# Osama or Usama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991 "2003-02-14T03:25:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RobbieFal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c5a1d2/32.png) [@RobbieFal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobbieFal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991/1 "2003-02-14T03:25:44Z")
Now, I run an internet blog ( [http://robbiefal.blogspot.com/](http://robbiefal.blogspot.com/) ), and I publicily thought one thing, Is it Usama or Osama? In America, it’s Osama. In England, it’s Usama. It seems that the Arabic and English languages have a poor record with translation. Which way of spelling is preferred? ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991/2 "2003-02-14T03:58:49Z")
Start here: [Osama\Usama bin Laden?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=87822&highlight=osama%2Busama%2Bspelling) [Osama vs. Usama](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=90792&highlight=osama%2Busama%2Bspelling) Search is your friend. So is [Boardreader](http://www.boardreader.com). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991/3 "2003-02-14T05:19:52Z")
It’s to confuse his enemies: how is anyone going to know which name to look for in the phone book in order to track him down?! ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991/4 "2003-02-14T08:22:43Z")
It’s basically up to whoever is doing the transliteration. Arabic letters don’t have exactly corresponding English counterparts, and as far as I know there is no Official Guide to Arabic-English Transliteration (follow it or be visited by serious men in dark suits). I was writing a paper on Genghis Khan and found that one book credited an event called The Long Ride to one Chepe, whereas another credited it to one Jebe. I was pretty confused before I realised they were the same guy, transliterated differently. ---
**Author:** ![Philosophocles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Philosophocles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philosophocles)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991/5 "2003-02-14T08:27:07Z")
To-may-to To-mah-to Po-tay-to Po-tah-to Let’s call the whole thing off!!! Elijah Elisha Epistles Apostles Let’s call the whole thing off!!! ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991/6 "2003-02-14T09:01:33Z")
FOX News spells him Usama. I spell him UBL. I’m not sure if that should be pronounced Oo-bull (and thus the same as OBL) or UBL (Ubble). ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-or-usama/154991/7 "2003-02-14T11:27:51Z")
Just asked Arabic colleague and he says it should be **O** sama.