Why is Wednesday pronounced the way it is?

As others have pointed out, Wednesday has many pronunciations. In some parts of the Commonwealth, some people pronounce it as if the last syllable had no "a". read more

It is a mystery why Wednesday is pronounced the way it is as it is a mystery why the word is capitalized. But, I digress. As this example demonstrates, English is a bit like a child who has been abandoned by its parents and no one is taking care of it. read more

It already is, the differences in pronunciation are mostly just reflective of the differences in how the Anglo-Saxons pronounced the names of the gods. Anglo-Saxon Tiw, Woden, Thunor, Frige compared to Norse Tyr, Odin, Thor, Frigg*. read more

Wednesday is exceptional in its pronunciation because it's root is a proper name. Woden or Wotan are variations of the Norse god Odin. Its modern form includes the consonant couplet DN which is otherwise almost unknown in English. read more