# How do you pronounce Daesh? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350 "2015-11-23T11:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/1 "2015-11-23T11:40:38Z")
What it says on the tin. Daesh is the Arabic language equivalent to ISIS or ISIL. It’s an acronym for the Islamic State, only using Arabic alphabet letters instead of Latin alphabet letters. How should English language speakers manage this term? Come to think of it, is the Arabic language alphabet called an alphabet? I bet it isn’t. What’s that called? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/2 "2015-11-23T13:01:07Z")
/ɡoʊt /ˈfʌkɪŋ /ˈæsˌhoʊlde ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/3 "2015-11-23T13:01:51Z")
I heard it on BBC 4 this morning, they pronounced it Die-esh. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/4 "2015-11-23T13:12:38Z")
Most American TV commentators pronounce it Dash, whether correct or not. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/5 "2015-11-23T13:52:57Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > What it says on the tin. Although the meaning was obvious, I had to google it as this was the first time to hear that expression. > [@](#): > > Come to think of it, is the Arabic language alphabet called an alphabet? I bet it isn’t. What’s that called? It’s an [alphabet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet) because the letters represent phonemes. Other writing systems use syllabaries, such as the Japanese _hiragana_ and _katagana_ in which the characters represent an entire syllable, or logograms such Chinese. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/6 "2015-11-23T13:53:41Z")
It is an alphabet and it’s called an alphabet. Why would you bet that it isn’t? ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/7 "2015-11-23T13:56:19Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Most American TV commentators pronounce it Dash, whether correct or not. I’m sure it’s correct in the way A Rab is correct. I don’t know why these people can’t just get simple names. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/8 "2015-11-23T14:08:49Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > I’m sure it’s correct in the way A Rab is correct. > > I don’t know why these people can’t just get simple names. Really. Familiar or not, the pronunciation seems quite straightforward: die-esh. The first time I encountered this term, I was able to figure out from context that they were talking about ISIS. Actually, I’ve noticed that government officials (ie, Pentagon or State Department people) almost always refer to this group as “ISIL.” Does this mean anything different than “ISIS”? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/9 "2015-11-23T14:28:36Z")
It sounds closer to an elongated “dash” with a slight stutter in the middle to me. More “open up and say ah” than “never say die”. But here’s an Arabic translator pronouncing it around the 2:30 mark. We don’t quite have that vowel sound in English, apparently. [http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-17/isis-isil-or-daesh](http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-17/isis-isil-or-daesh) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/10 "2015-11-23T14:39:13Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > It is an alphabet and it’s called an alphabet. Why would you bet that it isn’t? I was thinking the OP was obliquely asking for the Arabic word for “alphabet”. Merneith, the Arabic word for “alphabet” is الأبجدية, Romanized as **al’abjadia** (literally, “the alphabet”, as the “al’” is the definite article). Interestingly, the Arabic term has been borrowed back into English – **abjad** is a linguistic term that denotes an alphabet that represents consonants but not vowels. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/11 "2015-11-23T15:20:32Z")
“_Dah_” like in “Dot”, followed by “_Esh_” like in “Mesh”. For advanced users: for the “_Esh_”, say it like you were about to say “_Resh_” and changed your mind half-way. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/12 "2015-11-23T16:08:39Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Really. Familiar or not, the pronunciation seems quite straightforward: die-esh. The first time I encountered this term, I was able to figure out from context that they were talking about ISIS. Actually, I’ve noticed that government officials (ie, Pentagon or State Department people) almost always refer to this group as “ISIL.” Does this mean anything different than “ISIS”? ISIS = Islamic State of Iraq & Syria ISIL = Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant These are merely different translations of the final word in the Arabic name (Al-Dawla Al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham); al-Sham denotes an area larger than the present nation of Syria, a “greater Syria” encompassing Jordan, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, and even bits of Turkey. The Levant is a traditional English-language word for much this same region. DAESH or DAIISH come from various transliterations of the Arabic name. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/13 "2015-11-23T18:10:15Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I was thinking the OP was obliquely asking for the Arabic word for “alphabet”. If so that is pretty damn oblique. And I am still trying to figure out what the “tin” is. Seems like it must be the thread title but no idea how you get “tin” out of that. ---
