9 Video Game Character Names You’ve Definitely Pronounced Incorrectly
Have you ever played a video game while pronouncing a name a certain way, only to realize later that you have no clue how to actually say it? It happens to the best of us, especially when names aren't said too often in the game.
Here, we are going to take a look at some of the most mispronounced character names that you may be mispronouncing. The 'correct' pronunciation is based on any official content, such as information from the developers or game website. If you pronounce any of these wrong as well, don't worry, you are not alone. We'll also have the correct pronunciation included for each name.
9/9 Lady Dimitrescu – Resident Evil Village
First up, we have Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village. This character made waves when first announced; you can find gamers across the interest entranced by her sheer size. How do you say her name though?
Searching for the correct pronunciation on Reddit leads to a variety of different ways, with some people thinking that the ‘u’ at the end of Dimitrescu is silent. This happens to be the way that it’s pronounced in the game too, but does that make it official? Dimitrescu is a Romanian name, which natives pronounce as “Di-mi-tres-cu”. Overall, it seems that the majority of languages pronounce the 'u' at the end, with English being the only exception.
8/9 A Lot Of Pokemon Names
Rather than one entry, this one consists of several Pokemon names. As we know, Pokemon games do not have any voice acting, which can lead to countless mispronunciations. Below, you can find a list of some of these names that may be difficult to pronounce, along with how to actually pronounce them.
| Pokemon | Correct Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| Arceus | Ar-key-us
|
| Raikou | Rye-koo |
| Dialga | Dee-all-ga |
| Suicune | Swee-koon |
| Yveltal | Ee-vel-tal |
| Phanpy | Fan-pi |
| Rayquaza | Ray-quay-za |
These pronunciations are based on the anime.
7/9 Raiden – Mortal Kombat
Raiden is a character from Mortal Kombat, appearing in the very first game as well as every game since. This is another name that has sparked a lot of debate; the two main ways people pronounce this name are “Rye-den” and “Ray-den”, but which one is correct?
Based on how the word is spent, it makes sense to think “Rye-den”, but it’s actually pronounced “Ray-den”. This is the official English pronunciation. Interestingly, in Japanese, this name is pronounced like “Rah-ee-den”, but the first two parts of the word flow together, making it sound like “rai”.
6/9 Lara Croft – Tomb Raider
Lara Croft from Tomb Raider may seem like an easy name to pronounce, but there are a few different ways people pronounce her name; we’ve seen “Laur-ah”, “Lore-ah”, and “Lar-ah”. This is a real name that often gets mispronounced, but the right way to say it is “Lar-ah”.
It’s easy to see why this name is mispronounced though, as it’s an alternative spelling for the name Laura, which stems from the word “laurel”. Both of these words have a "laur" sound, which can lead to confusion when saying Lara Croft.
5/9 Caius Cosades – Morrowind
Caius Cosades is an Imperial monk in Morrowind with a unique Latin name. This name stretches back thousands of years, and is pronounced as “Kai-us”. Of course, this is not a popular name in modern times, so if you are unfamiliar with Latin names, this may cause you some trouble.
Some common mispronunciations of this name include “Kay-us” and “Kee-us”. Due to the longevity of this name though, there seems to be no official way to say it. “Kai-us” is based on the more common spelling of Gaius, which is usually pronounced as “Guy-us”.
4/9 Tidus – Final Fantasy 10
The pronunciation of Tidus has been up for debate for a while, especially since it was never said in Final Fantasy 10. Some common pronunciations include “Tie-dus” and “Tee-dus”. To make matters more confusing, this name is pronounced two different ways in games.
In Dissidia Final Fantasy, Tidus is pronounced as “Tee-dus”, however in Kingdom Hearts II, we hear “Tie-dus”. This confusion was cleared up by James Arnold Taylor, the voice actor for Tidus. In an interview, he confirmed that the correct way to say this name is “Tee-dus”.
3/9 Xingqui – Genshin Impact
Typically, Chinese names can be difficult for native English speakers to pronounce, and Xingqui from Genshin Impact is no exception. In English, there aren’t too many words that start with an ‘x’, which makes Xingqui a bit hard to say.
The correct way to pronounce Xingqui is “Shing-chio”, but there are some things to keep in mind. The ‘sh’ sound at the start of this word is a bit more exasperated, almost like a ‘z’ sound. When saying Xingqui, try to find a mix between ‘sh’ and ‘z’.
2/9 Cait Sith – Final Fantasy 7
Cait Sith is a cat-like character from Final Fantasy 7, who briefly appears in the remake. The name seems pretty straightforward, with a pronunciation of “Kate-sith”, but surprisingly, this is wrong.
This name is based on a fairy in Celtic mythology, where it is pronounced like “Cat Shee”. The name has never been spoken out loud in a Final Fantasy game yet, but due to the similarities between the character and Celtic mythology, it might be closer to "Cat Shee" instead of "Cate Sith".
1/9 Alphinaud – Final Fantasy 14
Lastly, we have Alphinaud, a character from Final Fantasy 14. If you play this MMO, you’ve probably heard this name spoken out loud, but if you haven’t heard it yet, you might say “Al-fe-nod”, which is incorrect.
The right way to say this character's name is “Al-fi-no”. If you still pronounce it in your head with an ending of ‘nod’, we don’t blame you. Sometimes, it’s easy to just quickly read this name as “Al-fe-nod”.
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