“Biopic” pronunciation: Why everyone says the word differently.

This article is part of Portrait Mode , a Slate pop-up series about biopics.

As the Oscar war horses line up one after the next—wait your turn, Shakespeare , Bruce Springsteen was here first —it’s hard to avoid talking about one genre, perhaps the most reliable, and most maligned , form of awards-season hopeful. But if you’re having that conversation in person, beware: The way you say one word may make others wince, or recoil in purest horror.

That word is biopic —and before we proceed any further, say it out loud, and put yourself on record. Did you say BYE-oh-pic or bi-AH-pic ? Because either way, you are going to be judged.

Officially, there is little dispute. The major dictionaries— Merriam-Webster , American Heritage , the Oxford English Dictionary —all agre