# How do you say al-Qaida? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2001, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011 "2001-10-07T23:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/1 "2001-10-07T23:53:00Z")
How do you pronounce al-Qaida? I’ve heard al-KAYduh, el-kuhDAH, AL-kahdah just today. (Not to mention, is it bin-LAYdin or bin-LAHden?) [sub]“You say binLaydin, I say binLahden, let’s call the whole thing off.”[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Muslim\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Muslim\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muslim_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/2 "2001-10-08T00:27:36Z")
Four syllables. al-qa-`i-dah. First syllable: al- as in "You can call me Al", but shorter. Second syllable: like "call" without the ll. The stress is on this syllable. Third syllable: it opens with the `ayn sound in the throat, then a short i as in “id”. Fourth syllable: da as in “You da man.” ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/3 "2001-10-08T00:39:57Z")
That’s strange. I’ve always heard it with three syllables: either al-ki-da or al-ka-da (2d “a” long). Not to say what you say is not right, it’s just not what I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/4 "2001-10-08T00:41:45Z")
Thanks, **Muslim Guy**. It’s great to get an expert immediately. I have heard interviews on the news where someone being interviewed (probably a Muslim?) would use a four-syllable pronunciation that I couldn’t quite catch. This must have been it. And of course the newsperson would repeat back “alKAHdah”, sigh. So, to sum up, phonetically we get: ‘al-KAH-ih-dah’ More-or-less correct? Is this why I somtimes see it spelled al Qai’da or something like that? And if I see an apostrophe/accent in the middle a presumably Arabic word in the future, this connotes a word/pronunciation break as above…? (and can someone please enlighten the newscasters? 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/5 "2001-10-08T03:11:11Z")
I believe it’s pronounced “Target”. Other current pronunciations include “dead meat” and “toast”. “Bin Laden” may be pronounced as “bastard” or “dead man walking”. Just my interpretation of the issue at hand… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/6 "2001-10-08T03:33:58Z")
(Why did I see that comment coming from a mile away? “How do you spell Bin Ladin? A-S-S-H-O-L-E”. Yuk. There, have we got out of our systems?) Okay, very funny, **Kilt** , but I was actually interested in the original question on pronunciation. There’s plenty of threads in the Pit on Bin Ladin vernacular. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/7 "2001-10-08T05:18:02Z")
The only way I’ve heard it spoken by credible sources is bin lah-den. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-al-qaida/86011/8 "2001-10-08T18:57:43Z")
I think that Muslim Guy is a reliable source. I actually didn’t notice his moniker when I previously posted. My apologies.