# How do you pronounce Santa Claus? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945 "2010-03-10T03:54:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/1 "2010-03-10T03:54:08Z")
I’ve a friend from Indiana who pronounces the Claus to rhyme with dental floss. Same with legal clause. But dog’s paws and the pause that refreshes both get z sounds. Is this a regional thing? Or a friend thing? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/2 "2010-03-10T04:15:11Z")
I assumed it was a European/German thing to do it that way. Like Herr Klaus or something. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/3 "2010-03-10T05:54:11Z")
But the German ‘Klaus’ is pronounced ‘klowss’ with the ow as in ‘ouch’, not as in ‘floss’. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/4 "2010-03-10T10:05:11Z")
Your options don’t make sense with me. “Paws” and “floss” don’t contain an “ah” vowel. Are you referring to the vowel sound or to the “s” vs. “z”? ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/5 "2010-03-10T12:57:47Z")
I think your friend is weird. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/6 "2010-03-10T13:43:52Z")
Clause rhymes with paws. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/7 "2010-03-10T13:51:07Z")
I go with Claws **if** the old boy is not there. **Face to face,** I rhyme it with house. Claus is an old friend. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/8 "2010-03-10T14:01:03Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > But the German ‘Klaus’ is pronounced ‘klowss’ with the ow as in ‘ouch’, not as in ‘floss’. And ze Germans don’t call him Claus, they call him Sankt Niklaus. Maybe pronounce _Nee-klouse_? I always struggle with phonetization. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/9 "2010-03-10T14:02:34Z")
It’s always been as in _paws_ around here. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/10 "2010-03-10T14:19:10Z")
This looks like a runaway train! Maybe a spinoff poll could get more variety of replies with: Sandy Claws Santy Claws Sinter Klaus (Clouse) Sanny Kloz ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/11 "2010-03-10T14:55:33Z")
Saint Nick ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/12 "2010-03-11T02:44:37Z")
Kringle! We meet again! This time we finish it. There can be only one! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/13 "2010-03-11T03:32:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Claus rhymes with paws as if it were klahz > Claus rhymes with floss as if it were klahss For me paws [pOz] doesn’t rhyme with klahz [klAz] and floss [flA.s] doesn’t rhyme with klahss [klas]. Claus [klOz] rhymes with paws but not with klahz. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/14 "2010-03-11T05:08:27Z")
People asking about the rhyming: In many parts of the country, the vowels in all those words are exactly the same. My reading of the OP is that they just want to know whether Claus ends with a /s/ sound or a /z/ sound. Read more at the [father-bother](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonological_history_of_the_low_back_vowels#Father-bother_merger) and [caught-cot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonological_history_of_the_low_back_vowels#Cot-caught_merger) mergers on Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/15 "2010-03-11T05:20:14Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Your options don’t make sense with me. “Paws” and “floss” don’t contain an “ah” vowel. Are you referring to the vowel sound or to the “s” vs. “z”? The s vs. z sound. And the aw in paws and the o in floss both sound like “ah” to me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/16 "2010-03-11T07:21:00Z")
I remember the guy going undercover as Mr. Claus, rhymes with blouse, mouse and especially Strauss on one of those claymation specials when he was trying to find out why so many children did not believe in him. Other than then, he has always been Santa Claus, rhymes with jaws and paws, to me of NYC. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/17 "2010-03-11T07:42:40Z")
I grew up in Indiana pronouncing it to rhyme with paws. However, some of the folks that I worked with from closer to Chicago used the other pronounciation. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/18 "2010-03-11T08:09:05Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > For me paws [pOz] doesn’t rhyme with klahz [klAz] and floss [flA.s] doesn’t rhyme with klahss [klas]. You interpret “klahz” and “klahss” as having different vowels? Interesting. What would be examples of real words illustrating the contrast in your accent? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/19 "2010-03-11T08:12:25Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > But the German ‘Klaus’ is pronounced ‘klowss’ with the ow as in ‘ouch’, not as in ‘floss’. I thought that’s what this was going to be between–Claws vs. Klowss. > [@AppallingGael](#): > > I remember the guy going undercover as Mr. Claus, rhymes with blouse, mouse and especially Strauss on one of those claymation specials when he was trying to find out why so many children did not believe in him. Other than then, he has always been Santa Claus, rhymes with jaws and paws, to me of NYC. The Year Without a Santa Claus! And that’s what came to mind for me, too. “I beliiiiiiieeeeeeve in Santa Claus…” ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945/20 "2010-03-11T08:45:57Z")
Sandy Claws. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-santa-claus/531945.md?page=2)