the curious type that I am, I decided to do some detective work. I poked around Bing and learned that the font is named after Segoe Road in Madison, Wisconsin. On Yelp, I found a yoga studio which was near there and called them up.
Them: “Hello, this is Inner Fire Yoga.”
Me: “Hello, my name is Matt Harrington, calling from California. I have a strange request. I see on Yelp that you’re near Segoe Road. How do locals pronounce that name?”
Them: “SEE-goh.”
Me: “So it would sound funny if I pronounced it seg-OH?”
Them: “Yes.”
So there you have it. The font, or more correctly the typeface, was named after Segoe Road in Madison, Wisconsin, and locals definitely pronounce it SEE-go. If English is your second language, start by learning to pronounce the English word seagull, and then change the last part from gull to go.