Q:

What is the correct pronunciation of the word "solder"?

I have been listening to a podcast where the host pronounces the word solder as "sodder" or "sod-der", even "saw-der". Same thing happened when the lecturer of one of my EE classes pronounced the word solder. As for me I pronounce the word solder as "sole-der" with a distinct L and a longish O. 

A:

Depends on if you are British or American. The British say sole-der. Americans say sod-der (for some reason).

A:

This doesn't come from a dictionary, but I had a relative who spent most of his free designing clever circuits (from the 1920s onwards).
He always told me that the correct British pronunciation was "sodder", but that over the years it had started to be pronounced "solder" - which he believed was to avoid the embarrassment of a word that could be misinterpreted as being related to sodomy when speaking to people who didn't have a background in electronics (or pipework!).
He was a very respectable man with a very good knowledge of the English language and how it had evolved during the 20th century - and at least one of his electronicly minded friends also pronounced it "sodder".
Depending on your opinion of natural language, and if you should stick to more traditional, or modern, pronunciations either could therefore be correct.

A:

The OED gives two pronunciations: |ˈsɒldə(r)| and |ˈsəʊdə(r)| 
On WordReference.com, the latter is given as U.S. pronunciation. 
While on the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary they are both given as BrE, while for AmE we have a new one: |ˈsɑːdər|. Here you can check them all out personally, audio included.

