How do you correctly pronounce the word "niche"?

Like niche market, for example. Is it nitch or neesh?

Public Comments

1. neesh or nitch, either is acceptable

2. It's the latter.

3. I was always taught it was "Neesh" if you were talking about, for example, a "niche market", that the "nitch" pronunciation was more about something else, like talking about corners, nooks and crannies (small spaces in other words).

I could be wrong though, language changes all the time, and that doesn't even count dialect. Either one is in the ballpark. :)

4. It's nitch

5. Both are correct, although in business they use "nitch."

6. Nitch is right.

7. I think both would be fine. There's an audio clip of that word's pronunciation at
http://www.answers.com/niche

8. Several pronunciations are considered correct/acceptable - can rhyme with "pitch" or "fish" or or "quiche" according to merriam webster, and I've heard it rhymed to "teach" and thought it was fine.

9. Either are acceptable.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/niche

10. I've heard both with about equal frequency and use both with about equal frequency.

11. neesh sounds more chic(she-c) lol

12. From the American Heritage® Book of English Usage.
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. (1996)

"This 17th-century borrowing from French has traditionally been pronounced (nich), rhyming with itch. The pronunciation (neesh), rhyming with quiche, is a 20th-century revival of the French pronunciation, which some people dislike because they think it seems affected. However, this pronunciation is now given by most dictionaries as a standard variant."
http://www.bartleby.com/64/C007/0139.html

13. neesh

14. nitch