How to pronounce (insert word here)? - the master list [merged]

[nute]

Balor? Isn't that just something that was made up to avoid getting sued by Tolkien's estate? As such, it might be pronounced "Napolean Bonaparte" for all I know (though I've always pronounced it "Bah'-lore").

EDIT: Just found a reference to Balor in Irish mythology, but no pronunciation guidelines.

Like you said, Balor comes from an Irish root. Given the Irish etymology of similar words like "bane" and banshee from "bane sidhe", the long 'a' seems to be prevalent. Also, because they're nasty bad things, pronouncing the long 'a' immediately brings "bane" to mind, meaning, of course - bad.

"Drow" has been argued back and forth, but official (as official as you CAN get for a fictional word) sources seem to stick with "cow" rather than "show".

"Svirfneblin" just seems instinctively phonetic, somehow.

 

[Munin]

I have trouble with several of the demon species. Babau comes to mind.
Is it Bab-oo as in baboon without the 'n' or bab-oh?

 

[Sejs]

How about "Catoblepas"

never could figure that one out. No pronunciation I can think of feels very natural.

Yeah, it's not that elegant a word, heh. I've always just pronounced it "Cattle-paws"

Babau

Bab (first half of babble) ow (as in "ow, that hurt")

"Svirfneblin" just seems instinctively phonetic, somehow.

Agreed, heh. My wife, on the other hand, just insists on calling them Smurf Bedouins. I think she does this in part to make fun of me.

 

[Angcuru]

Supercalafragilisticexpialadocious - Mary Poppins Must Die.

 

[HiLiphNY]

Otyugh. . .anyone? Not evern sure on the spelling there, and no MM or SRD to check where I'm at now.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

it rhymes with bow and row

It thought it rhymed with cow and now.

 

[Sejs]

Oaty ("My, this granola sure has alot of oats in it. It's quite oaty.") Ugh (sound a caveman makes.)

 

[reanjr]

I've always had problems with the psionic Gith-whatchamacallits. Help?
I've seen the same question asked about 'drow', but that's an easy one. You generally don't look too silly stumbling over one-syllable words. (On the other hand, what was the final determination?)

Gith-ZAIR-eye
Gith-YONK-ee
Drow rhymes with ow

 

[RithTheAwakener]

i say EBB-ER-RON

 

[maddman75]

Everyone knows that drow rhymes with bow.