# How do you pronouce "Cthulthu"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 8, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881 "2009-02-08T03:09:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/1 "2009-02-08T03:09:01Z")
I’ve always mentally thought of it as “ka-thul-thoo”, but I have no idea how you’re actually supposed to say c-t-h. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/2 "2009-02-08T03:12:58Z")
It cannot be pronounced by mortal tongue, if you were to hear it pronounced correctly you would awaken the old god and go instantly mad. Yes, that is the correct, canonical answer. I personally pronounce it somewhere around k[sub]ith[/sub]ooloo. Edit: Also, it’s Cthulhu, no second “t”. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/3 "2009-02-08T03:22:06Z")
From [here](http://www.cthulhu.org/cthulhu/index.html): > [@H. P. Lovecraft](#): > > “The actual sound - as nearly as human organs could imitate it or human letters record it - may be taken as something like Khlul’-hloo, with the first syllable pronounced gutturally and very thickly.” > > “The best approximation one can make is to grunt, bark, or cough the imperfectly formed syllables Cluh-Luh with the tip of the tongue firmly affixed to the roof of the mouth. That is, if one is a human being. Directions for other entities are naturally different.” ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/4 "2009-02-08T03:28:01Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > From [here](http://www.cthulhu.org/cthulhu/index.html): Screw that, I’m pronouncing it as far away from his recommendations as possible, because the repercussions of the tiny chance my human mouth and mind achieve a state of clarity and pronounce it correctly are too dire to contemplate. ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/5 "2009-02-08T03:28:21Z")
And here all this time I’ve been pronouncing it “Ch-thoo-loo”. Oh well, _cough_-clue-loo" it is. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/6 "2009-02-08T03:29:48Z")
> [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](#): > > And here all this time I’ve been pronouncing it “Ch-thoo-loo”. Oh well, _cough_-clue-loo" it is. Fool, you’re courting doom here! You hear me? DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! _Cough_ Maybe I should give up those late night Call of Cthulhu games… ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/7 "2009-02-08T03:32:26Z")
ISTR reading once that it was pronounced the same way that a dog would say it, or words to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/8 "2009-02-08T03:39:31Z")
Besides, everyone knows pronouncing it correctly runs the risk of summoning it.:o ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/9 "2009-02-08T03:58:19Z")
Watch, its name is probably correctly pronounced “that which must not be named” and Lovecraft is just trying to save us, then someone is going to say that sentence to avoid courting the Old God’s wrath and screw us all. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/10 "2009-02-08T04:05:01Z")
It’s actually pronounced “Chumley,” but Lovecraft knew that’d never sell. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/11 "2009-02-08T04:06:09Z")
It’s pronounced “Throatwarbler Mangrove” …or Voldemort… ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/12 "2009-02-08T05:17:02Z")
“Chew-loo” is how I say it, which I think is pretty close to “correct” “Kath-thew-loo” just sounds silly, in my opinion. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/13 "2009-02-08T05:31:37Z")
I go with Kuh-thoo-loo ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/14 "2009-02-08T05:45:56Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > It’s actually pronounced “Chumley,” but Lovecraft knew that’d never sell. Ah, how I miss my favorite Call of Cthulu investigator – Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh, linguistics professor at Miskatonic U. I once had him skim through the Pnakotic Manuscripts… before I realized what I was doing. Fortunately, the SAN loss wasn’t too much, _and_ I learned how to brew Space Mead. Good times, good times. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/15 "2009-02-08T05:53:06Z")
“Knock knock.” “Who’s there?” “Cthul.” “Cthul who?” This is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a knock knock. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/16 "2009-02-08T06:00:45Z")
I pronounce it K’too-loo, with the emphasis on the first syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/17 "2009-02-08T06:45:28Z")
Arr, where’s me brother, the necromancer, he’d know the answer to this arcane bit of trivia. Brother, where art thou? Cew thoo loo yodels yoohoo for you, too! ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/18 "2009-02-08T11:10:22Z")
So, um, how do ya pronounce Shub-Niggurath? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/19 "2009-02-08T12:29:58Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > So, um, how do ya pronounce Shub-Niggurath? Funny you should ask that, I just found a really interesting old book in a junkshop yesterday and I’ve been letting the pages dry out a little - it’s as funky as hell! - and one of the early chapters covers pronunciation of obscure Old God names. It’s amazing what people find the time to write down, it really is. Anyway, here goes… Not that I can capture the sound on keyboard anyway, but let me tell you, that sounded odd. Resonant, as if it were reverberating all the way to the stygian depths of the abyssal plain or even some ocean trench. You should try - wait, what’s that? AARRGGHH!!! WTF getitoffm–elpitsclawinmifaecoffogod… , a fadf aqwert34 3t45 f 5egf0=987dfv sdf097dsf . .. .. .. . NO CARRIER ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881/20 "2009-02-08T12:31:06Z")
In the story “Call of Cthulhu” the sound made by some of the cultist is said to be close to Kloo-loo. On the other hand the Call of Cthulhu RPG says it’s pronounced kuh-THOO-loo. They did have a pronunciation guide but I can’t find anything other than Cthulhu off hand (mainly since it’s on the back cover of the 5th Edition rule book). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronouce-cthulthu/484881.md?page=2)