# How do you pronounce "Sauron"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029>\
**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:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**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, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/21 "2008-12-14T00:45:54Z")

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Thread not complete without pics, er, I mean [audio](http://www.box.net/shared/g97hm7yprh).

Valete,  
Vox Imperatoris

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**Author:** ![BlackNGold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BlackNGold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackNGold)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/22 "2008-12-14T18:46:35Z")

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> [@Vox\_Imperatoris](#):
>
> That’s what I figured you meant too. Does anyone know the proper word for this?

Alliterative assonance? Like a combination of the two, really.

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**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/23 "2008-12-14T19:18:10Z")

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It’s pronounced “Throatwarbler Mangrove”

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**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/24 "2008-12-14T20:59:04Z")

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> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#):
>
> I’ve never heard sauna pronounced **sow** na before. Where is that common? (Other than Finland, apparently.)

Germany?

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**Author:** ![Ducktail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@Ducktail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ducktail)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/25 "2008-12-14T21:16:45Z")

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I grew up having it read aloud to me as Sar-ron, which I always assumed was an American accent coming through in the pronunciation, since when I heard “Sow-ron” in the films I thought it just had to do with the regional variation in actors. It’s a slight difference, but to think Sow-ron to myself feels rather forced, like I’m faking a British accent.

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**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-sauron/477029/26 "2008-12-15T04:02:08Z")

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The “a” and the “u” are technically supposed to be pronounced as separate syllables.

The “a” as in “tall”, the “u” as in “rule”. (No irregular spellings in Elvish.)

When you say it quickly, they run together. Tolkien himself suggested “sour-on” as a good approximation.

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