What Game/Character Name Mispronunciation irks you?

[Calvinien]

Poh-KEE-mon

God I hate that. Many of these other mistakes are understandable due to the lack of a pronunciation guide. But pokemon has had an established pronunciation since it launched.

Even more infuriating is that people make the mistake even when they should knwo not to. Ask a 90s kid to sing the pokemon theme and they can all do it. Ask them immediately afterwards what show that is from and they will say Pokeemon.
YOU JUST SANG Pokémon. Like a billion times. It's the fucking chorus. It has an acute accent on it and no official media uses the incorrct pronunciation. Even in canada where everything is bilingual and many people know about french accetns from grade school, they still get it wrong.

It feels intentional.

 

[JohnnyToonami]

Maybe this is a good place to ask but did some people in other countries apart from Spain called Bowser during the NES and Supernes days Boswer?


Less than the Yeniffer shit but I have also seen a lot of people write Geralt as Gerald or Gerard lol

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Giant Bomb still don't know how to say his name right.

 

[Gundam]

Rye-You

Ray-Den

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depending on which character you mean, "Ray-Den" is correct

 

[His Majesty]

People who mispronounce Geraldo de Riviera.

 

[SPRidley]

Giant Bomb still don't know how to say his name right.

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I will never understand why people find it so difficult. Is it mostly americans?

Ocariner of Time
Pokaymen
Gee-ovanni <- this really upsets me, it's pronounced Joevanni ffs

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By that thing you wrote there you mean Giovanni, as in the italian name thats used for the villain in pokemon? Becuase I can assure you it doesnt sound anything of how you wrote it there lol

 

[Deleted member 48813]

Do people misspelling Wind Waker as Wind Walker count? Because I still see that happen quite frequently and I hate it =P

Also, people who pronounce Mario as "Meh-rio".

 

[Jonovision]

Gee-ovanni <- this really upsets me, it's pronounced Joevanni ffs

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its a pun on Geo for ground type he uses

 

[Kyubajin]

It's Spanish, so "grease" is ok as many of you have pointed out.

 

[Romain]

Mostly these "mispronunciations" come from regional accents. The Lara/Laura thing could come straight down on how your rhotic 'R's are pronounced and what type of American or British regional accent you're using. Just pronounce Lara the "right way" with certain British accents and you'll get something remarkably similar sounding to "Laura".

Similarly with Mario and "Mare-ee-oh"...it's an American accent pronunciation that's happened for years:

https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/23/magazine/on-language-marry-o-mahr-yo.html

Like that article suggests, unless you're doing the R correctly with an Italian roll and making it nearly a 2 syllable name, the rightness or wrongness of the pronunciation comes down to accent.

If you talk to a person from New Jersey and say they are pronouncing Mario wrong and then say it Mah-ree-oh they may not be able to even hear the difference.

That's accents.



I guess the above applies to you too. This is accents at work.

It'd be like hearing a French Canadian say the name Theodore and then lambasting them for not doing the "TH" sound correctly.

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I understand how accents work. As I am not a native English speaker, there are tons of words that I don't pronounce correctly (and believe me, Americans never run out of ways to show you that they don't understand your accent).

What I meant was that Ubisoft is a French company founded by French people. The company was founded as "Ubisoft" it's simple really.

Another example. 99% of French people say "Diss nay" instead of "Deeznee" when we talk about Disney. And those of us who speak English know that it's not the correct way to pronounce it.

 

[Look! The Pie!]

Father Gascoigne springs to mind, both in terms of the number of people who mangle his name and the sheer variety of ways in which they do so.

 

[Bamboo]

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What?!?!?! Mind blown. I apologize. I don't know why I assumed it was Gree - I am Canadian though so it seemed natural.

Though I still stand by what I said that it irks me lol even if I am the one in the wrong.

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ahaha. ok close down the thread.

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Oh god, that's so dumb.

Reminds me of this.

