I am now relieved I can pronounce it either way. 40% pronounce "Controversy" with accent on the first syllable, 60% on the second. There are a number of useful graphs and pie-charts showing the percentages of people pronouncing in different ways. This dictionary is in British English, although it refers to American English variations. Some troublesome medical names like Guillain Barre, Meniere, are included, but not Poiseuille-Hagen nor Cialis. Included are Proper names in Chinese, Cantonese, Arabic, Italian, thus the use of the International pronouncing key is a better choice. Like Genevieve, Solihull (accent on the last), Transfynydd (Welsh place), Rzezsow (Polish - pronouncing is nothing like the way it is spelt), Hammarskjold (UN leader). This is the only Dictionary which supplies the pronunciation of common Proper Names, and fairly uncommon ones. However, almost all dictionaries are already switching to the International Phonetic Transcription, as it can also be used for languages other than English, as the term "International" implies. It is not the Merriam Webster system which Americans are more familiar with. The pronouncing key is the International Phonetic Transcription.
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