Realize there is another variant of the word. Some people, including some very prominent people, incorrectly say “nuke-you-lerr” or “Nu-cu-lar.” The mispronunciation of nuclear is so common that it’s found its way into popular culture. In the 1989 Woody Allen film “Crimes and Misdemeanors," Mia Farrow’s character says she would not fall in love with a man who pronounced the word “nucular." Another version of this is “NOO-kyuh-lur.” President George W. Bush, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Bill Clinton have pronounced the word this way in the past. President Jimmy Carter said “newkeeuh.” Homer Simpson still says “nucular.”
Decide whether you want to say the word this way. American dictionaries now recognize “NOO-kyuh-luhr” as an accepted variant of the word. That’s not the end of the story, though. When a usage panel was convened by Harper Dictionary, members rejected this pronunciation 99 to 1. People might be confusing the word with words like “circular” and “secular.” At least one book attempted to argue the presidential versions were actually correct and that weapons labs since WW2 used the “nucular” pronunciation. It’s not a settled issue, though, so if you want to be safe, say, “NEW-clee-er.”
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