Every name on Namewright comes with a respelling such as lee-RAY-nah or THAH-rehk. Here is how to read them, and how to say fantasy names generally without arguing about it for twenty minutes.
Reading our respellings
Each name is split into syllables with hyphens, and the stressed syllable is written in CAPITALS. sil-VAH-ris is said with the weight on "VAH". Separate parts of a full name are divided by a dot: VOH-rahks · vihn-GAH-nohth.
| We write | Say it like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ah | the a in "father" | Masax: MAH-sahks |
| eh | the e in "bed" | Vinesh: VEE-nehsh |
| ee | the ee in "see" | Liraena: lee-RAY-nah |
| ih | the i in "sit" | Dilsheth: DIHL-shehth |
| oh | the o in "go" | Sonath: SOH-nahth |
| oo | the oo in "moon" | Kranmuk: KRAHN-mook |
| ay | the ay in "day" | Raeth: rayth |
| eye | the word "eye" | Neharvai: neh-HAHR-veye |
| ow | the ow in "cow" | Aurix: OW-rihks |
Tricky letters
- c is always hard, like k: Celeb is "KEH-lehb".
- th is soft, as in "thin", unless written dh.
- x is "ks", as in "axe": Vorax is "VOH-rahks".
- kh and Highland ch are throaty, as in Scottish "loch".
- ae is "ay" in Sylthae and Aurethi, but "eye" in Sunlands (Latin) names.
- y as a vowel is "ih" in a closed syllable and "ee" at the end of one.
- ll in Highland (Welsh-rooted) names is close to "hl", breathed through the side of the tongue.
Where the stress goes
Each tongue has a habit, and following it makes names sound native:
- First syllable: Dûrakh, Gruhk, Vhaerzyn (drow), Tinkletongue (gnomes), Snikkit (goblins), Hearthen (halflings), and Old English and Celtic human names.
- Second-to-last: Sylthae, Aurethi, Ashmodri, Xarthic and Kaluthi (goliaths).
- Latin rule: Sunlands names stress the second-to-last syllable, unless its vowel stands directly before another vowel, in which case the stress moves back one: MAH-ree-oos, not mah-REE-oos.
The apostrophe
An apostrophe inside a name, as in a drow house like Vel'zyr, marks a short catch in the breath (a glottal stop), like the middle of "uh-oh". It is never silent and never an extra syllable.
The golden rule
The "correct" pronunciation is the one your table agrees on in session one and uses consistently. Respellings are a starting point, so decide early, write it on your character sheet, and say it with confidence.