 

[Mifec]

English people trying to say Japanese words in general.

Gaiden specifically.

All of Resetera mispronouncing Cait Sith.

 

[RPTGB]

Genesis instead of MegaDrive...

 

[Karlinel]

Raiden as Rayden, and the worst, nukular instead of nuclear.

 

[Nachos]

This doesn't irk me but I might as well use this thread for a definitive answer: the "u" in Amaterasu is supposed to be silent, right?

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Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it depends on the the words around it in a sentence and the speaker's accent. When it's said by itself, you can still hear the "u" at the end, though it's not nearly as pronounced as an English "ooh" sound. But sometimes it will get minimized to the point that it sounds closer to "Amateras".

 

[Teeth]

I understand how accents work. As I am not a native English speaker, there are tons of words that I don't pronounce correctly (and believe me, Americans never run out of ways to show you that they don't understand your accent).

What I meant was that Ubisoft is a French company founded by French people. The company was founded as "Ubisoft" it's simple really.

Another example. 99% of French people say "Diss nay" instead of "Deeznee" when we talk about Disney. And those of us who speak English know that it's not the correct way to pronounce it.

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I mean, if we're going to go by the way Yves pronounces it, it sounds a lot like "You-bee-soft"



But I'm also not going to pronounce Yves Guillemot like "Why-vess Gwill-mott".

I'm just saying that for words that are abstractions like names, it's kinda whatever. An American (which I'm not) is not going to say Diss-nay nor Deeznee...they would probably say DIZnee and realize that those two other pronunciations are just regional accents.

EDIT: the other thing with this stuff is that sometimes people, due to dialect unfamiliarity, sometimes can't even HEAR the difference between the pronunciations. Like, there are tons of inflections of Chinese language parts that I know I can't even hear. That same thing can happen to English speakers within their own language until explicitly taught to notice it.

 

[Aurica]

Most Japanese pronunciations, but it's usually not worth correcting. Not a name, but manga is probably the one that irks me the most, though. People will be like, "I love maynga!" Do you? But most names aren't worth getting bent out of shape over unless they're so far off that they're not recognizable. I'm not gonna tell my family that the "u" in my friend Yuki's name needs to be a long vowel. He isn't bothered by it.

Street Fighter's Ryu said as "Rye-You". It's Ree-You.

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That isn't correct, either. It's one syllable. Ryu (long u sound, too).

I wouldn't say anything, but this thread feels like a free pass to be a pedant.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Raiden

They pronounce is RAAEE DEN

It is pronounced RAY - DEN like in Mortal Kombat games.

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It is not. It's pronounced closer to Rye-den, according to the Japanese.

 

[Bamboo]

This doesn't irk me but I might as well use this thread for a definitive answer: the "u" in Amaterasu is supposed to be silent, right?

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Yeah, at least that's how I've heard it. Ah-mah-teh-rah-ss

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Not really speaking japanese, but from what I know about the language is, that every word ends on a vowel (except for n ん ). They might be swallowed sometimes, especially in more informal settings, but ending on a vowel - with the U in this case - is usually the right way. Maybe someone speaking japanese can explain it better?!

 

[Deleted member 1476]

LaUra Croft.

 

[InfiniDragon]

"Aerith"

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They said mispronunciations there champ, not "canon names I dislike because I prefer the original localization".

 

[Deleted member 35204]

By that thing you wrote there you mean Giovanni, as in the italian name thats used for the villain in pokemon? Becuase I can assure you it doesnt sound anything of how you wrote it there lol

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I thought me being a native Italian speaker born, raised and currently living in Italy would mean i know how to pronounce names such as Giovanni but i guess not 🤔

 

[Lunir]

OMG!

Cæda from Fire Emblem. I didn't know how to pronounce it prior to Fire Emblem Warriors; and i always thought it was very different from her japanese name "Shiida".

Then I heard the æ was pronounced like "Ciida" and I... OOP!

