The word is derived from Turkish: yoğurt,[3] and is related to the obsolete verb yoğmak "to be curdled or coagulated; to thicken".[4] The letter ğ was traditionally rendered as "gh" in transliterations of Turkish prior to 1928.[5] In older Turkish, the letter denoted a voiced velar fricative /ɣ/, but this sound is elided between back vowels in modern Turkish, in which the word is pronounced [joˈuɾt].
In English, there are several variations of the spelling of the word, including yogurt, yoghurt, yoghourt, yogourt, yaghourt, yoghurd, joghourt, and jogourt.[6][7][8] In the United Kingdom and Australia, yogurt and yoghurt are both current, yoghurt being more common[9] while yogurt is used by the Australian and British dairy councils,[10][11] and yoghourt is an uncommon alternative. In the United States, yogurt is the usual spelling and yoghurt a minor variant. In New Zealand, yoghurt is preferred by the New Zealand Oxford Dictionary.[12] In Canada, yogurt is most common among English speakers,[9] but many brands use yogourt,[citation needed] since it is an acceptable spelling in both English and French, the official languages of Canada.
Whatever the spelling, the word is usually pronounced with a short o (/ˈjɒɡət/) in the UK, with a long o (/ˈjoʊɡərt/) in North America, Australia, Ireland and South Africa, and with either a long or short o in New Zealand.