# How does one pronounce Hüsker Dü? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577 "2006-04-13T21:14:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/1 "2006-04-13T21:14:55Z")
I’ve always just said Hüsker as in cornhusker and Dü as in doo, but those…dot…things throw me off. I feel like I’m wrong. Am I? ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/2 "2006-04-13T21:18:29Z")
I don’t know either, but I pronounce it Hoosker Doo. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/3 "2006-04-13T21:22:53Z")
Well, I could try to tell you how it’s _really_ pronounced and turn this into the most nitpicky linguistic thread ever, but “Husker Doo” probably is as close as you’re likely to get if you’re a native English speaker. And it’s close enough. So I’d say you’re doing all right. Still, I suspect that someone will be around with the really nitpicky way to say in about, oh… 10… 9… 8… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/4 "2006-04-13T21:30:45Z")
Actually, I think I hit submit a bit too quickly here. I guess I should add that while I don’t know how the heck the band came up with the name, it looks like a bit of a joke. The name is a Scandinavian phrase that means “Do you remember?”, but it’s supposed to be written “Husker du” - without the umlauts. The usage of German style umlauts in improper places seems to be some kind of running joke with heavy metal bands and suchlike. The pronunciation of “Husker du” without umlauts is even closer, in fact _really_ close, to “Husker Doo”. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/5 "2006-04-13T21:36:03Z")
[QUOTE=Peak Banana] Actually, I think I hit submit a bit too quickly here. I guess I should add that while I don’t know how the heck the band came up with the name, it looks like a bit of a joke. The name is a Scandinavian phrase that means “Do you remember?”, but it’s supposed to be written “Husker du” - without the umlauts. The usage of German style umlauts in improper places seems to be some kind of running joke with heavy metal bands and suchlike. The pronunciation of “Husker du” without umlauts is even closer, in fact _really_ close, to “Husker Doo”. [/QUOTE] According to Wikipedia, the band was playing the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” at a rehearsal. Unable to remember the French portion of the song, they began shouting any foreign language terms that came to mind. Husker Du is the name of an old memory board game. Every time I’ve heard Bob Mould talk about his old band, it’s “Hoosker Doo.” ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/6 "2006-04-13T21:42:54Z")
Well, they started here in the Twin Cities, and everybody here says Hoosker Doo, so I suppose that is how the band pronounces it… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/7 "2006-04-13T21:45:41Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] Husker Du is the name of an old memory board game. [/QUOTE] [Husker Du?](http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/14423) ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/8 "2006-04-13T21:51:14Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] [Husker Du?](http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/14423) [/QUOTE] Heck. :dubious: Well, I’ll go into nitpicky Scandinavian pronounciation mode anyway. I think Norwegians would prefer “Husker Doo”, while the Danes, indeed, would probably go for “Hoosker Doo”. And the board game in question is Danish. So I’ll correct myself - I guess it’s “Hoosker Doo”. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/9 "2006-04-13T23:15:48Z")
[A Complete Guide To Umlauts In Popular Music](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_umlaut) ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/10 "2006-04-14T00:26:13Z")
On “Names For Bands” from his spoken word album _No More Cocoons_, Jello Biafra pronounces it as Hoosker Doo. And if it’s coming from Biafra, it gotta be trü ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/11 "2006-04-14T00:57:49Z")
I remember the TV commercials. They pronounced it Hoosker Doo. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-husker-du/352577/12 "2006-04-14T08:47:40Z")
Pronounce “Husker Du” with a Scottish accent and you will come close to the literal.