# "It is a pune or play on words" (Terry Pratchett) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849 "2002-12-01T23:05:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/1 "2002-12-01T23:05:30Z")
This line pops up a few times in the Discworld books, and my husband and I like to quote it to each other. The problem is that we can’t figure out how to pronounce “pune.” Pun? Poon? Pyoon? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/2 "2002-12-01T23:59:13Z")
I assume “poon” as being closest to “pun.” Like “dune” and “dun.” ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/3 "2002-12-02T00:44:59Z")
I’d agree. It’s “pun”, with a redundant “e”, to make it look as authentically Middle Ages-style Discworld as possible. See also “gonne”. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/4 "2002-12-02T10:09:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Helena \* > \*\*This line pops up a few times in the Discworld books, and my husband and I like to quote it to each other. The problem is that we can’t figure out how to pronounce “pune.” Pun? Poon? Pyoon? \*\* It’s a made up word and you own the book so the word is now yours. You can pronounce it any way you want to. Isn’t that neat? I myself would pronounce it ala Peter Sellers. “Where is your pyuhn?” or something like that. Like I say, it’s your word, so enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/5 "2002-12-02T10:31:39Z")
I think it’s pronounced ‘pee-yoon’. It’s the sort of silliness that Pratchett himself would chuckle about, especially since people won’t know how to pronounce it. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/6 "2002-12-02T12:27:47Z")
I agree with \*_Ice Wolf_, Prachett’s having a bit of fun with Middle Ages writing styles. Just like when he uses the fancy “f” that looks like the letter '“S” in the double “ss” letter combo in words like “trespass” or "permission"on signs, notes, or letters. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/7 "2002-12-02T16:41:35Z")
Isn’t it easier to play on grass? I always found it difficult to run around on someone’s breath, unless it’s really cold out. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/8 "2002-12-02T17:08:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by widdershins \* > \*\*Just like when he uses the fancy “f” that looks like the letter '“S” in the double “ss” letter combo in words like “trespass” or "permission"on signs, notes, or letters. \*\* [hijack arr matey] He sometimes does this with non-doubled s’s too, as shown by the copy of Macbeth I got him to sign, which is now inscribed “Best wifhef W. Shakefpear” [/hijack arr matey] ---
**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 2, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/9 "2002-12-02T17:28:42Z")
Maybe he’s writing about Pune (or Poona), India? ---
**Author:** ![PsyMar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@PsyMar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PsyMar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2025, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/10 "2025-02-23T15:06:35Z")
I found this thread while googling the exact phrasing, and I felt it important to point out that, per the lspace wiki, the “pune” is named after Jean-Paul Pune who founded the Ankh-Morpork Fools’ Guild, in case anyone else stumbles across this thread somehow. Probably the discworld audiobooks could provide an authoritative pronunciation, assuming they’re consistent with it. ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2025, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/11 "2025-02-23T23:49:46Z")
> [@PsyMar](#): > > Probably the discworld audiobooks could provide an authoritative pronunciation, assuming they’re consistent with it. Just listened to the audiobook of _Met at Arms_ ([here](https://archive.org/details/discworld-audiobooks/15-MenAtArms.mp3)) and narrator Nigel Planer says “pyoon”, before 2:40. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/12 "2025-02-24T00:45:26Z")
> [@De\_La\_Rue](#): > > “pyoon” This is a common British pronunciation of the word, while the American pronunciation is commonly without the y. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/13 "2025-02-24T00:59:37Z")
What I meant was that June is typically pronounced with a y in British English and without a y in American English. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/14 "2025-02-24T10:12:23Z")
Eh? Am I being whooshed? June rhymes with Moon round these parts. j ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/15 "2025-02-24T11:50:02Z")
Maybe he meant dune which Americans render as “doon” and the rest of the English speaking world pronounce properly. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-a-pune-or-play-on-words-terry-pratchett/139849/16 "2025-02-24T13:24:36Z")
Sorry about getting that wrong. The word “dune” is pronounced like “June” in some British accents. It’s pronounced without the “y” sound in it in American accents.