**Author:** ![GregH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@GregH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GregH)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/14 "2015-11-23T19:26:11Z")
The Arabic letter in question is notoriously difficult for English speakers to pronounce. It involves a constriction of the throat muscles that is very unnatural to us. As a result, we’re forced to use a close approximation, which results in several different pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/15 "2015-11-23T19:39:39Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > If so that is pretty damn oblique. > > And I am still trying to figure out what the “tin” is. Seems like it must be the thread title but no idea how you get “tin” out of that. From a British [advertising slogan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Does_exactly_what_it_says_on_the_tin). It means the contents are exactly as described on the outside; in this case in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Bones\_Daley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/16 "2015-11-23T20:08:30Z")
A more intriguing question, of rather more significance than the pronunciation, is why the members of this motley crew hate being referred to as members of DAESH ? Personally, if I ruled the world, I would make it a hanging offence for newspapers and media to refer to them as anything other than DAESH … calling them ISIS or IS or ISIL confers a spurious legitimacy on these cut-throat marauders. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/17 "2015-11-23T23:03:22Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > If so that is pretty damn oblique. > > And I am still trying to figure out what the “tin” is. Seems like it must be the thread title but no idea how you get “tin” out of that. “Tin” refers to a can in British. Loosely, “Just what it says on the label!” ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/18 "2015-11-23T23:06:12Z")
I’ve been pronouncing it “Doosh”. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/19 "2015-11-24T01:58:15Z")
> [@GregH](#): > > The Arabic letter in question is notoriously difficult for English speakers to pronounce. It involves a constriction of the throat muscles that is very unnatural to us. As a result, we’re forced to use a close approximation, which results in several different pronunciations. Not sure what letter it is, but in an Arabic self-study book I have it says that the ع (“'ayn”) is pronounced using throat muscles that English speakers generally only use for one thing–so if you feel like you’re throwing up, you’re doing it right. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350/20 "2015-11-24T03:47:08Z")
> [@Bones\_Daley](#): > > A more intriguing question, of rather more significance than the pronunciation, is why the members of this motley crew hate being referred to as members of DAESH ? > > Personally, if I ruled the world, I would make it a hanging offence for newspapers and media to refer to them as anything other than DAESH … calling them ISIS or IS or ISIL confers a spurious legitimacy on these cut-throat marauders. > **[Islamic State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant)** > > Unorganized cells > Primary target of > The Islamic State (IS),\[a\] also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and by their Arabic acronym Daesh,\[b\] are a transnational Salafi jihadist terrorist group and an unrecognised quasi-state. > [@](#): > > The name Da’ish is often used by ISIL’s Arabic-speaking detractors. It is based on the Arabic letters Dāl, alif, ʻayn, and shīn, which form the acronym (داعش) of ISIL’s Arabic name al-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī al-ʻIrāq wa-al-Shām.[57][58] There are many spellings of this acronym, with “Daesh” gaining acceptance. ISIL considers the acronym Da’ish derogatory because with the appropriate conjugation it sounds similar to the Arabic words Daes, “one who crushes something underfoot”, and Dahes, “one who sows discord”.[36][59] ISIL reportedly uses flogging [60][61] and the cutting out of tongues[62] to punish those who use the term in areas under its control. > [@](#): > > The group is known in Arabic as ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fī 'l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām, leading to the acronym Da’ish or Daesh (داعش, Arabic pronunciation: [ˈdaːʕiʃ]),[36][37] the Arabic equivalent of “ISIL”. On 29 June 2014, the group proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate, with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi being named its caliph, and renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah (الدولة الإسلامية, “Islamic State” (IS). As a caliphate, it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide, and that “the legality of all emirates, groups, states, and organisations, becomes null by the expansion of the khilāfah’s [caliphate’s] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-daesh/738350.md?page=2)