 

[Voyevoda]

Characters pronouncing Geralt as "Jéralte" in the French dub of the Witcher. Hate it. Hard G!

 

[SPRidley]

I thought me being a native Italian speaker born, raised and currently living in Italy would mean i know how to pronounce names such as Giovanni but i guess not 🤔

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Then I didnt understand they way you wrote it there becuase I was thinking about the italian pronunciation. My bad lol
EDIT
Oh shit, now I udnerstand why you write it like that hahaha

 

[Giga Man]

Mayreeo the thread.

 

[Deleted member 47076]

In middle school, I knew a kid who for some reason pronounced Zelda like "Zeal-duh" once and it both irked me and made me laugh.

 

[shaneo632]

At my school several people called Dynasty Warriors "Destiny Warriors" and didn't believe I was right until I brought the case in to show them lmao (this was like 2001 so pre-smartphones obvs).

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

https://www.polygon.com/2016/7/13/12172954/how-do-you-pronounce-ubisoft

It's both. It's short for "Ubiquitous Software", which would normally make it You-Bee-Soft

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[Aurica]

I thought me being a native Italian speaker born, raised and currently living in Italy would mean i know how to pronounce names such as Giovanni but i guess not 🤔

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This thread is funny.

 

[Prophet Five]

They said mispronunciations there champ, not "canon names I dislike because I prefer the original localization".

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sorry I hurt your feelings. It'll be okay I promise.

 

[MrMegaPhoenix]

Honestly, I'm more annoyed by those japanophiles who use Japanese names that most of us don't know just because of an obsession with Japanese culture. I don't mind bad or ignorant pronounciation, but it's a lot more insufferable when people know exactly how to say it but still use words we mostly don't know.

But yeah, my wife is Chinese and so it just seems hurtful to be annoyed by poor pronunciation. You either know what is being said or you get clarification, no big deal

 

[Neoxon]

• Karin (Street Fighter)
  • RIGHT: Kah-Reen
  • WRONG: Kare-Rin

 

[Deleted member 27938]

Ys as "wise" "eyes" or Y-S
I'm pretty sure I'm wrong on this one, but Samus's last name, Aran. I think I heard it "Air un" from a character in game but I always read it as "uh ran"

 

[RadiantDan]

"Pokeymon"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/É

In English, the e-acute has some uses, mostly in words of French origin, such as née, résumé, fiancée, sauté and coupé and names such as Beyoncé, Breneé, JonBenét, and Théo. Pokémon, the media franchise owned by Japanese corporation Nintendo, uses [k]é to signify the proper pronunciation of the katakana ケ.

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[hankenta]

OMG!

Cæda from Fire Emblem. I didn't know how to pronounce it prior to Fire Emblem Warriors; and i always thought it was very different from her japanese name "Shiida".

Then I heard the æ was pronounced like "Ciida" and I... OOP!

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Do they really use æ/Æ? Because that wouldn't sound anything like Shiida.

 

[MP!]

Mare-ee-oh

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ugh I hate this one

Fuckin' saying SNES instead of S.N.E.S.

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UGGGH this one is AWFUL

One of Ubisoft's founders said that one of the Guillemot Brothers made up the word "Ubi" and thought that it sounded good.

The "ubiquitous" part came later. Besides, "ubiquité" in French isn't pronounced "youbiquité." So it's not "Youbisoft." I've been to Ubi's French headquarters a number of times and nobody ever says "Youbisoft."

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interesting ... I used to say OOB
cause I speak spanish... and figured it was correct for french as well...
but THEN I remember somewhere around 2013 for some reason "YOU" was forced down my throat and I forced myself to change how I say it... maybe I should force back.

 

[Kor of Memory]

This doesn't irk me but I might as well use this thread for a definitive answer: the "u" in Amaterasu is supposed to be silent, right?

