Ni-k or Ni-key? It’s been a long-running debate down the years but new research can reveal that those from London still can’t make their mind up.

Of those surveyed from the area, half admitted they would use the pronunciation that rhymes with ‘spikey’, with the rest saying they would articulate the sportswear brand so that it rhymes with ‘spike’.

The results were part of a wider UK survey – conducted by JD – which asked 3081 Brits how they would articulate a whole host of sports fashion brand names such as Nike, adidas, and PUMA.

The ‘Ni-key’ articulation was generally more popular in regions further south with East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East, and South West all preferring this dictation.

What’s more, the shorter-sounding ‘Ni-k’ version was more prevalent in areas further north, with the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, as well as Northern Ireland, agreeing on this sound.

The North West and London, however, were split down the middle and couldn’t agree on either pronunciation.

For the German brand adidas, 61% from the capital revealed they would say ‘a-dee-das’ with an elongated ‘e’ sound, compared to 39% who would call the manufacturer ‘a-d-das’.

All UK regions agreed on the pronunciation as ‘a-dee-das’ but, with 39%, London was one of the areas with the biggest opposition to this articulation – only bettered by the West Midlands (40%).