Today I’m going to be talking about those names in books that every single one of your friends pronounce differently. The sort of name you (if you’re like me) just try ignore until you have to say it out loud and suddenly realise you have no clue how to pronounce it. Some well known examples are Chaol and Celaena from the Throne of Glass series, as well as plenty of others I can’t remember right now.
So how do we combat these tricky names no one can pronounce?
The first option is to just try and ignore them, which is probably my usual approach, however it can turn out problematic if you ever end up talking to your bookish friends and all pronounce it differently. Or, even worse you end up speaking to the other and can’t pronounce your favourite character’s name.
The second choice is to do some research. Often fantasy authors feel their readers’ pain when it comes to difficult names and add a little pronunciation guide to their novels or you can find it online, on the author’s website or even listen to the audiobook. This makes you look super professional and knowledgeable.
The third option is to have a debate. Ask your family and friends. Bookish or non-bookish. How would they pronounce that name? This option means the pronunciation you choose is the most popular choice so you’ll at least be in the majority, even if you do end up being wrong.
The fourth and final option is to pronounce the name a different way each time you say until you find a pronunciation you like and then stick with that one. That way you’ll have tried all the possible pronunciations and ruled the ones you don’t like out. At least you’ll be happy this way and it doesn’t require much effort on your part.
So which option do you go with? How do you tackle names you just can’t pronounce? What examples of unpronounceable names have you come across?
alwaysopinionatedgirl 
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff
Oh God! I remember when the Harry Potter books first took off and no one could agree on how Hermione was supposed to be pronounced. The debate grew quite heated until, if I remember correctly, Rowling herself stepped in and set things to rights.
alwaysopinionatedgirl
Yes! There’s a part in the book where she explains how to say her name, which Rowling wrote to help readers. I forgot about that one! X
Annika @ Hiding in Books
This is such a good topic! There are SO many examples.. Basically every name in the Kingkiller chronicle – Kvothe, Tarbean… I think I go with your last option – try out different pronunciations until I settle on a pretty one. Although sometimes I do some stalking on the internets to figure it out 😉
Great post!
alwaysopinionatedgirl
Thanks! I haven’t read that series, but those names certainly sound hard to pronounce. I’ve just tried to say those two out loud and just sounded laughable. X
Briana
I always find it hilarious when the authors write in a scene where the character has to explain to someone how to pronounce their name…obviously for the benefit of the readers.
alwaysopinionatedgirl
Definitely! Like the time Hermione explained how to say her name. The author obviously gets sick of answering questions over and over again so solves that problem by writing it into the book. Quite ingenious if you ask me! X
Aj @ Read All The Things!
I don’t read a lot of fantasy, so this isn’t a problem that I have very often, but I did just read a book where most of the characters have stupid, unpronounceable names. I just skimmed over them when I was reading. I would have no idea how to say them out loud.
S. Hunter Nisbet
That’s what I do too. I think it’s silly of authors to do this. Yes, you can pronounce it, but don’t you want readers to talk?
alwaysopinionatedgirl
Indeed, readers are a lot less likely to recommend your book to others if they can’t pronounce any of the names to describe it! X
alwaysopinionatedgirl
It can really be tough when you have completely unpronounceable names all the time and have to just do your best to skim over them. I find that kind of annoying! X
Find Me at the Library
This is literally the story of my life! When I read the Throne of Glass series, I couldn’t pronounce majority of the names…then I found the pronunciation guide at THE BACK OF THE BOOK. Hermione was a strange one as well.
alwaysopinionatedgirl
Pronunciation guides should always be found at the beginning of the book, no use knowing how to pronounce the names after you’ve finished the entire book! X
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