5 exercises on pronouncing Agile ceremony words aloud.
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How is "retrospective" (the sprint ceremony) pronounced?
retrospective is pronounced "ret-ro-SPEC-tive" /ˌrɛtrəˈspɛktɪv/ — five syllables (ret-ro-SPEC-tive), stress on the third syllable "SPEC," with a secondary stress on the first. So "hold the ret-ro-SPEC-tive on Friday." It is often shortened to "retro" /ˈrɛtrəʊ/ in Agile contexts. Do not stress the first syllable primarily or the last syllable.
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How is "sprint" said, and which vowel sound does it use?
sprint is said "sprint" /sprɪnt/ — one syllable, the consonant cluster /spr/ at the start (like "spring"), short /ɪ/ vowel (as in "bin"), ending in /nt/. So "the two-week sprint," "sprint planning." It is the ordinary English word for a short fast run, used in Agile as a time-boxed iteration. The /ɪ/ vowel distinguishes it from "sprant" (wrong) or "sprent" (archaic).
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How is "scrum" (the Agile framework) pronounced?
Scrum is pronounced "scrum" /skrʌm/ — one syllable, the /sk/ cluster at the start (as in "sky"), the vowel /ʌ/ as in "drum" (rhymes with "gum," "rum," "drum"). So "the daily scrum," "a scrum master." It comes from rugby (a scrum is a type of set piece), used as a metaphor for the team formation. Do not add syllables or use a long "oo" vowel.
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How is "kanban" (the visual workflow method) pronounced?
kanban is pronounced "KAN-ban" /ˈkænbæn/ in English — two syllables, stress on the first, both "a" sounds being the short /æ/ as in "can." So "use a KAN-ban board," "move it to KAN-ban." It is a Japanese word (看板, meaning "signboard") with original long vowels /ˈkɑːmbɑːn/, but in English tech speech it is usually anglicised to "KAN-ban."
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How is "velocity" (the Agile metric) pronounced?
velocity is pronounced "ve-LOSS-ity" /vəˈlɒsɪti/ — four syllables, stress on the second "LOSS," with a schwa for the first "ve," short /ɪ/ in the third, and a weak /i/ ending. So "our sprint ve-LOSS-ity is 40 points." It is the ordinary English noun for speed/rate of change. Do not stress the first or third syllable.