Are You Pronouncing Reese’s Wrong?

October 30, 2023
1 min read

Reese’s peanut butter cups have been one of the top-selling candies in the U.S. for decades.

With their distinctive (and seasonally fitting) orange, yellow, and black packaging, they are among the most popular and plentiful candy treats you’re sure to spot in many Halloween bags and buckets this week—but are you saying the candy’s name correctly?

Related: The Most Popular Halloween Candies From 1939 to Today 

The History of Reese’s 

According to the Hershey website, the origin of Reese’s goes back nearly a century, when a man named H.B. Reese, who worked for The Hershey Company at the time, began making candy in the basement of his home in Hershey, Pennsylvania. In 1928, he made confectionery history when he got the idea to mix the now-iconic combination of chocolate and peanut butter to make Peanut Butter Cups.

Reese started his own company, but remained closely connected to The Hershey Company and always bought his chocolate from them. In 1963, several years after the death of H. B. Reese, his six sons (who had taken over the business), sold the Reese operation to The Hershey Company, and Reese’s remains a part of the Hershey umbrella of brands today.

The Reese’s brand has expanded quite a bit over the years and now includes roughly 100 products, ranging from cereal to cookies–although they will likely always be best known for their peanut butter cups. 

Related: 17 Fresh-Baked Recipes Make with Leftover Halloween Candy

How to Pronounce Reese’s 

When asked for official confirmation of the proper way to pronounce Reese’s, a rep for Hershey pointed us to this fun new Halloween video (narrated, like many Reese’s ads, by Will Arnett). You can hear the correct pronunciation of the name in the video.

The pronunciation of the name is actually pretty simple when you think about basic grammatical rules. It’s the possessive form of Reese, so it’s pronounced the same as if you were talking about actor/director Reese Witherspoon’s upcoming work: “Reese’s new projects will include…” It also rhymes with “pieces,” as in Reese’s Pieces. 

Related: Reese Witherspoon and Her Pup Twin in Matching Striped Sweaters–See the Photos

But that doesn’t prevent some people from putting their own spin on the name. The most common alternative pronunciation sounds like Ree-SEES, as in the TikToks below. 

View the original article to see embedded media.

View the original article to see embedded media.

But no matter how you say it, one thing we can all agree on is they are a delicious Halloween must-have! 

Next up, check out all the songs and dances for Halloween’s ‘Monster Night’ on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’

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