Most mispronounced monster names

[Turjan]

You could always just say land shark. But, yes, if following the conventions of French, "boo-LETT."

That's nearly correct. Just that the "boo" sound is more like the German "ü" .

 

[mcrow]

Drizzt


I have never been sure of this one. I though my whole life that it pronounced just like it looks but with a silent T. Then I run into this group that pronounces it Drits (DRI - as in dribble and ts as in it's). Since I have no idea where they got that from I just stuck with way I always said it. So what is the concensus on this one?

 

[davidschwartznz]

How do you pronounce Dragonne?

Dragonnnnn. Like 'dragon', but instead of a schwa in the second syllable, an 'o' as in 'on' and about five 'n's.

'Ixitxachitl' is Nahuatl (Aztec). So: ee-sheet-shah-kee-tluh.

Although the 'proper' pronounciation of 'sahuagin' is roughly 'say who again?' ever since I ran my last Maztica game (as seen in Dragon #315, plug plug), I've pronounced it as if it were Nahuatl: suh-woh-ggen - with the 'hua' pronounced like in chihuahua.

 

[Turjan]

Drizzt


I have never been sure of this one. I though my whole life that it pronounced just like it looks but with a silent T. Then I run into this group that pronounces it Drits (DRI - as in dribble and ts as in it's). Since I have no idea where they got that from I just stuck with way I always said it. So what is the concensus on this one?

I have heard "Drizzit" . Personally, I just pronounce it as written.

 

[Teemu]

You could also adopt the old Mayan "x" pronunciation, which is like a soft "sh" (for instance, the old Mayan ruin of Uaxactun is pronounced {roughly} "Wah-shawk-toon"), and the "ch" is a harder "k" (Queztalcoatl is roughly "Ketz-all-ko-aw-tle") which would then make it something along the lines of "Ish-it-shaw-kee-tle"

That sounds good, too. Though, why did you use 'Queztalcoatl' as an example when it has no 'ch' sound? Is the 'ch' in 'Tenochitlan' a 'k' sound or a more traditional 'ch', as in 'charred'?

a whore of tilipia tan rice

A horde of terrible Tanar'ri?

 

[Warrior Poet]

'Ixitxachitl' is Nahuatl (Aztec). So: ee-sheet-shah-kee-tluh.

Sweet! I was almost right! I love being almost right!

Thanks for this: learn something new every day: I didn't know it was called Nahuatl. Cool.

Back to your regularly scheduled difficult pronunciations.

Warrior Poet

 

[Warrior Poet]

That sounds good, too. Though, why did you use 'Queztalcoatl' as an example when it has no 'ch' sound? Is the 'ch' in 'Tenochitlan' a 'k' sound or a more traditional 'ch', as in 'charred'?

Because, much like Donny at the bowling alley in The Big Lebowski, I'm out of my element.

You caught me on that one. Don't know. Was going for an example, didn't hold up. I'll leave the Nahuatl expertise to davidschwartznz!

Warrior Poet

 

[Omand]

Hello,

The offending pronunciation guide in question can be found:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/dnddefinitivefaq.asp

Cheers

 

[reveal]

Hello,

The offending pronunciation guide in question can be found:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/dnddefinitivefaq.asp

Cheers

For those like me too lazy to scroll down:

How do you pronounce...?

Here are some commonly mispronounced words and their dictionary pronunciations where they are available and common-practice pronunciations or TSR rulings where they not. For more general pronunciation help, see the article "Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd" by Frank Mentzer in Dragon #93 (Jan. 1985). For help pronouncing words and names specific to the Forgotten Realms setting, see the Forgotten Realms box and the trilogy of Forgotten Realms deity books. For help pronouncing the names of the various tanar'ri and baatezu types, see MC8 Outer Planes Appendix.

Aarakocra: a-rah-KO-krah
Arquebus: AR-keh-bus
Baatezu: bay-AH-teh-zu or BAH-teh-zu
Bardiche: bar-DEESH
Bulette: boo-LAY
Catoblepus: kuht-OH-bleh-puhs, also kah-TA-ble-pus
Chatkcha: CHAT-k-cha (thri-kreen throwing weapon)
Chimera: ky-MAEE-ruh, or ky-MAIR-ruh (rhymes with "care of")
Chitin: KITE-in
Cuirass: KWEE-rass
Drow: DRAU (as in drowsy; rhymes with now and how)
Dweomer: DWEH-mer (rhymes with "hem her"), or DWIH-mer; sometimes DWEE-mer
Falchion: FAL-chun
Geas: GEE-ass, or GYASS (both with a hard "g")
Gygax: GY-gaks
Halberd: HAL-berd, (not HAL-bread)
Herb: ERB
Ioun: EYE-oon
Iuz: YOOZ or EE-uz
Ixitxachitl: iks-it-ZATCH-i-til or ik-zit-zah-chih-tull
Lich: LITCH (as in ditch), *not* LIKE or LICK
Lycanthrope: LY-kun-throhp, LY-kan-throhp (like lichen rope/my tan rope)
Lycanthropy: ly-KAN-thruh-pee
Mage: MAGE (as in age), *not* MADGE (as in badger)
Melee: MAY-lay
Otyugh: AHT-yuhg
Sahuagin: sah-HWAH-gin
Scythe: syth (rhymes with tithe)
Svirfneblin: svirf-NEB-lin
Tanar'ri: tah-NAHR-ree
Tarrasque: tah-RASK
THAC0: either THAK-oh, or THAKE-oh
Vargouille: var-GWEEL
Vrock: vrahk
Wyvern: WIH-vern (as in did learn), or WHY-vern
Zaknafein: zack-NAY-fee-in

 

[Henry]

On the Drizzt Pronunciation:

R.A. Salvatore insists it's DRIZZ-T, with the "ZZ" and the "TUH" sound next to one another.

HOWEVER:

In one of the Homeland novels, Drizzt first meets a human child who is scared of him; he pronounces his name to the child (unable to speak common himself), and the child runs, screaming,

"HELP! IT'S A DRIZZIT!"

So maybe he changed his mind?