# How do you pronounce "Eyjafjallajkull"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870 "2010-04-21T16:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/1 "2010-04-21T16:28:22Z")
I heard Al Roker, don’t know if that’s the correct pronounciation. But I couldn’t reproduce that from memory. Help! ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/2 "2010-04-21T16:36:08Z")
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull.ogg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull.ogg) Sounds like “Ay-va-loogck” to me, although I’m probably missing some syllables there. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/3 "2010-04-21T16:46:20Z")
My friend’s Icelandic wife says the best approximation is something like EH-yuh-FYAT-luh-yeu-k’l. If you remember that the Js are pronounced like Ys, the only thing that’s really unexpected (for a non-Icelandic speaker) is that “ll” is pronounced with like “tl”. (The final “ll” is kind of swallowed, though.) I have no speakers on this PC so can’t comment on how similar that is to the audio clip. However the Wikipedia [talk page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull#Right_sound_bite.3F_.2F_New_pronunciation.2C_please) says: > [@](#): > > he’s saying “Eyjafjallajökull” alright, but quite casually. He pronounces it the way you would pronounce it in the middle of a sentence spoken at normal to high speed. Edit: BTW the OP is missing a letter in the name. It’s Eyjafjallajökull. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/4 "2010-04-21T16:55:14Z")
[Another article with much discussion and audio clips.](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2257) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/5 "2010-04-21T17:45:09Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I heard Al Roker, don’t know if that’s the correct pronounciation. But I couldn’t reproduce that from memory. Help! [Throatwarbler Mangrove](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyQvjKqXA0Y). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/6 "2010-04-21T18:48:35Z")
“Volcano” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/7 "2010-04-21T18:52:26Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > “Volcano” _Icelandic_ volcano. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/8 "2010-04-21T19:31:34Z")
I say it as /ˈeɪaˌfjatlaˌjœkʏtl̥/ (roughly “EY-ah-FYAT-lah-YEUH-kutl”). It may help to keep the following things in mind concerning Icelandic pronunciation in general: [ul] [li]\ is pronounced, as in most European languages, as the English \[/li][li]\<ö\> is pronunced as in German, or like the French \[/li][li]\ is usually pronounced as English \, as in “hatless”. But in the case of Eyjafjallajökull, the second \ is voiceless[/li][li]\ is pronounced /ʏ/. This one is pretty tricky, as that sound doesn’t really occur in most dialects of English, nor very prominently in languages that English speakers are likely to be familiar with. The sound is similar to that of \<ö\>.[/li][li]Stress is always on the first syllable. This word happens to be a compound of the three words _eyja_ (island), _fjalla_ (mountain), and _jökull_ (glacier), so you’ll stress the first syllable of each.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/9 "2010-04-21T21:38:31Z")
“Bob”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/10 "2010-04-21T21:42:24Z")
I’ve been saying “Ava-lay-vuk”. That probably butchers it a bit but it’s quite easier to remember and it’s roughly what I hear in that Wikipedia voice clip. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/11 "2010-04-22T00:44:15Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > [Throatwarbler Mangrove](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyQvjKqXA0Y). > > 😃 Well, actually “yacht” is one syllable! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/12 "2010-04-22T05:32:31Z")
One helpful way to attempt to pronounce it I’ve seen is to say “Hey ya forgot la yogurt” in a Brooklyn accent. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/13 "2010-04-22T06:00:21Z")
Fiddlefaddlebananaramamagregmaddoxpitchaduck. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/14 "2010-04-22T08:04:39Z")
> [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](#): > > I’ve been saying “Ava-lay-vuk”. That probably butchers it a bit but it’s quite easier to remember and it’s roughly what I hear in that Wikipedia voice clip. I hear AY yee va loe viK, where the K is swallowed, the ch is that of informal German, and the oe is like the schwa in French. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/15 "2010-04-22T11:47:53Z")
Imafokkinkillya. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/16 "2010-04-22T11:57:55Z")
American here. I don’t. I say that volcano and later it will be that Iceland volcano. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/17 "2010-04-22T12:27:35Z")
Listening to these reporters is even more fun than watching news shows when that big volcano near Mexico City gets active. Even the Univision newscasters have a hard time pronouncing Popocatépetl. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/18 "2010-04-22T13:42:30Z")
The correct pronunciation is “NNNYYYRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/19 "2010-04-22T13:55:33Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Listening to these reporters is even more fun than watching news shows when that big volcano near Mexico City gets active. Even the Univision newscasters have a hard time pronouncing Popocatépetl. Be glad Iztaccihuatl is extinct! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870/20 "2010-04-22T19:22:11Z")
I believe it’s “Eyjallawhateverthefuck.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-eyjafjallajkull/536870.md?page=2)