Answer :

Final answer:

The word 'niche' can be pronounced as 'nee-sh' or 'nitch.' Pronunciation variations can occur because of the presence of unusual sequences of phonemes in English words, like the 'ndw' sequence in 'sandwich.'

Explanation:

The correct way to pronounce the word niche can vary, but it is commonly pronounced as either nee-sh or nitch. Pronunciation can be influenced by different factors, which can lead to variations in the way words are said. One reason for pronunciation variation is the presence of an unusual sequence of phonemes in a word, which can be difficult for speakers of English.

For example, the word sandwich in some accents has a careful pronunciation of ['sændwîč], while in casual speech, it's often pronounced as ['sæmwîč], omitting the 'd' sound due to the rare sequence [ndw]. However, this simplification doesn't always apply to words with similar sequences, such as bandwidth, which maintains its phonetic composition in most accents.