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No idea how legit this is but my Japanese Language teacher in college told me it's usually a cross between a dialect and a masculine feminine thing.

just like the word Desu.

according to him: women are more likely to pronounce it "desu" while men pronounce it like "des"

 

[MP!]

Ocariner of Time
Pokaymen
Gee-ovanni <- this really upsets me, it's pronounced Joevanni ffs

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this one I dont think is so simple

Giovanni uses a diphthong... so while you'recorrect in saying it's one syllable I would think that the O should not wipe out the I but blend together
Something like a Jyovanni is more accurate here.

 

[Sterling's Gold]

The Witcher on Netflix pronouncing the made up fantasy words with ae spellings with an "ay" sound rather than an "eh" sound.

i.e. Aedirn as "Ay-durn" rather than "Eh-durn" (game pronunciation)
same with Kaedwen: "Kay-dwin" rather than "Keh-dwin" (game)

These words are made up but the game pronunciations make more sense to me and I am used to them.

I was very mildly annoyed by this!

 

[Deleted member 41638]

"Aerith"

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TerminatorxApolloCreedbiceps.gif

 

[MP!]

Raiden as Rayden, and the worst, nukular instead of nuclear.

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haha

unrelated to gaming but similar to your nuclear... REALTOR
is pronounced REAL-TOR
not Real-UH-tor

that one Irks me a ton haha

 

[darthbob]

Father Gascoigne springs to mind, both in terms of the number of people who mangle his name and the sheer variety of ways in which they do so.

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How is that name pronounced? Gas-swan? I legit have no idea lmao

 

[SiG]

"Ryhe-you"

 

[DaciaJC]

Father Gascoigne springs to mind, both in terms of the number of people who mangle his name and the sheer variety of ways in which they do so.

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Is "Gascon" close enough? I believe Eileen pronounces his name in-game but I don't remember exactly how she says it.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

HO HOO It's-a me

MARE-E-OH.

 

[Slamtastic]

Poh-KEE-mon

God I hate that. Many of these other mistakes are understandable due to the lack of a pronunciation guide. But pokemon has had an established pronunciation since it launched.

Even more infuriating is that people make the mistake even when they should knwo not to. Ask a 90s kid to sing the pokemon theme and they can all do it. Ask them immediately afterwards what show that is from and they will say Pokeemon.
YOU JUST SANG Pokémon. Like a billion times. It's the fucking chorus. It has an acute accent on it and no official media uses the incorrct pronunciation. Even in canada where everything is bilingual and many people know about french accetns from grade school, they still get it wrong.

It feels intentional.

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How about official English media having no consistency between "Po Kay Mon", "Po Keh Mon", "Po Kih Mon" and "Po Kuh Mon"?

 

[MakgSnake]

Most Japanese pronunciations, but it's usually not worth correcting. Not a name, but manga is probably the one that irks me the most, though. People will be like, "I love maynga!" Do you? But most names aren't worth getting bent out of shape over unless they're so far off that they're not recognizable. I'm not gonna tell my family that the "u" in my friend Yuki's name needs to be a long vowel. He isn't bothered by it.

That isn't correct, either. It's one syllable. Ryu (long u sound, too).

I wouldn't say anything, but this thread feels like a free pass to be a pedant.

It is not. It's pronounced closer to Rye-den, according to the Japanese.

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I guess because MK came out in the 90's and we got used to it. Didn't know that. Good to know.

So used to saying RAYDEN now. Lol

 

[Look! The Pie!]

How is that name pronounced? Gas-swan? I legit have no idea lmao

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Is "Gascon" close enough? I believe Eileen pronounces his name in-game but I don't remember exactly how she says it.

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Gas-coin

 

[monmagman]

Laura Croft.
.......I'll tell you what really annoys me though......Bloodbourne.

 

[The Vathlonian]

The only one that really annoys me is when people say Laura instead of Lara.

There's no U there.

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since when do you actually pronounce these two differently :O