# Pronounce 'cum laude' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858 "2011-06-17T16:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/1 "2011-06-17T16:46:13Z")
Please settle a dispute. I’ve usually heard it pronounced to rhyme with ‘room howdy’, but a commencement speaker I heard pronounced it ‘come loud’. Which is the more correct? (One theory suggested is that it’s pronounced ‘come loud’ but the pronunciation was changed because of the obvious joking possibilities, similar to the way many people pronounce Uranus to rhyme with YOUR-ah-nus rather than than your-ANUS.) ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/2 "2011-06-17T16:53:46Z")
[http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=cum\_la01&word=cum%20laude&text=\k\u̇\<%2FSPAN\>m-\ˈ\<%2FSPAN\>la\u̇\<%2FSPAN\>-də%2C%20-dē%3B%20\ˌ\<%2FSPAN\>kəm-\ˈ\<%2FSPAN\>l\ȯ\<%2FSPAN\>-dē\](http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=cum_la01&word=cum%20laude&text=%5Ck%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3Eu%CC%87%3C%2FSPAN%3Em-%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3E%CB%88%3C%2FSPAN%3Ela%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3Eu%CC%87%3C%2FSPAN%3E-d%C9%99%2C%20-d%C4%93%3B%20%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3E%CB%8C%3C%2FSPAN%3Ek%C9%99m-%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3E%CB%88%3C%2FSPAN%3El%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3Eo%CC%87%3C%2FSPAN%3E-d%C4%93%5C) Merriam says coom (like broom) lau(rhymes with how)-duh (kind of cliped), but also suggests multiple pronunciations may be acceptable. My experience is everyone says it differently and no one is all that confident about it… ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/3 "2011-06-17T16:59:07Z")
We should just change the name of that planet to Urectum and put that silly joke to rest once and for all. [ripped off from Futurama] ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/4 "2011-06-17T17:02:46Z")
koom LOUD-ay or koom-LOUD-uh. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/5 "2011-06-17T17:04:20Z")
koom LAU-day. It certainly wouldn’t be “come loud”, since Latin doesn’t have the silent E (or any other silent letters, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/6 "2011-06-17T17:45:56Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > koom LOUD-ay or koom-LOUD-uh. That’s how my 8th grade Latin teacher would have said it. I buy that. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/7 "2011-06-17T17:57:16Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > …the way many people pronounce Uranus to rhyme with YOUR-ah-nus rather than than your-ANUS. I prefer a pronunciation which harks back to the original “Ouranos” and doesn’t sound like either “anus” _or_ “urine.” ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/8 "2011-06-17T18:06:59Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > We should just change the name of that planet to Urectum and put that silly joke to rest once and for all. Urectum? Damn near killed 'em. koom-LOUD-uh is the pronunciation I have heard the most. Of course never attaining such honors I don’t have a ton of experience. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/9 "2011-06-17T18:27:58Z")
Summa cum laude. Magna cum laude. The radio’s too laude. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/10 "2011-06-17T18:40:13Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > koom LOUD-ay or koom-LOUD-uh. This, though the latter is more correct and the former will get you fewer weird looks. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/11 "2011-06-17T19:17:55Z")
Quoth **spark240** : > [@](#): > > I prefer a pronunciation which harks back to the original “Ouranos” and doesn’t sound like either “anus” or “urine.” Whoa, you mean there are two of us? How many more do we need before it becomes a movement? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/12 "2011-06-17T19:56:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **spark240** :Whoa, you mean there are two of us? How many more do we need before it becomes a movement? At least fifty a day. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/13 "2011-06-17T20:01:45Z")
Koom-LAU-Day. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/14 "2011-06-17T20:31:37Z")
Koom low-da is the overwhelming champion. Thanks! ---
**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:** [June 17, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/15 "2011-06-17T21:32:23Z")
I think “loudly” is grammatically correct. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/16 "2011-06-17T22:04:02Z")
Changing a final \to the /i/ (ee) sound is something a lot of people seem to do. But it’s usually with Greek rather than Latin. I still don’t know why it’s pronounced as a schwa (uh) rather than a /e/ (as in th **e** re), though. It’s not French or German. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/17 "2011-06-17T22:13:45Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > [http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=cum\_la01&word=cum%20laude&text=\k\u̇\<%2FSPAN\>m-\ˈ\<%2FSPAN\>la\u̇\<%2FSPAN\>-də%2C%20-dē%3B%20\ˌ\<%2FSPAN\>kəm-\ˈ\<%2FSPAN\>l\ȯ\<%2FSPAN\>-dē\](http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=cum_la01&word=cum%20laude&text=%5Ck%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3Eu%CC%87%3C%2FSPAN%3Em-%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3E%CB%88%3C%2FSPAN%3Ela%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3Eu%CC%87%3C%2FSPAN%3E-d%C9%99%2C%20-d%C4%93%3B%20%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3E%CB%8C%3C%2FSPAN%3Ek%C9%99m-%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3E%CB%88%3C%2FSPAN%3El%3CSPAN%20class%3Dunicode%3Eo%CC%87%3C%2FSPAN%3E-d%C4%93%5C) > > Merriam says coom (like broom) lau(rhymes with how)-duh (kind of cliped), but also suggests multiple pronunciations may be acceptable. My experience is everyone says it differently and no one is all that confident about it… that. ---
