# Megalodon should be pronounced similar to iguanodon and pteranodon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 24, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745 "2025-02-24T20:02:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/1 "2025-02-24T20:02:47Z")
The title says it. The common pronunciation bugs the hell out of me. It sounds like someone who just came across the word and is reading it aloud without knowing how similar words are pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/2 "2025-02-24T20:06:17Z")
Wow, you break a fast of three years only to make an assertion that is absolutely, positively, 100% incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/3 "2025-02-24T20:08:45Z")
but why? shouldn’t it follow the same pattern? the common pronunciation just sounds so … illiterate. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/4 "2025-02-24T20:11:23Z")
> [@TGWATY](#): > > but why? shouldn’t it follow the same pattern? t **ough** thr **ough** c **ough** ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/5 "2025-02-24T20:11:35Z")
I have never heard those two other words, so do you mean that it should be, “Me-GA-lodon?” If so, I always thought that was exactly how it is indeed pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/6 "2025-02-24T20:12:41Z")
Are you asking about ‘oh-don’ vs ‘uh-don’? I don’t recall hearing it being pronounced oddly. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/7 "2025-02-24T20:13:07Z")
No, they’re saying it should be me-_gal_-o-don. But no. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/8 "2025-02-24T20:17:01Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BTPcq2HczVY/maxresdefault.jpg "Why Megalodon (Definitely) Went Extinct") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTPcq2HczVY&t=44/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/9 "2025-02-24T20:19:05Z")
I think she means pis-_co_-baleena. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/10 "2025-02-24T20:19:29Z")
At 0:44 in the video above > [@](#): > > It usually goes by its species name, Megalodon ---
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/11 "2025-02-24T20:23:47Z")
I would bet money that when the animal was first named the scientific community pronounced it me-GAL-odon and at some point in the last 50 years, maybe less, it shifted in pronunciation among the public. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/12 "2025-02-24T20:35:53Z")
You do realize that the name means “big tooth” and the “l” is probably just there because “mega-odon” would be hard to say? Do you think computer memory is measured in me-_gab_-ites? That Optimus Prime fights Me-_gat_-ron? ---
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/13 "2025-02-24T20:48:45Z")
it has more to do with the number of syllables. Pterosaur has a stress on the first syllable similar to dinosaur, but in pteranodon it shifts. Mastodon has a stress on the first syllable, but it only has three syllables. Other 4 syllable words with mega like megapixel are pronounced the way they are more because they are prefixing a common word with mega. We say megapixel the way we do because we pronounce the second syllable the way we pronounce pixel alone. -odon is not like that. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/14 "2025-02-24T20:56:55Z")
Right, we have a history of not liking glottal stops. And to the OP: From your post, do you pronounce “says” as “sez” or “saze”? Does it rhyme with “bays,” “cays,” “days,” etc.? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/15 "2025-02-25T10:01:42Z")
14 posts in and as far as I can tell the OP has yet to explicitly state the pronunciation they prefer. They’ve talked around the pronunciation, made comparisons to other words, but skipped the actual punchline. Which should have been in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/16 "2025-02-25T10:21:25Z")
I thought it was pronounced Brian? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/17 "2025-02-25T10:42:16Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I thought it was pronounced Brian? - Nope. It’s pronounced Throatwarbler Mangrove. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/18 "2025-02-25T12:50:40Z")
My version of the OP’s complaint is the word “Quixotic”. It’s pronounced kwĭk-sŏt′ĭk, and seems wrong to me. Dude’s name was Don Key-ho-tay, which, to my ear, means we should pronounce it key-ho-tic. But I’m not a Spanish speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/19 "2025-02-25T12:56:02Z")
Can we address the eleph-ant in the room? TGWATY Tig-Watty, or T’-_gwat_-y? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745/20 "2025-02-25T13:07:31Z")
NO, no, NO. That’s an elep-hant. It _looks_ like the “ph” glyph for the “f” sound, but that’s a common mistake. Just like any other compound word made of two original 4-letter words, the syllable break is between the root words 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megalodon-should-be-pronounced-similar-to-iguanodon-and-pteranodon/1014745.md?page=2)