Americans have been pronouncing 'Adidas' all wrong

REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Do you know how to describe these shoes?

The INSIDER Summary:

 It's pronounced "AH-dee-dahs," with emphasis on the first syllable.
 The brand is derived from the name of German founder Adolf Dassler.

If you're American, you're probably pronouncing the sneaker brand Adidas as "Ah-DEE-dus."

That's completely wrong - it's pronounced "AH-dee-dahs."

The emphasis should be on the first syllable, and the last syllable should be stretched out.

Still confused? Here's what it's supposed to sound like:

The brand is German, and most Europeans pronounce "Adidas" correctly. It comes from the name of the company's founded, Adolf Dassler, whose nickname was Adi. That, combined with a shortened version of his last name, gives us "Adidas."

There's an urban myth that "Adidas" stands for "All Day I Dream About Soccer" or "All Day I Dream About Sex." The brand is German, so that makes no sense. Both are backronyms, meaning they were invented after the name already existed.

And while Adidas became popular in the United States in the 1970s, culminating in the 1986 Run DMC single "My Adidas," Dassler founded the brand way back in 1949.

And though Americans usually get the name wrong, English-speakers in the United Kingdom usually get it right, probably because they're exposed to other Europeans who know what they're doing.