How to Pronounce Realtor

realtor

If you’re wondering how to pronounce Realtor, wonder no longer. It’s actually quite simple. It is pronounced Real-TORE. As in, the word “real” followed by the word “tore.”  Like I tore my pants while breakdancing at a wedding.

It is not pronounced Real-a-TER or Real-uh-TUR or even Real-a-TORE.

Please don’t pronounce it Rey-al-tore either.

Realtor Is a Two Syllable Word

Here’s an easy way to remember how to pronounce this oft mispronounced word.

There are only two syllables in the word Realtor, not three. Please do not add extra syllables to words, it’s bad form.

Instead, just say Real-TORE and be done with it. In fact, it’s probably best to not even use the word Realtor at all because it’s likely being used improperly as well.

While many seem to think Realtor is synonymous with real estate agent, and use it that way in practice, this isn’t actually the case.

Realtor Does Not Equal Real Estate Agent

The word Realtor, which is also supposed to be capitalized (I refuse to yell on this blog or elsewhere), was created by the National Association of Realtors only to signify membership in the trade group.

Apparently a “Realtor” is NOT a job title, as the phrase real estate agent is. It just signifies inclusion in the almighty NAR.

Put another way, not all real estate agents are necessarily Realtors, but Realtors tend to be real estate agents that are part of the association.

If you want to get really nitpicky, you can call out the folks who say Real-TER, kind of like any other occupation with an ER at the end of it, such as doctor or gardener.

It’s supposed to be Real-TORE, which sounds silly, but it’s the word you’ll hear in the NAR commercials, at least most of the time. I think some of the actors in the commercials still flub their lines and pronounce it Real-TER.

But hey, who cares. At the end of the day, the pronunciation of the word Realtor should be the least of your worries when buying or a selling a home. There are much bigger fish to fry.

Of course, if you are a member of the National Association of Realtors, you should probably know how to properly pronounce it…

Oh, and while we’re at it, the name of this blog is The Truth About Realty (Real-TEE), not Reality.

3 comments

  1. Interesting. I can’t find a single dictionary that agrees with this pronunciation.

  2. All the dictionaries say it is pronounced real-ter and that is how I have heard it my whole life for almost 30 years, until the NAR ads started playing on a podcast I listen to. Where did this -tore pronunciation come from? I don’t get it.

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