Pronunciation Poise: Vice Versa

“Vice versa" is a Latin phrase well-known by many to mean "the other way around" or "with the relations reversed," but how is it properly said?

1. vy-suh vur-sa

2. vyse vur-sa

3. vyse vurse

4. 1 and 2 are equally correct.

And the answer is "1 and 2 are equally correct." Although "vy-suh vur-sa" is the traditionally correct way to pronounce this Latin phrase, "vyse vur-sa," which entered dictionaries in the 1960s, has now become equally correct.