# How do you pronounce "Sauron"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029 "2008-12-13T18:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/1 "2008-12-13T18:16:14Z")
When I read LOTR as a kid I automatically mentally pronounced the “Saur-” like the “-saur” in “dinosaur” – “sore - on.” But in the movies they pronounced it “sow - ron.” How did JRRT intend it to be pronounced? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/2 "2008-12-13T18:24:57Z")
As in the movies. Read the pronunciation guide in the books sometime. ---
**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:** [December 13, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/3 "2008-12-13T18:33:57Z")
I’ve always pronounced it _sow_-ron also. First place I encountered the name was here on the SDMB. Wait, in saying it a few times, I may actually say it more like _sour_-on. But now I’m paying too much attention to it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/4 "2008-12-13T19:01:32Z")
**Sow** ron is correct. [The Encyclopedia of Arda](http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.asp): is a good place to look for a [pronunciations](http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/s/sauron.html). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/5 "2008-12-13T20:16:38Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I’ve always pronounced it _sow_-ron also. But _which_ “sow”—the pig one or the seeds one? ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/6 "2008-12-13T20:19:21Z")
Not the pig one. But saw-ron is how it always came to me, but it’s similar to what they said in the movies. Though the first time I ever encountered the name Sauron was from the Sega Video game “[Primal Rage](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_Rage#Characters)”. And it’s still what I tend to think of when I hear the name… ---
**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:** [December 13, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/7 "2008-12-13T20:22:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But _which_ “sow”—the pig one or the seeds one? Excellent point. 😃 It’s the oinky one for me. And to this part of the OP: > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > How did JRRT intend it to be pronounced? When in doubt, go by however Christopher Lee says it. He’s the [only person associated with the film to have actually known Tolkien](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/trivia). ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/8 "2008-12-13T20:28:03Z")
> [@Ro0sh](#): > > Not the pig one. :smack: I meant the pig one. I was thinking to myself, “Who sows pigs?” ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/9 "2008-12-13T21:26:50Z")
Yup, “Sour-on”. The man himself said it. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/10 "2008-12-13T22:30:29Z")
> [@Ro0sh](#): > > :smack: I meant the pig one. > I was thinking to myself, “Who sows pigs?” As ye sow, so shall ye reap. **OINK!!!** ---
**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:** [December 13, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/11 "2008-12-13T22:32:57Z")
Always fun to see **ShibbOleth** in a pronunciation thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/12 "2008-12-13T22:34:00Z")
You pronounce “Sauron” however the Lord of Mordor wishes that name to be pronounced, if you know what’s good for you. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/13 "2008-12-13T22:46:31Z")
Sauron rhymes with sauna. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/14 "2008-12-13T23:09:52Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Sauron rhymes with sauna. No it doesn’t. **Sow** -ron, like **sour**. **Saw** -na, like chain **saw**. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/15 "2008-12-13T23:47:51Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > No it doesn’t. > > **Sow** -ron, like **sour**. **Saw** -na, like chain **saw**. Yes it does. **Sow** -ron, like **sau** rkraut. **Sow** -na, because it’s a Finnish word and my step-father was from Finland and that’s the way it’s pronounced. 😛 ---
**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:** [December 13, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/16 "2008-12-13T23:53:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Yes it does. > > **Sow** -ron, like **sau** rkraut. **Sow** -na, because it’s a Finnish word and my step-father was from Finland and that’s the way it’s pronounced. 😛 No it doesn’t, because the final syllables are completely different 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/17 "2008-12-13T23:56:07Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > No it doesn’t, because the final syllables are completely different 😛 I knew someone would say that, but I don’t know a word like ‘rhymes’ that means the first part of a word so I just used what **Tapioca Dextrin** used. Think of it as a very broad interpretation of ‘rhyme’. 😉 ---
**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:** [December 13, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/18 "2008-12-13T23:58:48Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I knew someone would say that, but I don’t know a word like ‘rhymes’ that means the first part of a word so I just used what **Tapioca Dextrin** used. Think of it as a very broad interpretation of ‘rhyme’. 😉 That’s what I figured you meant too. Does anyone know the proper word for this? Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/19 "2008-12-14T00:11:12Z")
I’ve never heard sauna pronounced **sow** na before. Where is that common? (Other than Finland, apparently.) ---
**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:** [December 14, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/20 "2008-12-14T00:39:18Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’ve never heard sauna pronounced **sow** na before. Where is that common? (Other than Finland, apparently.) Well, I don’t say it exactly like **sow** na, but closer to the sound of “saw” with no “w” at the end. Basically, the same way I say Sauron. Maybe it’s because we’re imagining the word “saw” differently (the way I say it rhymes with draw). Valete, Vox Imperatoris PS: I tried to use **sau** na as a phonetic way of representing the way I say it before I made an important realization. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029.md?page=2)