# Kwisatz Haderach: pronounce it! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360 "2009-01-15T01:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/1 "2009-01-15T01:56:40Z")
Kwee-saatz Haad-er-rach (german ch) is how I do it. Am I close? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/2 "2009-01-15T02:06:11Z")
Kiz-ak Had-er-rack. That’s because I don’t know anything about the Imperium language and I can barely speak English. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/3 "2009-01-15T02:47:02Z")
Kwee-sats Had-ur-ak Next question: is Piter de Vries pronounced Peter or Pie-tur? And is it Dr. Yu-eh or Dr. Yu-ee? ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/4 "2009-01-15T04:44:12Z")
When I read it, I knew immediately where it comes from (the Hebrew term [k’fitzat haderech](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefitzat_Haderech)) so I pronounced it like the Hebrew - kfee-TZAT ha-DEH-rech. The last ch is a frictive, like in ‘loch’ or ‘Bach.’ I suppose he changed the f to a w (k’fitzat -\> kwisatz) to make it into a different term, but that just sounded stupid to me since there isn’t a W phoneme in Hebrew. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/5 "2009-01-15T05:26:33Z")
Kwih-zatz Had-der-ack Pie-ter Yoo-eh IMO Where is the stress in Harkonnen? First syllable or second? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/6 "2009-01-15T05:35:49Z")
QUIZ-ats HAD’-der-ack Peter Dr. YOO-ee Har-KOH-nen ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/7 "2009-01-15T05:37:21Z")
Har KO nen. KWEE-saatz HAAD-er-rac. PIE ter. Dr. YOU ee. ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/8 "2009-01-15T07:16:59Z")
> [@NoCoolUserName](#): > > Kwee-saatz Haad-er-rach (german ch) is how I do it. Am I close? I’ve always thought of it that way too. I heard around the campfire, possibly in a thread here, that Frank Herbert said Harkonnen was pronounced “HAR-cone-en.” I’ve always pronounced it the way it was in the David Lynch movie like you guys do, though. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/9 "2009-01-15T12:58:26Z")
Lord I love this discussion. More importantly, I like the fact that there seems to be a set of reasonable answers. I tried to do the same thing with Watchman and the character Adrian Veidt - Veet? Vate? Vite? and got fairly random responses - the most logical argument was to go with a Germanic pronounciation - i.e., Vite - but it wasn’t hard and fast. Guess we’ll wait for the movie… As for the OP, I am with **WhyNot** , \*\*Ruby \*\*and other like posters… I nearly had to sell my first edition of Dune over the weeked - long story, but ultimately I didn’t - it was _such_ a relief. What a truly wonderful book. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/10 "2009-01-15T13:31:25Z")
Quit-sack, hadder-ack, give a dog a bone, this old man came rolling home… ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/11 "2009-01-15T14:54:56Z")
I pronounce them like in the David Lynch movie, which I saw when I was a kid before I read the book. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/12 "2009-01-15T16:29:38Z")
Key-sotch Hod-er-rock ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/13 "2009-01-15T17:00:58Z")
I’m fine with QUIZ-ats HAD’-der-ack, but what about: Bene Tleilax and Tleilaxu. My brain always kinda skimmed over those names. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/14 "2009-01-15T17:03:44Z")
kwee-ZATS HAH-der-ACH (german ch) har-KO-nen YOU-eh never did settle on one for Piter sometimes PIE-ter sometimes PEE-ter sometimes pee-AY-ter (I dunno where that came from, I was a kid) Never saw the movie. ETA BAY-nay TL-EYE-lax tl-eye-LAX-oo ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/15 "2009-01-15T17:24:11Z")
KUM-kwat HOGG-gen-Daaz ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/16 "2009-01-15T17:47:28Z")
FWIW - and as many in this thread will know - a narrator pronounces _kwisatz haderach_ at the beginning of Lynch’s _Dune_. If memory serves, it was pronounced pretty much like **TomTildrum’s** suggestion in post #5. Not sure if that pronunciation is canon, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/17 "2009-01-15T18:45:23Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > When I read it, I knew immediately where it comes from (the Hebrew term [k’fitzat haderech](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefitzat_Haderech)) so I pronounced it like the Hebrew - kfee-TZAT ha-DEH-rech. The last ch is a frictive, like in ‘loch’ or ‘Bach.’ > > I suppose he changed the f to a w (k’fitzat -\> kwisatz) to make it into a different term, but that just sounded stupid to me since there isn’t a W phoneme in Hebrew. I assumed it was intended to mimic the way pronunciation and orthography change when words are are borrowed from one language into another. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/18 "2009-01-15T18:54:55Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > QUIZ-ats HAD’-der-ack > > Peter > > Dr. YOO-ee > > Har-KOH-nen WhyNot has them all correct, with the exception of the pronounciation of Piter which is PYE-tr > [@levdrakon](#): > > I’m fine with QUIZ-ats HAD’-der-ack, but what about: > > Bene Tleilax and Tleilaxu. My brain always kinda skimmed over those names. Bennay TLEE-lax, and Tlee-LAX-oo. As \*\*CandidGamera \*\*does, I pronounce all the names as in the David Lynch movie. …and no, a million deaths are not enough for Yueh. Poor Jessica \. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/19 "2009-01-15T19:04:15Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > WhyNot has them all correct, with the exception of the pronounciation of Piter which is PYE-tr Yeah, I tried PYE-tr for several chapters, but my inner narrator’s voice kept getting it wrong, so I went back to Peter. [sf jump]Hey, how do you pronounce Hari? Me, I wanted it to be Har (as in, hardee har har or Hare Krishna) - ee, but it wouldn’t stick, either. Harry Seldon it is. ---
**Author:** ![Arglefraster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Arglefraster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arglefraster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360/20 "2009-01-15T19:10:38Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > sometimes pee-AY-ter (I dunno where that came from, I was a kid) Oddly enough, I always said it the same way in my head when I read the book. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kwisatz-haderach-pronounce-it/481360.md?page=2)