**Author:** ![andix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@andix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andix)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/18 "2011-06-18T07:18:40Z")
“koom LAU-day”. I speak Italian and a couple other Romantic languages all derived from Latin, and I was also supposed to learn Latin in school (many many years ago.) Some quotes and Latin terms stuck. To clarify, “laudae” approximately means “compliments” (or something such as the plural form of “appreciation” - if there ever was such a form.) Now the noun is “lauda” (sg.) and “laudae” (pl.) If you choose to pronounce “LAU-duh” you’re saying “magna cum **lauda** ” which is incorrect. So one **has to** pronounce “LAU-day” in respect to the proper Latin pronounciation. And **NO** , multiple pronounciations are not acceptable - MW was written by an English speaker (or several.) Nothing to do with Latin here. LE: English is **not** my mother tongue. One of the Romantic languages is. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/19 "2011-06-18T12:22:30Z")
> [@andix](#): > > “koom LAU-day”. I speak Italian and a couple other Romantic languages all derived from Latin, and I was also supposed to learn Latin in school (many many years ago.) Some quotes and Latin terms stuck. > To clarify, “laudae” approximately means “compliments” (or something such as the plural form of “appreciation” - if there ever was such a form.) Now the noun is “lauda” (sg.) and “laudae” (pl.) > If you choose to pronounce “LAU-duh” you’re saying “magna cum **lauda** ” which is incorrect. So one **has to** pronounce “LAU-day” in respect to the proper Latin pronounciation. And **NO** , multiple pronounciations are not acceptable - MW was written by an English speaker (or several.) Nothing to do with Latin here. > > LE: English is **not** my mother tongue. One of the Romantic languages is. This is full of errors. First of all, you’re mistaken about **lauda**. I think you might be misled by Italian: in my Italian dictionary, **lauda** is given as an older form of **lode**. Not all old-fashioned Italian is Latin! The noun in Latin is **laus** , and basically means “commendation,” “praise,” or “esteem.” It is pronounced much like the English _louse_. **Cum** (coom, but don’t linger on the oo or you’ll make it a long vowel) is a preposition requiring the ablative case in the noun that follows. The ablative of \*\*laus \*\*is **laude** , like English _loud_ followed by a short “ay,” but that’s really hard for English speakers because we like to add an ahistorical y-glide at the end. Finally, of course multiple pronunciations are acceptable. In Latin, there is Classical and Medieval (“Church”) pronunciation, for example. Further, the phrase “cum laude” has been adopted into English. From Latin, yes, but it is now also English, and a variety of pronunciations are perfectly acceptable. Nobody but a sad Latin professor is going to hear someone say “lauda” and think, “why is he using the second-person singular imperative verb instead of the ablative case of the noun?” “Magna,” as in “magna cum laude,” should be pronounced “mangna” in classical Laitn and nobody ever says it like that. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858/20 "2011-06-18T14:37:58Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > This is full of errors. First of all, you’re mistaken about **lauda**. I think you might be misled by Italian: in my Italian dictionary, **lauda** is given as an older form of **lode**. Not all old-fashioned Italian is Latin! > > The noun in Latin is **laus** , and basically means “commendation,” “praise,” or “esteem.” It is pronounced much like the English _louse_. **Cum** (coom, but don’t linger on the oo or you’ll make it a long vowel) is a preposition requiring the ablative case in the noun that follows. The ablative of \*\*laus \*\*is **laude** , like English _loud_ followed by a short “ay,” but that’s really hard for English speakers because we like to add an ahistorical y-glide at the end. > > Finally, of course multiple pronunciations are acceptable. In Latin, there is Classical and Medieval (“Church”) pronunciation, for example. Further, the phrase “cum laude” has been adopted into English. From Latin, yes, but it is now also English, and a variety of pronunciations are perfectly acceptable. Nobody but a sad Latin professor is going to hear someone say “lauda” and think, “why is he using the second-person singular imperative verb instead of the ablative case of the noun?” “Magna,” as in “magna cum laude,” should be pronounced “mangna” in classical Laitn and nobody ever says it like that. This. Most of what has been covered here is Church Latin. **Dr Drake** is correct about the distinction but IMO doesn’t go far enough. The -u- in _cum_ and the -e in _laude_ are short unstressed vowels, sounded very similar to the parallel short English vowels. _In Classical Latin_, _cum_ would have been very similar to the English word “come” and nearly identical in both sound and spelling to its slangy variant for “to achieve orgasm.” The difference would be a hint more of an -oo- sound than the English -uh- carries. Likewise, the -e in _laude_ would be _almost_ an English -eh sound (_not_ a schwa, but the recurring vowel of “Ben and his men went into the fen.” There would be just the slightest hint of a very clipped -é sound, a “long A” in English – English always draws out contionental long vowels into diphthongs But a first approximation of of “cum lou-deh” with “lou” rhyming with “cow” would not be in error. Church Latin of course renders Latin words as if they were Italian. The phrase in the Biblical book of Revelation about “a new heaven” is _novum cielum_ – in Classic Latin, “no-wuhm kee-eh-luhm”; in Church Latin, “no-voom chee-ay-loom.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-cum-laude/585858.md?page=2)